Utility Week has announced the launch of Utility Week Innovate Network, a new hub housed within the UW platform, designed to champion and facilitate collaborative innovation.
This new platform brings together industry best practice on the biggest challenges facing Great Britain’s gas and electricity networks. It will also track the progress of innovation projects funded by Ofgem and facilitate the sharing of learnings between utility sectors.
UW Innovate Network sits along sister channels covering water and energy retail/generation and will seek to share best practice and the latest innovations across the entire utilities eco-system. Each channel will have a regular programme of content; dedicated email updates; and virtual and live events.
UW Innovate will be guided by an editorial board of Utility Week Innovators, individuals from the technical and operational functions of UK utilities who are leading change from within.
Utility Week portfolio director Ellen Bennett said: “Utilities need innovation – urgently and collectively – to meet the challenges of the future. The demands of the UK’s stretching net zero targets and environmental concerns around water efficiency and quality, coupled with the post-Covid recovery, demand new ways of working. The regulators are supporting this with the Network Innovation competitions and the water innovation fund – and we at Utility Week are delighted to play our part with the launch of UW Innovate.
“Following consultation with our audiences and industry stakeholders, we have created this new resource, which will be available to everyone in the industry, to champion collaborative innovation. UW Innovate will share best practice within and between utilities and inspire professionals to discover new ways of solving the most pressing business challenges – particularly those associated with achieving net zero targets, and other environmental goals.”
UW Innovate will be closely aligned with Utility Week Live, the utility industry’s annual exhibition, connecting utilities professionals with the innovation to solve their business challenges. UW Innovate will showcase innovative start-ups; include interviews with frontline leaders and pioneers from other geographies, sectors and the supply chain; and house a host of educational content in an online resource library. It will cover challenges including:
- Creating the conditions for innovation
- Achieving net zero
- Delivering a smart energy network
- Delivering a smart water network
- Transforming field operations
- Delivering system flexibility & the EV rollout
- Managing, maintainingand planning for assets
- Improving wastewater treatment & resource recovery
- Delivering the smart meter rollout
- Managing bad debt & collections
UW Innovate is freely available to all utilities professionals, with further insight and analysis available for Utility Week members.