about the changes
driving this
As successive governments gear up to facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy, each of their initiatives not only impact on all of us, but also look set to change the way electricity is generated, delivered and used across the country.
Many of the developments on which carbon-cutting initiatives are based will actually increase the demand for electricity; for example, the increased use of electric vehicles. As well as being more flexible, the electricity network will also need to be robust enough to meet that changing demand.
At the domestic level, policies such as the
feed-in tariff, the
renewable heat incentive and
green deal finance are already encouraging businesses and households to install
solar PV panels and
heat pumps, as well as adoption of more sophisticated forms of energy efficiency into homes and businesses. Together with the need to replace our larger power stations with sources that produce lower carbon emissions, such as nuclear and renewable forms of generation, this is leading to a situation where the traditional relationships between customer, energy supplier and the companies that deliver power are inevitably changing.
Today’s electricity network was not designed to cope with widespread use small-scale electricity generation or technologies such as electric cars and
heat pumps which consume large amounts of electricity. With these technologies set to grow in popularity and solar panel sales hitting record numbers, it is vital that the electricity network can evolve to accommodate these extra demands.
Jon Bird, Northern Powergrid’s Head of Sustainability, explains:
“Historically, Northern Powergrid has moved electricity through its network from the power stations where it was generated to the end users. But in the energy network of the future, more power will be generated domestically, not just by communities in rural locations, but also by businesses and individuals based in towns and cities. This new, dynamic situation will require an energy grid that is smarter, more active and more two-directional. As an electricity network operator, we will have a vital role to play to ensure the network in our region is up to the task, and is able to accommodate new, more widely distributed sources of power.”
The North East has taken a lead in manufacturing and installing
solar panels; in installing
heat pumps in communities that do not have access to the gas main; and developing an infrastructure to encourage the use of electric vehicles. This means that Northern Powergrid is faced with the challenge of finding smarter ways to plan and operate its electricity network, perhaps rather sooner than for similar companies in other parts of the country. To do this, it has teamed up with a world-beating group of
partners to test new technology and techniques that will help customers minimise their electricity bill and carbon emissions.