Dublin Airport Demand Response Case Study

From May 2018, the airport operator daa was part of Ireland’s DS3 programme, the acronym of a multi-year blueprint for delivering a Secure, Sustainable Electricity System. The agenda was promoted by the public operator EirGrid through Enel X.

The programme’s goal was to generate 40% of the energy produced on the island of Ireland from green sources by 2020. The DS3 programme was designed for larger clients who could rapidly exploit the flexibility of their own generation assets at times when the frequency of the grid may be unstable. It allowed daa to contribute an overall supply of more than 11 megawatts (MW) of flexible capacity, through EirGrid’s ancillary services programme, and through the wholesale electricity market for Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Because sources such as wind and solar depend on the weather, flexibility on energy use by major clients commands a premium as grid operators try to maintain a constant balance between supply and demand. Enel X is at the forefront of energy innovation, and a global leader in demand response, which allows organisations to earn payments for being on call to curtail and boost energy use. Participating in demand-side response programmes provides tangible benefits for the grid, and economic returns for our commercial and industrial clients. In this case, daa’s Dublin Airport receives compensation flows from flexibility programmes, while assisting EirGrid in the integration of more renewables.

"Participating in EirGrid’s latest grid-balancing schemes fits perfectly with our asset management and energy objectives. We are delighted to become part of the Enel X network of businesses that are enabling Ireland’s grid resilience, while enhancing our own operational resilience. Enel X provides us with the expertise, technology and support we need to successfully participate in these latest grid-balancing schemes. Our signing up, testing, and early participation were all simple and seamless."

— Ian Clarke, energy manager, Dublin Airport

Thanks to the flexibility of businesses including Dublin Airport, the DS3 programme successfully hit its renewable energy objectives, with renewables accounting for 43% of electricity production in 2020. Additionally, in March 2022, transmission system operators had increased instantaneous levels of renewable generation on the grid to meet the DS3 goal of 75%. EirGrid has now set challenging renewables targets for 2030 under its Shaping Our Electricity Future roadmap.