February 2025 Newsletter

FlexForum Knowledge Hub

Here it is. The FlexForum Knowledge Hub—a go-to space for anyone keen to find practical insights and real-world experiences about the how, when, where, and why of flexible electricity.
The Knowledge Hub – powered by the EEA knowledge network (thanks EEA!) – is here to provide a public, one-stop shop for research and insights about flexibility.

You get to the Knowledge Hub from the FlexForum website.

FlexForum Members get a bonus level and access to a forum space to share thinking, ask questions and discuss ideas.

We need your help filling it! Get in touch with FlexForum to share reports and articles you think could go into the Knowledge Hub.

There are 4 buckets of content.

Consumer participation: households, businesses and communities can easily make choices about and maximise the benefit of flexibility
System integration: operational and physical interactions enabling system operation and consumer participation
Market frameworks: pricing and financial interactions enabling market operation and consumer participation
Digitalisation: to provide the platform for digitalised financial and operational interactions.

What are you waiting for? Check out the FlexForum Knowledge Hub now.

It's great to get the Knowledge Hub live as we know a lot of members have been looking forward to this resource. As we continue to grow and develop our Knowledge Hub, feel free to contact us with any suggestions.

Orion flexibility webinar

Orion is holding a webinar on Monday 17 March to provide insight into its Flexibility and Markets Development programme, share some current and planned projects, gain feedback and open a discussion about the role distributers might play in enabling flexibility at scale.

You can register here to join. Get along!

Welcome to our two latest Members

Great to have the University of Auckland and the University of Canterbury join FlexForum.

Welcome!

Keep an eye out in next month's update for a tour of the flexibility-related research happening across our university Members; the Australian National University, University of Auckland, University of Canterbury and Otago University.

What is old is new again

Electricity - the greatest servant? 🧐
Back in 1929, an ad in The Sun declared that electricity is "the greatest servant of mankind."

Fair call. But here’s the thing - we’re still treating it like an old-school butler instead of the high-powered assistant it could be.

💡 Reality check: We’ve got EVs, solar panels, batteries, heat pumps—all sitting there, ready to work for us. But instead of unlocking their full potential, we’re mostly leaving them on standby.

⚡ What if we actually used electricity flexibly?
- People could cut power bills without even thinking about it.
- The grid could stay stable without as many expensive upgrades.
- We could slash emissions while keeping the lights on.

👀 FlexForum is here to help make this happen. We’re working to make flexibility easy so electricity can be the greatest servant it was always meant to be...

Keen to see what this could look like? Explore our work.

AEPB advertisement - The Sun, 01 June 1929

February 2025 Newsletter

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Things FlexForum is working on

FlexForum is doing stuff in three areas.

1. A Deep dive on filling the holes in the value stack. This will result in advice to the Electricity Authority and a FlexForum Insights. Our thinking to date is here and here.
A working version of the FlexForum Insights was recently shared with Members and we are aiming to make it public by mid-March 2025 ahead of providing advice to the Energy Competition Taskforce.

2. Flexibility Plan 2.0. We are updating the to-do list. Several Members took time off from taking time off in January to give their view on what can be done to make the flexibility journey easy and routine for households, businesses and communities.

Members will get a list of possible updates to the steps in the coming days to reality check and to think about accountabilities, sequencing and timeframes for action.
The plan is to have Flexibility Plan 2.0 settled and ready to provide a second assessment of progress in mid 2025.

3. Supporting learning-by-doing. FlexForum Members really want to see stuff happen and to support things which make that stuff happen.

Just before Christmas we gave Members a heads up that we were working with EECA on a proposal for project involving real households and businesses doing flexy things.

A bunch of work later, we are sorting out with EECA the final details of how FlexForum can support learning-by-doing through a scaled demand flexibility demonstration pilot project.

We are particularly excited that this project should deliver most, if not all, the Flex Day ideas. The details on this will be available soon.

Want to get involved?

FlexForum Members want to make it easier for households, businesses and communities to maximise the value of their energy resources and their flexibility. This flexibility will help deliver an affordable and reliable operation of the electricity system and enable accelerated electrification as part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s transition to a zero emissions economy.

If this sounds like you, check out our Intro to FlexForum for more on our what, why, how and who.

Or check out www.flexforum.nz to find out more or get in touch at info@flexforum.nz if you want to become a Member.