Comment

Green gasses will help solve the energy trilemma

Features, Gas, Heat, Power, Technology Operations /

 King Canute could not turn back the tides; he acknowledged his powers were limited. Similarly, UK politicians must recognise that our geographic location, climate and weather patterns are major determinants of future energy policy and that they can try but will fail to alter them. The energy trilemma, a phrase that rightly suggests the difficulty in balancing the competing demands of affordability, reliability and sustainability, should be set against the UK’s particular energy needs.

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Getting ready to transform the power system

Features, Power, Strategy Management /

In 2015 we embarked on a project with a 2030 horizon, focussing on the transformation of the GB electricity system to enable the country to respond to the challenges of decarbonisation. By we, I mean the Energy Systems Catapult (for whom I work), and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET); but we were not alone. Yes, we led, managed and supported the project but we didn’t do this in isolation; there was a broad range of organisations from across the power sector involved, in this example of genuinely collaborative working.

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Gas’s role in a renewable world

Features, Gas, Heat, Power, Technology Operations /

For the first time since the industrial revolution the UK has gone for the longest period where no coal generated power entered the national grid. Much of this is thanks to the increased role gas has played in generating electricity. But at a time when the Committee on Climate Change and climate activists are calling for a zero-carbon world, why is gas still being used?

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Examining blockchain

Customers, Features, Power, Technology Operations /

A blockchain is a decentralised data-ledger technology. That is, there is no central database, rather databases are held by multiple computers, each with an identical copy of the data. The system is maintained by a network of computers, in which successive data (in blocks of records) are first validated through a network consensus approach, and then added to the ledger. Each block in the chain contains a set of transactions represented by a hexadecimal ‘fingerprint’ known as a ‘hash’. This hash is passed on to the next block, thus creating the chain of blocks (see Figure 1 below). This enables computers on the network to easily verify whether any data in a block has been tampered with since altering the data within a block would affect its hash. The computers (called ‘nodes’) that participate in the network receive a complete copy of the blockchain, and stand as proof of every transaction ever executed on that particular system. The mutually validating network of nodes protect the coherence and integrity of the network and in doing so, avoid the need to use intermediaries to centralise all the data.

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Energy trading and asset management in a ‘flex’ market

Customers, Features, Gas, Heat, Power, Strategy Management /

For a two week period in May 2019, Great Britain met its electricity needs without burning coal. This was the longest period that the country has gone coal-free since the 1880s. The coal-free fortnight followed a period of one week without coal earlier that month, and a further period of 90 hours without coal over the Easter weekend. According to Finton Slye, director at the National Grid Energy System Operator (ESO), this trend of providing for Great Britain’s energy needs without coal is the “new normal”.

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Energy storage and smart cities

Features, Power, Technology Operations /

Although there is no clear definition for a “smart city”, the European Commission – Digital Single Market states that, “A smart city is a place where the traditional networks and services are made more efficient with the use of digital and telecommunication technologies for the benefit of its inhabitants and businesses. The concept goes beyond the use of ICT for better resource use and less emissions.”

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Enabling the smart energy networks of the future

Customers, Features, Gas, Heat, Power, Technology Operations /

Energy utilities are increasingly focused on establishing solutions to support enhanced flexibility in service provision whilst at the same time managing a much more dynamic environment of energy supply and demand. Critical to managing this new regime in a cost efficient and resilient manner is the ability to have visibility and control over an increasingly diverse and disparate range of network assets. For many years, utilities – gas, water and electricity – have used operational communications systems to facilitate active management of assets. However, with the need for enhanced visibility and control across and through the network it is anticipated that there will need to be a profound expansion in the industry’s operational communications capability with some operators already exploring possible solutions. The need for such expanded communication systems with enhanced functionality will result in increased complexity in terms of network design and co-ordination with new technologies being deployed.

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