Spotlight On: The Elexon Kinnect Customer Solution
The Customer Solution is one of the three main pillars of Kinnect, our cloud platform. It is a self-service gateway for new and existing BSC Parties who need an online, streamlined and self-managed experience to simplify and speed up access to the electricity market. Once companies are active in the market, they can use the Customer Solution to effectively self-manage their data and assets.
Elexon’s Participant Management Product team (PMP) has overall responsibility for the Customer Solution and team members provide support to both new entrants and existing BSC Parties to help them use the service.
If you don’t already use the Customer Solution now is your chance to sign up
There are around 340 active users among the 580 BSC Parties. We want these numbers to increase as using the Customer Solution makes it much easier and quicker for companies to interact with Elexon and the BSC.
The new functionality that we are deploying for the Customer Solution also allows companies to participate in rule changes which support Net Zero, and greater competition in the provision of balancing services.
Who can access the Customer Solution?
Currently, we only grant access to an ‘Assistant’ of an organisation and ‘Category A Signatories.’
To find out more about what Assistants and Category A signatories can do on the Customer Solution see this webpage.
Using the Customer Solution
1. Market Entry
Any company wanting to enter the market needs to complete an Expression of Interest first. This form links to the Customer Solution and the information is shared with our Market Entry team.
Once any company has contacted us via the Expression of Interest form our Market Entry team can grant Assistants access to the Customer Solution within two working days, so that they can begin the processes to enter the market including setting up bank details which allows them to make or receive payments resulting from the Imbalance Settlement process.
2. Asset Registration
Active companies can use the Customer Solution to register:
- Balancing Mechanism Units (BMUs)
- For the Virtual Lead Party Role
- Trading Units
- MSID (Metering System ID) and AMSID (Asset Metering System ID) Pairs
They can set preferences for their individual reporting requirements and requests for confidential reporting, which can usually be found in the BSCP41: Report Requests and Authorisations.
Companies also use the Customer Solution to submit seasonal and mid-seasonal Generation Capacity (GC) and a Demand Capacity (DC) (GC/DC) values to Elexon and manage the breach process (explained on the GC/DC page). GC/DC values are for the maximum expected net Generation and Demand values for each BM Unit, during different BSC seasons.
3 Account Management
Once Parties have acceded to the BSC, they can assign Authorised signatory status to people within their business. Authorised signatories are people designated to make and approve decisions on behalf of their company in respect of the BSC. Active companies can also manage Authorised Signatories and amend contact and bank details.
We implemented P419 ‘Extension of P383 to include non-final Demand’ in February 2023. It introduced processes so that generators, storage owners, and other eligible service facilities can declare themselves exempt from Balancing Use of System (BSUoS) charges and provide National Grid ESO (NGESO) with aggregated data to this effect. Companies can participate in P419 by new Customer Solution functionality.
P419 supports fair allocation of Transmission and Distribution charges in line with Ofgem’s Targeted Charging Review.
We introduced new functionality for the Customer Solution so that Suppliers can use it to submit the declarations online. A web form was also implemented so that Facility Owners can complete their details online. This auto-populates the Customer Solution so that the Supplier can check the details and submit it reducing duplication of data entry.
We also implemented P376 in February 2023. This change supports Net Zero by giving further help to independent aggregators (Virtual Lead Parties or VLPs for short) so that they can provide balancing services.
Suppliers, VLPs and Asset Metering VLPs can use the Customer Solution to submit more accurate FPNs and associated data for amounts of electricity that they intend to produce or consume in any given half-hour period. This helps National Grid ESO to decide what balancing actions it needs to take.
4. Exiting the market
If your company decides to exit the market, we can support you through the process. The withdrawal actions of each Party will depend on registrations, trading activity and other factors relating to the Party.
What’s next for the Customer Solution?
For more information about new functionality that we are adding to the Customer Solution and what’s next on our roadmap:
Need to get in touch or provide feedback?
The Participant Management Product team can help if you need any support on using the Customer Solution, or if you want to find out more about it.
We would also like ideas and feedback on the Customer Solution so that we can keep up the development of it to support customers.
Get in touch with us: