Energy retailer EDF and Puredrive Energy, a manufacturer and distributor of residential battery storage, will test how domestic battery storage can support local networks.
Puredrive is a licensee of the Duracell Energy brand, meaning the battery energy storage systems (BESS) it sells and produces fall under the international battery company’s brand name.
Over the course of three months, from June to August 2026, approximately 50 residential BESS will participate in local flexibility markets. Puredrive will be responsible for customer recruitment, onboarding and participation, EDF will trade the energy storage capacity on the market and customers will be “rewarded” for participating in the trial.
All participants must have a Duracell battery storage system to participate. If they are EDF customers, they will be rewarded through lower energy bills as EDF earns income from trading the assets, but in most cases this will be in the form of a cash credit paid through an app or online portal.
The project builds on Duracell Energy’s existing battery optimization offering. When Duracell first launched a residential battery storage offeringin partnership with domestic energy trading platform Social Energy, it was somewhat new to the UK market to enable connected energy storage systems to trade energy and participate in grid balancing and network services platforms.
Since then, with the start of platforms like Kraken spun out of Octopus Energy late last year and is now valued at £6.4 billionis the case for consumers to install energy storage in addition to rooftop PV systems strong now.
This is mainly because the emphasis on the demand side in maintaining network reliability has increased, alongside the introduction of electrified, low-carbon technologies.
According to John Grant-Arrowsmith, senior manager of flex partnerships at EDF Business & Wholesale Services: “The energy transition isn’t just about building more renewable generation. It’s about using the energy system more intelligently. Distributed batteries have huge potential to provide support where it’s needed most, and this trial will help demonstrate how that value can be unlocked at scale.”
