Innovative electricity networks – The net zero enabler

As more renewables, low carbon technologies and energy storage systems begin to be deployed to the grid, electricity network operators will be at the forefront of ensuring the system can cope with increased demand. Writing for Utility Week James Yu, head of innovation at SP Energy Networks, talks about the need for networks to drive innovation as we near 2050.

Electricity network innovation must be at the heart of the transition to a zero-carbon economy.

Where much of the focus has been on the profusion of new offshore windfarms to boost our output of homegrown green electricity or the squads of electric vehicles that will need to take to the roads, it’s the power network that is the great enabler.

Our electricity motorway is the silent facilitator of decarbonisation, delivering the capacity required for connecting renewable generation and electrifying heat and transport, all the while ensuring the system is operable, reliable and resilient.

It was almost 100 years ago that the first electricity grid was built and much of the technology has startlingly remained the same.

Brilliant in its simplicity but, if electricity demand is to double by 2040, we cannot simply rely on doing what we have been comfortable with in the past, otherwise we will have no hope of delivering on the clear commitments and targets from government to tackle the climate emergency.

Innovation at scale is needed to support the optimal deployment of renewables, low carbon technologies, energy storage systems and a reliable and resilient grid.

Investment in research and development (R&D) is crucial to drive innovation in the energy sector. It’s encouraging to see a planned increase in government R&D spending to £22 billion per year by 2024-2025, and energy infrastructure and innovation need to be featured.

As part of that drive, SP Energy Networks is among those leading a largely unseen fight to deliver an innovative and intuitive net zero power system that will ensure we can get green generation from power to plug as cheap, smoothy and efficiently as possible for all.

Increasing the volume of low carbon technologies connected to the network brings with it challenges and opportunities, and we need to work with partners outside the list of ‘usual suspects’,  think outside the box and make the most of the tools and technologies at our fingertips to deliver the energy system of the future.

We know this won’t happen overnight. Innovation is not a short-term endeavour – it’s a long-term commitment requires vision, perseverance and a willingness to embrace a real mindset change.

Thankfully, we don’t have to look too far see the difference being made.

The commitment to innovation in offshore wind has yielded impressive results: costs have significantly decreased, making offshore wind increasingly competitive and one of the cheapest forms of generation; the UK has become a global leader, with the world’s largest offshore wind capacity; and it’s helped build a thriving supply chain that supports thousands of jobs.

I’m firmly of the view that the same can be achieved across the energy network system, where SP Energy Networks’ commitment to innovation is delivering ground-breaking and world-leading projects through positive partnerships and collaboration, while remaining focused on the needs of our customers and stakeholders.

We’re continuously thinking big, starting small and scaling fast with our world-leading innovation projects and are becoming the utility of the future while delivering value for our customers.

Our dedicated innovation team has partnered with more than 190 suppliers and 20 universities to encourage idea sharing, co-creation, and knowledge exchange. These partnerships have accelerated innovation, driven progress, delivered impactful solutions and firmly established SP Energy Networks as a global leader.

We’re the only UK electricity company within the EU Horizon 2020- MIGRATE programme, which aims to find solutions to key technical issues relating to grid stability, power quality and grid protection. Our key outcomes have included solutions that address and demonstrate how we look at stability key performance indicators, and deploying the world’s first live trial of wide area monitoring, protection and control in the Icelandic network.

Elsewhere, we set CIGRE Industrial Standard on Medium Voltage DC for the whole industry based on our innovation  where we converted existing AC lines to DC operation to increase the power capacity of the lines – the first project of its kind in the UK.

SP Energy Networks’ focus on power electronics and network reliability and resilience has influenced other network operators around the world to drive forward global change.

However, the job is not done yet, and we have our sights set on new horizons – spearheading efforts to leverage data, digitalisation, and sustainability as the next frontiers in our innovation journey.

We will do that by listening as well as doing, leading as well as collaborating, delivering as well as challenging existing perceptions.

The energy system is already complex and is likely to get even more so. Therefore, using data more effectively will become increasingly important.  Whole system solutions that consider the interconnected roles of the network, generation, and sources of demand and flexibility on the system will also need consideration and collaboration across the electricity sector as well as with the transport and heat industries.

While getting more renewables on the grid is a priority, the network itself can be ‘greener’ too. We’ve examined alternatives to the use of SF6, the most potent of the greenhouse gasses, in electricity network equipment and are working to minimise the carbon emissions of substations and other environmental impacts.

By prioritising sustainability as part of our innovation efforts, we can continue to drive the transition to a greener and more sustainable energy future.

That commitment and that ambition is part of our DNA. We’re proud to be continuing to drive innovation and accelerate the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon and clean energy future, with the electricity network right at the heart of it.