Alongside hosting a major summit on the future of energy security early next year, at which energy transition will be debated, the new UK government under energy secretary Ed Miliband has made no bones about its goals to decarbonise the grid.
That’s before you consider that demand on the electricity grid is expected to double by 2050 due to the electrification of heat, transport, and industry, according to National Grid’s head of strategy and innovation, Simon Orr, speaking at the launch of the grid operator’s annual innovation summary. “This means innovative thinking is more important than ever and has a crucial role in developing a transmission network for the future,” says Orr.
But it will take some doing—and a lot of help from the engineering sector—to make it happen. “The energy transition toward a sustainable future depends on efficiently integrating renewable energy sources into the existing electricity grid,” says Richard Clark, business group lead for energy solutions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa at GHD.
National Grid has a suite of investment projects designed to overhaul the energy grid to be more future-facing, funded through the organisation’s Network Innovation Allowance (NIA) and Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF).
One of the billboard projects in National Grid’s innovation portfolio is the development of Retrofit Insulated Cross Arms (RICA). This project aims to increase the voltage rating of existing transmission towers from 275kV to 400kV, potentially boosting transmission capacity by more than 40%, without the need to install new overhead lines. The first full-size prototypes are due to be delivered this month to National Grid’s Eakring training facility, so frontline staff can be trained in how to maintain them ahead of a wider rollout to the grid proper. Innovations in engineering like this will be crucial in meeting the growing demand for electricity, National Grid reckons, while minimising the environmental impact and reducing costs for consumers.
Another key point of focus for National Grid as it shepherds the grid through this energy transition is the Deeside Centre for Innovation (DCI), a state-of-the-art testing facility that allows the firm to test new technologies and methods in a controlled environment. Projects undertaken at the DCI include autonomous drone testing and the use of 5G technology for monitoring overhead line sagging—techniques that could help improve asset management and maintenance.
But at the heart of any energy transition will be a full shift over towards a long-promised, but often underdeveloped vision of the future: smart grids.
“Smart grids have been a topic of discussion for decades, but the urgency has grown as the UK pushes toward its net-zero goals,” says Clark. “Transforming networks originally designed for top-down controllable fossil fuel-based energy to ones that accommodate variable renewable sources and storage is a massive undertaking.”
Yet doing so can be a boon: they allow real-time monitoring and response to energy demand surges, and can turn up or down supplies from various sources to help produce a less harmful energy mix overall. “By collecting and analyzing data, these technologies can optimize equipment performance, quickly detect and address anomalies, and better manage electricity flow,” says Clark. “This not only facilitates the integration of renewable energy but can also improve overall network capacity management across the entire energy ecosystem.”
But beyond the engineering challenges of introducing smart grid tech onto an existing system, there are other ways engineers can help upgrade the grid in a way that uses less (and less harmful) polluting sources. National Grid is testing the use of alternative materials and construction techniques to reduce carbon emissions in the construction of electricity substations, including graphene-enhanced concrete, weathering steel, and 3D printing.
All those innovations are welcome, but are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to tackling the energy transition. “I don’t think we’re as equipped as we’d like to be,” says Lilly Horvath-Makkos at the University of Warwick, who recently co-authored a paper on the UK’s journey to net zero. She points out that in order to make the changes to the grid that can ensure we achieve the energy transition politicians are aiming for, there need to be policy and planning changes to enable it—as well as freeing up funding to pay for such moves.
However, all is not lost, reckons Horvarth-Makkos. “If other countries have done it, like Singapore's intelligent energy system, then we already have an example that we can look towards,” she says. And, she points out, the UK is well-placed in some key areas that will help. “One of the things that we are good at is we have to take advantage of the companies that we already have that can produce things very efficiently,” she says. “I’m sure that, with collaboration, we can transform our energy usage on our grid. And by 2050, it definitely should be possible.”
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