National Grid has secured funding to further develop four innovation projects aimed at accelerating the transition to a decarbonised energy system.
The £1.7m from Ofgem’s Strategic Innovation Fund sees the projects progressing to the next stage of the regulator’s scheme to encourage innovation and help transform the UK’s energy system towards net zero.
National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) has been awarded £920,000 for projects to support the decarbonisation of rural communities and the construction industry.
Rural Energy and Community Heat aims to address the difficulties in supplying adequate electrical capacity to support the take-up of low carbon technologies in isolated areas, and Road to Power seeks to support the growing use of electricity to power road and other construction equipment.
National Grid Electricity Transmission has been awarded £870,000 for two projects to further investigate the future viability of offshore energy islands and superconducting technology, developing blueprints for the technologies and capabilities needed to trial them on the British energy system.
The projects have been funded through the programme’s Alpha Phase, which allows for the testing of innovation at a scale that can support future commercialisation and integration into the UK power networks, typically following earlier feasibility work delivered through the Discovery phase.
These projects are funded through the Strategic Innovation Fund, an Ofgem programme managed in partnership with Innovate UK. The funding awards will support National Grid’s efforts to accelerate the transition to a net zero future, while delivering tangible benefits to energy networks, local authorities and consumers.
NGED’s head of future capacity Paul Morris said: “National Grid Electricity Distribution is committed to driving innovation and collaboration to accelerate the transition to a sustainable energy future.
“The funding awards from the Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund recognise the huge potential in both of these projects, and will enable us to further develop and deploy these cutting-edge solutions that contribute to achieving net zero and improving customer experience.”
Strategic innovation fund manager at National Grid Electricity Transmission Sean Coleman said: “Innovation of new technologies and solutions is critical to meeting our decarbonisation goals and delivering the UK’s ambition for a net zero energy system.
Industry collaboration and shared learning is vital, and we look forward to exploring these two projects further so we can overcome challenges and accelerate the UK’s journey to a cleaner, fairer and more affordable energy future.”