The case for taking a ‘whole systems approach’ towards relevant aspects of our future energy system is closed and the jury have voted in favour. But just as people are getting comfortable with the acceptance of all things “systems” there is a natural hesitation to introduce the term ‘system of systems’ (as Energy Systems Catapult CEO Guy Newey pointed out several years ago). But that is exactly what we must deal with as we strive to achieve a more sustainable, equitable, interoperable, and resilient energy system beyond DESNZ vision of Clean Power 2030.

The ‘Power and Energy Systems’ section of the INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook (https://www.incose.org/publications/se-handbook-v5) notes that the term ‘system of systems’ is often better understood in real world contexts and cites the example of ‘Distributed Energy Resources’ (DERs) which underpin the move towards an increasingly decentralised and geographically distributed energy system.

It may not be feasible nor desirable to control these DERs centrally, but we can design them using an approach that aims to cope with increasing evolution (change in system properties or behaviour over time) and emergence (change in system properties or behaviour as its structure forms) both of which cloud the predictability of the future.

Where Are We Heading?

At this point, the conversation gets interesting… What steps are important when we wish to design solutions (e.g. DERs) within a ‘system of systems’ context? Where do we apply this approach to get the most leverage on system change? And how do we communicate with the right people, so they are enabled to take the right actions in the right places at the right times?

One of the first things that any credible systems approach should strive to achieve is to understand “the system” and its context. Of course, understanding the system as it is today is not the same as understanding the system as it will be tomorrow. Also, the definition of “the system” is particularly ambiguous and overwhelming when we are dealing with, well, “everything”. Pretty quickly, we have several different viewpoints to resolve. This is why we need to turn to the faithful old friend of systems mapping as a good first step. It’s not the complete answer to the challenge, but it’s a start. A systems map is a commonly used systems thinking approach where visual representations of interacting systems are captured to help expose critical dependencies or opportunities to influence system behaviour that otherwise might be difficult to comprehend.

A systems map can be a simple sketch on a whiteboard or a detailed computer model; the only expectation is to communicate useful information about complex systems. According to the World Economic Forum, “systems mapping can facilitate the collective and shared understanding of complex problems”. At Energy Systems Catapult we have been exploring the purpose, scope, and methodology for a robust and adaptable systems map for several years. With plenty of uncertainty, energy flexibility becomes one of the most intriguing and urgent areas of energy system change to study and we are already applying our methodology to the future flexibility technologies and services that are driving an increasingly digitalised energy system.

How Can We Get to Our Destination?

At Energy Systems Catapult, our goal is to accelerate energy innovation and that means our systems map must not only cover the breadth of the entire energy system, but it must work for technology innovators, system operators, policymakers, regulators and more. It’s a lot to take in. How does a systems map help them? What would they learn from this approach that no other approach could provide? How do we make the content engaging? All questions that we are seeking to answer in our Innovating to Net Zero programme of work.

We want the views of industry, academia, and the wider energy sector on how to enable innovation in the energy flexibility domain. System mapping ensures we take a collaborative and principle-led approach to gathering, interpreting, and documenting these views.