Fundamentally, they need to optimise their existing assets – cutting losses and leaks, adding connections and customers – to meet the expectations of Ofgem and Ofwat, while also re-shaping their businesses to achieve full and rapid decarbonisation.
Innovation for networks: beyond the buzzwords Read More »
The electricity and gas networks are no longer the hidden heroes of the energy industry. Over the last few years they have been steadily improving their service for the public – delivering lower cost and more reliable power and gas than ever before. Power cuts are fewer and shorter while the gas network is so reliable that the probability of an unplanned supply interruption is once every 140 years.
Innovation for the nation Read More »
The payoffs of innovation in terms of sustainable revenue growth, reduced expenditure and enhanced customer experience are clearly appealing to DNOs. Despite this, however, investments in innovation certainly don’t come with a guarantee of automatic success.
Innovation into BAU: three steps to success Read More »
Robots that can repair gas mains. Drones that can be used to monitor electricity pylons, and technology that reduces the voltage on an electricity network at the flick of switch. These are just some of the projects that energy networks and other businesses have developed over the past few years.
Innovation must become ‘business as usual’ for network companies Read More »
Phil Lawton, power systems practice manager at the Energy Systems Catapult and former future system operation manager at National Grid, looks at the key areas where the system operator and the industry could improve.
Industry views on blackout Read More »
In recent years our gas and electricity networks have started along a path of significant transformation, as they adapt to meet the variety of challenges associated with decarbonisation. Through the increasing use of new technology to improve the efficiency of our electricity distribution networks and the injection of green gas into the grid, we are already beginning to see how this transformation can deliver security and affordability for energy customers in a low carbon economy.
Innovate to transform: The network innovation allowance Read More »
Over this time, our industry has seen a great deal of development as we have sought to make our networks more responsive and resilient. Our sector has moved from one that was focused on engineering-above-all to one that understands that delivering a reliable and efficient service for its customers should always be its driving force.
Innovating towards a DSO model Read More »
Recent weather disasters serve as a stark reminder that natural hazards such as extreme wind, flooding and hail can cause a wave of damage and destruction to various types of infrastructure across the energy system. Therefore, it is important that stakeholders within the industry have a shared understanding of the risks and impacts associated with natural hazards to ensure people and infrastructure are protected.
Improving energy infrastructure resilience Read More »
This past year, we gained insight through stakeholder feedback and usage data, which told us our customers’ preferred method of communication was changing at a rapid rate.
Improving customer contact in the WhatsApp era Read More »
Falling costs of renewable generation, particularly wind and solar, have led to good progress being made to decarbonise the electricity sector. This is now driving demand for new and innovative methods for providing storage and flexibility in the electricity system.
Hydrogen’s role in the future UK energy system Read More »
