Search Guide
This registry provides comprehensive search capabilities across all Capacity Market components:
- Company Search: Enter a company name (e.g., "Drax", "EDF") to see all their components
- Location Search: Search by city, region, or postcode (e.g., "Manchester", "SW1")
- CMU ID Search: Enter a specific CMU ID to find exact components
- Technology Search: Enter technology types like "Hydro", "OCGT", or "Battery"
The search is intelligent and will try to determine what you're looking for based on your query.
You can combine search terms to narrow results, such as "London Battery" to find battery storage in London.
Searches are not case-sensitive, and partial matches are supported (e.g., "Manch" will find "Manchester").
Understanding Auctions
The Capacity Market runs regular auctions where providers compete to secure agreements. There are two main types:
- T-4 auctions: Held 4 years ahead of the delivery year
- T-1 auctions: Held 1 year ahead to fine-tune capacity requirements
Each auction results in agreements that specify how much capacity providers must deliver and the payment they'll receive.
Auction years are displayed as badges (e.g., 2023-24) that you can click to view details for that specific auction year.
The Capacity Market ensures the UK has sufficient electricity supply during periods of high demand or system stress.
Providers receive payments for ensuring their capacity is available, creating a more stable and resilient electricity market.
Search Results
Search results are grouped by location and show important details about each component:
- Active Components with auction years 2024-25 or later
- In-Active Components with only auction years before 2024-25
- Company Name Click to view all components for this company
- Technology Click to search for this technology type
- CMU: XXX Click to search for this CMU ID
- Auction Year Click to view details for this specific auction
Each result shows the component's capacity, location details, and participation in specific auction years.
You can sort results by relevance, location, or date using the sort options.
Pagination controls appear at the bottom when there are multiple pages of results.
Component Grouping
Components at the same location with the same description are grouped together to reduce duplication.
Each group shows:
- All CMU IDs for components at that location
- All auction years, sorted with newest first
- An Active/Inactive status based on auction years
Grouping helps identify multi-year contracts and related components at the same site.
The total capacity shown combines all components in the group.
Components can be expanded to show individual details by clicking the expand icon.
Sorting and Filtering
You can sort search results by:
- Relevance: Most relevant matches first
- Location: Alphabetical order by location name
- Date: By auction year (newest or oldest first)
- Capacity: Highest or lowest capacity first
Click the column headers to change sort order.
You can filter results using the search refinements at the top of the results page:
- Filter by technology type (e.g., only show batteries)
- Filter by active status (show only active or inactive components)
- Filter by auction year (show only components from specific auctions)
Map Explorer & Map View
We provide two map-based tools for exploring capacity market data:
The Map Explorer is our advanced interactive mapping tool, specifically designed for comprehensive data exploration with:
- Mobile-Optimized Interface: Responsive design that works perfectly on phones and tablets
- Advanced Filtering: Filter by technology type, company, delivery year, and active status
- Smart Sidebar: Desktop users get a dedicated filter panel, mobile users get collapsible filters
- Full-Screen Map: Maximizes map space for detailed geographical analysis
The Search Map View combines search functionality with map visualization, offering:
- Search-First Approach: Start with text searches, then visualize results on the map
- Integrated Results: Search results and map display work together
- Performance Optimized: Streamlined for fast search result mapping
Both tools provide a visual representation of capacity distribution across the UK, but serve different exploration needs.
Map Features:
- Technology Colors: Different technology types are shown with distinct colors on the map for easy identification:
Gas
DSR
Nuclear
CHP
Solar
Wind
Battery
Biomass
Hydro
Interconnector
Coal
Other
- Technology Legend: The map legend shows all available technologies with their corresponding colors and component counts
- Search Results on Map: You can view any search results on the map by clicking "View on Map" from search results pages
- Smart Clustering: Areas with multiple components are automatically grouped into clusters - click clusters to zoom in and see individual components
- Interactive Markers: Click on individual markers to see detailed information about components at that location
Use the map controls to zoom in on specific regions or areas of interest. The map automatically adjusts clustering based on your zoom level to provide the clearest view of capacity distribution.
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