Ireland’s ESB Networks to pilot customer connection self-screening

Irish DSO ESB Networks is partnering with software company Advanced Infrastructure to improve the connection application experience for customers.

The project is planned to pilot providing local authorities, electric vehicle charge-point developers and other MV demand customers with an online screening tool to self-assess their demand connection requirements against available network capacity, the estimated connection timeline and cost information.

With this they would be enabled to refine their connection requirements in advance of any formal connection applications.

Further, the volume of applications requiring processing and analysis by ESB Networks can, over time, be rightsized by applicant customers to those most likely to result in connections to the electricity network.

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“ESB Networks is implementing self-serve, data driven solutions to enhance our capacity screening service and make it more convenient for our customers to interact with us,” says Ciaran Geaney, Innovation manager at ESB Networks.

“We welcome working on this innovation pilot with Advanced Infrastructure to provide insights and learnings to enable us to enhance the connections journey and tailor what we need in terms of an enduring self-serve solution for our customers.”

In the project Advanced Infrastructure intends to build on its existing net zero planning tool, Local Area Energy Planner Plus (LAEP+), which serves half of UK DNOs.

LAEP+ currently includes a self-service connection feature that allows local authorities to design and submit grid connection requests autonomously. The platform’s ability to model grid constraints and predict future energy system changes provides the foundation for the pilot project.

Lily Cairns Haylor, co-founder and head of Product at Advanced Infrastructure said that that LAEP+ has achieved success in speeding up energy transition planning across UK DNOs.

“We’re delighted to have the opportunity to demonstrate the transformative power that a digital tool can bring to the pre-screening process for customers’ connections requirements. The need for an efficient, digital approach is urgent and this project with ESB Networks addresses this challenge head-on.”

Initially, the pilot will not incorporate self-serve screening of generation connection requirements.