National Grid, Western Power Distribution, and Centrica have announced what they believe is the first coordinated flexible energy procurement project, based on Centrica’s Local Energy Market (LEM), where consumers and DER generators in Cornwall will be able to sell electricity through the virtual energy marketplace. The pilot is an important step in the journey towards a properly distributed smart grid ecosystem, but there is still a long way to go. This is the latest update in the testbed, the final component needed, which is exploring how each component of the grid will be modernized. National Grid, specifically its Electricity System Operator (ESO) wing, needs to know how it integrates its national operations with Western Power Distribution’s local networks. The latter…