LIVING ON THE EDGE

Grids were not designed for power to ow away from the ends, or edges, via lots of distributed energy resources (DERs), such as solar and wind farms. Expansion in electri cation, from new modes of transport to heating and beyond, requires the installation of many more thousands of electric vehicle (EV) chargers and heat pumps over the coming decades. This will ramp up the demand for clean electricity to ow around the edges of the grid where the end users are located.

Meanwhile, more storms, droughts and other types of climate change-induced extreme weather patterns place additional demands on the pylons, poles, wires, substations, transformers and other physical assets that carry power. Having a system with multi-directional power ows will help increase its resiliency and security.

Decarbonising power supplies, where renewable and low-carbon electricity makes up the majority of electricity transported across networks entails a huge shift in terms of where on the grid energy is produced—from the transmission system to the distribution grids. BloombergNEF, an energy analytics and research group, estimates the share of power injected into Europe’s distribution grids will increase to 66% by 2050, up from 27% in 2022.

It is no wonder, then, that digital technologies and specialised software have become an increasingly essential tool for managing modern grids.