The former chair of Energy Systems Catapult, Nick Winser, was appointed as Electricity Networks Commissioner in July 2022 and tasked with providing advice to government on how to reduce the time it takes to deliver transmission infrastructure in Britain.

The challenge was that the electricity transmission network requires upgrading and expanding to connect renewable generation and support decarbonisation. It currently takes up to 14 years to build new transmission infrastructure. The objective was to identify and recommend areas where the end-to-end delivery process could be shortened by three years, and ideally by half.

The Commissioner was supported by a detailed companion report by Energy Systems, including:

• Mapped the end-to-end process using a System Engineering approach.
• Identified eight key challenge themes where time could potentially be saved.
• Engaged with over 200 stakeholders from 15 organisations, including governments, transmission owners, and Ofgem to identify and refine options for process change.

The final Commissioner report – supported by a companion report from Energy Systems Catapult:

• Identified a new seven year end-to-end process.
• Made recommendations in 19 different areas to achieve the seven year process.
• Recommendations covered every part of the end-to-end process and all organisations involved.
• Recommendations have been presented to, and accepted by, government.

The zero carbon energy system: the operability challenge report – created in collaboration with the Faraday Institution and supported by TNEI – presented fresh thinking about a zero-carbon system and how it will be operated. It focused on some of the key parameters that make up the system operation and was intended as a starting point to generate conversation and debate.

To meet Net Zero by 2050, the Great British power system will need to undergo significant change which, if not managed sustainably, could have an adverse impact on energy security. The operability challenge aimed to flag these areas of concern now to highlight where efforts could be concentrated to facilitate Net Zero.

Energy Systems Catapult produced a report in collaboration with partners that identified key focus areas that needed to be addressed, including modelling the impact that storage would have on a decarbonised power system.

Key finding from the report included:

• Energy demand shifting, combined with new forms of bulk storage, were needed to operate a Net Zero power system efficiently due to loss of coal stores.
• Devices like electric vehicle chargers and heat pumps could support system operation by automatically and autonomously responding to frequency and voltage.
• Digitalisation and enhanced data will provide an opportunity to use dynamic approaches to operability and move away from deterministic rules.
• A Net Zero system provides an opportunity to reconsider the technical parameters considered within system operation, e.g. the relaxation of frequency standards.
• Further research would be valuable in stress testing the system, understanding the economics of flexible demand, investigating net zero energy markets, and exploring the requirements for and cost of storage in a Net Zero system.

Both the USA and the UK have growing markets in offshore wind, including floating turbine systems. In both markets, offshore wind presents challenges around grid integration that could be addressed through a ‘whole systems’ approach.

Our power systems practice conducted a literature review into areas identified as key challenges, including:

• Grid code requirements
• Stability services
• Grid forming capability
• Inertia
• Voltage regulation
• Fault ride through
• Co-location of storage and offshore wind farms

As a research piece this informed stakeholders on the network impact and operational challenges of Offshore DC grids. This information can be used to strategise future research in the area, allowing the industry to apply whole system thinking when assessing the impact of this technology.

India has made significant progress towards achieving its Net Zero commitments by promoting clean energy alternatives such as renewable energy generation and electric vehicle adoption. However, these changes come with new and unique challenges. Indian distribution companies (DISCOMS) are exploring various solutions and strategies to decarbonise and reinforce their network.

The challenges were approached from a whole system point of view by employing different Energy Systems Catapult capabilities to design a comprehensive assessment. Indian DISCOMS were engaged through a multi-phase assessment methodology, using our Net Zero Challenge Assessment tool (NCAT), to assess India’s network readiness for Net Zero and the near-term plans and solutions they have explored.

The results and findings from NCAT were aggregated and presented in a report to offer insights into the DISCOM networks and their decarbonisation challenges. These findings will benefit the UK innovators, SMEs, and the wider energy and transport sector experts interested in entering new markets and bringing UK innovation to India.