Is the Grid Fit for the Future?

Peter Cunningham CEO of Camlin Group considers the grid’s readiness for the future and introduces Sapient, our new digital offering that has been designed to enable operators to navigate the future challenges facing the energy sector.

This decade marks a pivotal moment for the energy transition, characterised by the convergence of decarbonisation, digitalisation, and decentralisation within the energy sector.

While the electricity grid is the backbone of modern civilisation, it is facing unprecedented challenges as it struggles to keep pace with the evolving demands of our energy landscape. With that said, this transition also represents opportunities for growth and innovation across the value chain.

The emergence of Net Zero targets emphasises the urgent need to transform the architecture of our energy networks to meet the evolving needs of consumers and businesses alike.

As society gears up for Net Zero, the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), solar panels and heat pumps is on the rise. At the same time, renewable generation is gearing up for exponential growth to power these low carbon technologies (LCTs).

These consumer-led shifts, pose challenges that extend beyond the current capabilities of our networks. They involve higher network utilisation, dynamic power flows, complex network planning, and increased system interactivity.

Our electricity distribution network was designed for a time when electricity demand was stable and predictable, our homes used solid fuel or gas for heating and less than 20 electrical appliances running on electricity. Nearly a century on, with the proliferation of household appliances and the projected surge in electricity demand due to decarbonisation efforts, the landscape has drastically changed to a more uncertain and obscure one.

Despite the ongoing progress in renewable energy and smart grid technologies there are glaring gaps that cast doubt on the grid’s readiness for the future;

Aging Assets

Many components of the grid, including transmission lines, substations, and transformers were built decades ago and are coming to the end of their operational lives. As they deteriorate, they become more susceptible to failures and disruptions, leading to safety implications, costly downtime and repairs.

Multi-directional and fast-changing power flows

The increasing integration of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power are creating both opportunities and challenges for the grid. While renewables offer clean and sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels, they also introduce variability and intermittency into the system. Because renewable energy is dependent on variables such as weather conditions and time of day, this poses significant operational challenges for grid operators in maintaining grid stability and reliability.

Performance demands from customers

Despite the growing demand for electricity, consumers will continue to demand reliability, safety, cost-efficiency, and the freedom to consume electricity as and when they need it.

Cybersecurity Threats

The proliferation of interconnected devices and digital control systems has exacerbated the grid’s vulnerability to cyberattacks and intrusions capable of causing blackouts and compromising sensitive data. The need for robust cybersecurity measures is more critical than ever.

Resilience to Extreme Events

Due to climate change, the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events like major storms, wildfires, heatwaves and the like, can cause widespread network outages and infrastructure damage. Building resilience to these events requires proactive planning, investment in infrastructure and the adoption of innovative technologies that can withstand these impacts.

Lack of Grid Modernisation

Progress towards grid modernisation has been slow and fragmented. Many utilities and grid operators have been hampered by financial, regulatory and institutional barriers that constrain investment in their modernisation efforts. Budget constrains are requiring asset managers to improve their maintenance programmes to optimise costs, risk mitigation and performance.

Lack of (loss of) skilled workforce

Energy operators openly admit that they are experiencing the depletion of a skilled workforce with specialised expertise across asset management, condition monitoring and data analytics - limiting their ability to adapt to the changing landscape. Operators are seeking to leverage hardware and software services to replace the expertise that is required.

Energy operators must invest in future-proofing the grid network to ensure a continued safe and reliable service. This will necessitate establishing a more dynamic and active network architecture that can support increased capacity, connect more generation sources, facilitate the adoption of heat pumps and EV charging, and advance network digitalisation.

Where does Camlin fit in?

At Camlin Group , our technology strategy embodies our commitment to designing effective solutions for the grid of the future. At the forefront of our strategy is Sapient, our digital offering designed to enable operators to navigate the challenges facing the energy sector.

This powerful suite of software, data products and expert services utilises advanced network and asset data models, AI and ML to provide real-world actionable insights.

Through Sapient we provide our customers with granular insights into their networks' health and future capacity, allowing them to predict performance and make targeted interventions and investments to protect the network, optimise operations and reduce costs – all while driving a safer more sustainable future.

We have assembled a highly competent technology team with deep domain experience and positioned ourselves to scale up development resources in anticipation of emerging digital services opportunities. With over 30 years’ experience in pioneering advanced data management solutions, we have designed a solution that can offer scalability and flexibility while seamlessly integrating with customers’ current data enterprise platforms and infrastructure.

We’re thrilled to launch Sapient to the North American market at DISTRIBUTECH International , in Orlando this week (26-29 March 2024), it embodies decades of Camlin innovation and has the potential to completely revolutionize the energy sector. Our combination of industry-leading experience, pioneering technologies and value driven partnerships are giving our customers clear insights into the grid of the future, which is safe, reliable, resilient and cost effective.

To learn more about Sapient visit: https://bit.ly/3SXiu4C