We’re delighted to have been allocated £13 million from Ofgem under its fund dedicated to supporting energy network innovation to achieve net zero quickly and cost-effectively.
Our three beta projects have been awarded funding within the final round of the energy regulator’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), delivered in partnership with Innovate UK – the national agency which supports business-led innovation in all sectors. SIF was established to address key challenges facing the UK’s energy sector in meeting net zero ambitions: whole-system integration, data and digitalisation, zero-emission transport and heat.
These large-scale demonstrations will address specific challenges and help decarbonise our networks at the lowest cost to energy users and customers. The projects will ensure gas networks become greener, safer, smarter and more resilient as we transition towards a sustainable future.
Our SIF project portfolio includes intelligently monitoring and controlling gas networks, focusing on predictive analytics to improve safety, as well as assessing the relationship between hydrogen in our pipes and safety, integrity and environmental risks.
We’re carrying out this work alongside project partners DNV, FYLD, IGEM, Utonomy, National Gas and the other gas distribution network companies.
Intelligent gas grid
To help enhance network efficiency, this project sets out to remotely automate gas pressure control in combination with weather-derived data and artificial intelligence. Data-driven algorithms and decision-making will intelligently regulate gas pressure, help detect faults and assist with low-carbon injection into the network.
Predictive safety interventions
We’re working to expand the capability of safety platform FYLD using predictive analytics to reduce the risk to our field-based colleagues. The project is exploring analysis of the conditions which contribute the most to worksite safety and applying these findings across our network.
Velocity design with hydrogen
Our teams are examining the impact of hydrogen velocity on our network by undertaking full-scale tests. This will allow industry standards and design codes to be created, enabling safe transport of hydrogen through the existing gas network infrastructure.
Our Head of Innovation Selwyn Rose said: “We’re very happy to receive SIF funding for three of our beta projects. They cover several subjects all critical to the challenges faced by our industry, colleagues and customers. These projects will deliver valuable insight and solutions to those challenges.”
Innovate UK’s SIF programme Deputy Director Matt Hastings said: “It is exciting to see these beta projects, after showing their potential, moving on to demonstrate their energy innovations in the real world. Net zero is the most urgent issue of our lifetime, the SIF and the energy networks have moved fast to develop these ideas into large-scale demonstrators in less than 18 months from initial proposals. They have the potential to deliver big savings in costs and carbon emissions in the coming years.”
