Help Shape the Future of Flexibility in New Zealand – Connect to FlexViz

By Terry Paddy, Managing Director, Cortexo Limited

Why Flexibility Matters Now

As Aotearoa ramps up electrification, the pressure on local electricity networks is growing. More electric vehicles, more heat pumps, more rooftop solar. Managing this shift isn’t just about building more lines; it’s about making better use of what we’ve got.

That’s where energy flexibility comes in. By shifting or shaping demand at the right time and place, flexibility can help reduce peaks, ease network constraints, and delay costly upgrades. The challenge? Visibility. Until now, there’s been no shared view of where flexible resources are and what they can do.

How FlexViz works

FlexViz is an open-access flexibility visibility platform. Think of it like the App Store, but for distributed energy.

When Apple launched the App Store, it gave developers a single, trusted place to showcase what their apps could do, and gave users a simple way to find, trust, and use them. Before that, discovering apps was difficult, costly and fragmented. The App Store made innovation visible, accessible, and scalable.

FlexViz does the same for flexibility. Built by Cortexo as part of Ara Ake’s Flexibility Visibility Project. Importantly, this visibility is available in the Transpower System Operator control room.

FlexViz creates a single, neutral platform where flexibility providers, such as batteries, EV chargers, or demand response systems, can be discovered and used by EDBs and Transpower. Once flexibility is discovered, EDBs and Transpower can then access it (with your approval) and dispatch across the grid where it’s needed (and reward you for it).

Using open standards like OpenADR, FlexViz can be integrated and connected with flexibility providers and users and is designed to scale nationally. It’s the shared source of truth for where flexible capacity is available, when it’s available, and how it can help the grid.

Benefits for Flexibility Providers in Connecting to FlexViz

If you manage or aggregate flexible loads (e.g. EV chargers, batteries, solar inverters, hot water), you should be visible to the market. Here’s what FlexViz offers:

• Be seen and valued: Get your resources in front of EDBs and Transpower.
• Open the door to new revenue: Visibility and dispatch (with your approval) are the first steps to participating in flexible markets and generating new revenue.
• Keep it simple: FlexViz supports open protocols (e.g. OpenADR/IEEE2030.5), helping you avoid complex integrations.
• Support national goals: Join others in accelerating New Zealand’s low-carbon energy future.

Available Funding to Support Your Connection

Through Ara Ake’s National Flex Discovery Fund, you can apply for funding to connect to FlexViz:

• Track One: Onboarding support: Up to $15,000 to help integrate your systems and make your flexibility discoverable.
• Track Two: Scaling support: Additional support is available to increase capacity, device diversity or reliability.

Eligibility includes flexibility providers, DER aggregators, and tech vendors who:

• Manage or control load/generation.
• Use (or plan to use) open-access platforms.
• Can demonstrate value to the energy system.

This fund is competitive and capped at $1 million; now’s the time to act.

FlexViz: The Value for EDBs and the Wider Grid

Flexibility is most valuable when it’s local. For EDBs, visibility of flexible capacity at a feeder or substation level enables:

• Targeted demand response.
• Informed network investment decisions.
• Improved planning for electrification.

By connecting more providers to FlexViz, we enable a smarter, more agile grid that works better for everyone.

How to Get Started

Ready to join FlexViz? Here’s how:

• Talk to Cortexo: we’ll help assess your readiness and integration options.
• Apply for Ara Ake funding: secure support for onboarding or scaling.
• Connect and be seen: we’ll work with you to get your data flowing and visible.

Let’s Build a Smarter System, Together

The transition is happening. Flexibility is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s a system need. FlexViz makes it easy to be part of the solution.

Get in touch with Cortexo today to explore your options and join a growing network of flexibility providers supporting Aotearoa’s energy future.

Terry Paddy
Managing Director, Cortexo Limited