Introduction
(ESC) is an independent, not-for-profit centre of excellence, set up by the Government to accelerate the transformation of the UK’s energy systems and ensure UK businesses and consumers capture the opportunities of clean growth. As part of their strategic objectives, ESC offers UK innovators support to test and commercialise new processes, products, services and business models for the energy sector.
Evergreen Smart Power has joined the ESC Innovation Support Programme to further develop their innovative solution – their Virtual Power Plant (VPP) Software Platform.
Evergreen Smart Power’s VPP provides services to Energy Suppliers and Energy Service Companies. The platform is a cloud-based distributed power plant that aggregates the capacities of heterogeneous Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) for the purpose of trading or selling power on the electricity market and offer a reliable mechanism to balance energy supply and demand.
The platform uses machine learning features to produce forecasts and predict behaviour to access load flexibility behind the meter in a more efficient way. The Platform also maintains a picture of the aggregated near real time turn up/down capability of all loads in the portfolio and accurately providing control of individual domestic loads (EVSE, heat pumps, immersion and space heaters). This allows end users and stakeholders to benefit from Demand Side Response (DSR) revenues and, at the same time, contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The UK has ambitious targets to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, compared to 1990 levels. To achieve this target, a significant increase in the amount of innovation in the energy sector is required. The adoption of DERs in the domestic sector – such as batteries, CHP, heat pumps, EVs – is growing quickly, and it is driven by factors including decreasing environmental pollution, diversification of energy resources, and energy efficiency improvements.
The Challenge
This trend has created a market for VPP software platforms that can provide visibility and control of such loads, while also offering maximum benefit to end users for their energy production, storage, and consumption. As the market is growing quickly, more and more players are entering; competing for a strong presence.
Evergreen Smart Power incorporated in 2018, required an Independent Competitor Landscape Review to better understand the market and assist in improving the competitive position of their service offering, including the identification of potential partners.
ESC appointed Gemserv to carry out market research, leveraging on the expertise, knowledge, and insight that Gemserv can offer on the wider electricity market and its future developments.
Our Approach
The initial step for carrying out an effective competitor landscape review is to define competitor and collaborator characteristics, based on their current and future solution offerings. By working closely with Evergreen, Gemserv could gain an in-depth understanding of their solution, and targeted market, along with insights on Evergreen’s business model and future developments.
This information allowed Gemserv to proceed to the next step, which included the generation and application of a customised research questionnaire with the purpose of creating a thorough profile of every relevant participant in the supply chain.
Companies were reviewed from both a business and technology perspective, including the collection of information such as the company’s investors, funding, distribution channels, and market reach, as well as service characteristics and solutions provided.
To present a clear and easy-to-understand output, Gemserv produced a series of visuals. These included a value chain and supply chain mapping of the entities identified in relation to the energy market structure. In addition, a simple visual ranking of competitors in the form of a magic quadrant was provided, to map market leaders, challengers, and companies with the potential to grow.
With the competitive information about the Energy participant landscape, Gemserv carried out an independent analysis of Evergreen. The reference framework assessed their Strengths, Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats, to produce an objective SWOT analysis that provides a measure of their forward-looking performance.
Through close collaboration between ESC and Evergreen throughout the duration of the engagement, Gemserv was able to adapt the work based on specific client requirements and successfully provide a valuable output.
Testimonial
How was Gemserv to work with?
We were very satisfied by their objectivity and engagement.
Did our solution accomplish your objective(s)?
Yes, it’s been very beneficial in helping us to determine next stage commercial entry into the domestic DSR space.
What benefits did you see or plan to see because of this work immediately?
The biggest aspect is the assistance it has given us the info to prioritise the strategic focus that gives us the best Unique Selling Point (USP). In addition, Gemserv indicated where we have specific USP in the iDNO space.
Andy McKay – Founder and CEO, Evergreen Smart Power