Three projects have been successfully funded under the new Ofgem SIF competition process. To achieve the government’s ambition to decarbonise Britan’s energy networks, there needs to be an acceleration in the connection of renewable energy sources to the grid. This will require effective planning and forecasting to meet increased demand.
Network planning
The multimillion pound Beta project, Artificial Forecasting, is looking at addressing these needs. Led by Northern Powergrid, the project will expand load forecasting capability by building innovative AI solutions. These solutions will increase the granularity of the current forecasting process to a monthly, weekly, daily, and hourly level. This will support network planning and defer or avoid the need for expensive system reinforcement.
Managing demand
After forecasting it’s about managing and mitigating the challenges peak demand will have on energy systems. This includes technologies such as thermal energy storage to help decouple electricity consumption and heat supplied from intermittent generation.
Two new Alpha projects are addressing how networks can use novel flexibility solutions to reduce constraint on the electricity networks, reduce bills for customers, and increase home energy efficiency.
Energy storage
Also led by Northern Powergrid, GeoGrid, will explore using Geothermal Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) to store renewable electricity as heat, using Leeds University as a trial site. By storing off-peak electricity and discharging it during peak demand periods, LDES can reduce network congestion, enhance grid resilience, and lower curtailment costs. This will help provide consumers with low-cost heat while supporting decarbonisation and energy security.
Efficiency and flexibility
EqualLCT, will address how to meet the scale of demand that heat pumps and other Low Carbon Technologies (LCTs) will place on the network. The project team, led by Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution, will combine energy efficiency and flexibility products to accelerate the roll out of heat pumps. Critical to this is the management of the cost and scale of reinforcement required to reduce consumer bills as we transition to net zero.
These three successful projects were funded through our Cycle 1 competitions. Cycle 2 opens on 27 January 2025 for Round 3 Beta, and Round 4 Discovery, Alpha and Beta applications. We look forward to receiving your exciting applications.
Marzia Zafar, Deputy Director of Digitalisation and Innovation at Ofgem, said, “Network planning and managing demand are two of the big challenges we must overcome to decarbonise and reduce bills. The projects receiving Ofgem funding today will go some way to dealing with these challenges, and I’m excited to see how they progress.
“In order to reach clean power by 2030, we have to think outside the box. As a regulator, Ofgem is committed to doing that, funding innovative projects and removing barriers to market entry wherever possible.”
Jodie Giles, Deputy Director – Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund at Innovate UK, said, “Congratulations to these three projects who’ve successfully been through our new accelerated SIF application process.
“The extreme weather and flooding we’ve experienced so far this winter drives home the urgent need for more energy innovation projects like this. These projects will test and demonstrate new technology and approaches to address climate change, keep bills low for consumers, and make our energy systems more resilient and secure.
“I’m looking forward to seeing more ambitious projects in Cycle 2, so if you have a great idea for network innovation to accelerate net zero delivery, then we want to hear it!”