"The Greater Manchester Local Energy market (LEM) project will test the feasibility of a GM region wide local energy market which responds to \`place-based' constraints and market needs.

The key driver for the project is to enable and increase the flexibility in the energy distribution network through: novel management tools (including building management systems), Market Aggregators and virtual power plants (VPP) to allow higher penetration and accelerated deployment of renewable energy sources (RES) and demand side(DSR) response opportunities.

The project is led by Electricity North West Ltd (ENWL) and brings together the resources of Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Hitachi EU, Bruntwood and innovative SME Upside Energy.

The projects key objectives are;

\*identify the requirements for a LEM, ie control and trading platforms.

\*establish if this needs to integrate with other local control platforms, particularly those operated by project lead ENWL, to provide balancing services locally and an interface to the national transmission system.

\*Demonstrate the value the LEM can bring to stakeholders in the region including domestic and commercial consumers, smaller renewable projects, vehicle to grid projects and ENWL through providing a platform for energy optimisation across a complex and highly populated region."