End-to-end flexibility platform pilot
We're providing enhanced regulatory support to Our Energy and Cortexo's end-to-end flexibility platform pilot as part of the Power Innovation Pathway.
Our Energy & Cortexo
Empowering flexibility
Our Energy and Cortexo have partnered to pilot New Zealand’s first end-to-end flexibility market to trade demand-side flexibility locally with distributors and nationally with the System Operator.
It's a solution to enable lines companies to seamlessly procure flexibility services, unlock greater participation from distributed energy resources (like solar and batteries), and establish consistent, scalable ways to deliver local flexibility.
Enabling a local flexibility procurement solution
New Zealand’s electricity system is evolving, with renewable generation (like wind and solar), electrification, and distributed energy resources (like solar and batteries) reshaping how power flows through networks. Yet, distributors lack a consistent, efficient way to procure flexibility services – making it hard to consider alternatives to traditional infrastructure upgrades.
This pilot is focused on creating an end-to-end flexibility market via an integration of the Localflex platform (owned by EPEX SPOT and distributed in New Zealand by Our Energy) and Cortexo's real-time visibility and dispatch technology. It aims to enable distributors to easily procure flexibility services, enabling greater participation from distributed energy resources and establishing consistent ways of transacting and delivering local flexibility.
About Our Energy and Cortexo
Our Energy and Cortexo aim to scale electricity demand flexibility and make it easier for everyone – households, businesses and communities – to participate in the electricity system more actively, and benefit from doing so.
Power Innovation Pathway support
The Electricity Authority is supporting this initiative to improve energy management and demand flexibility to enable a more reliable and affordable electricity system for the benefit of consumers.
Providing regulatory support
This project is exploring what Our Energy and Cortexo believe could be a new end-to-end flexibility market category in New Zealand with no existing regulatory blueprint.
The Authority is providing regulatory guidance to identify and address barriers early to support the pace of learning and deployment.
Informing the Authority’s work programme
Our Wholesale Markets, Operations Policy and Networks Policy teams are working with this project to help ensure the solution aligns with existing regulatory frameworks.
The lessons learned are informing new policy development that could benefit the electricity system and consumers.