Reaching Net Zero by 2050

The energy sector is undergoing an unprecedented and transformative change with the goal of delivering the Government 10 Point decarbonisation by 2030 and reaching Net Zero by 2050.

Investments in new renewables (such as offshore wind), and in low-carbon technologies (such as Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Heat Pumps (HPs)), is driving this evolution of the whole energy system.

Low-carbon technologies are typically installed at the lowest levels of the electrical distribution network, far from new offshore renewable capacity. A whole-system approach is critical to optimise and coordinate the operation of kilowatt-scale EV and HP energy demand in line with growing clean energy in the gigawatt scale.

Whole-system research

To accelerate an equitable and sustainable transition to net zero while improving network resilience, we focus our research in key areas that include:

• Energy systems modelling to enhance the visibility of energy resources, energy congestions, and energy customer needs at national, regional, and community levels to improve energy supply reliability and resilience.

• Energy customer and demand management modelling to map customer demand and energy systems operation with the aim of optimising the network response to external stimuli.

• Carbon intensity analysis to investigate the fluctuation of carbon intensity over time and between locations to explore the changes under differing system operation and customer demand scenarios to deliver solutions with optimum whole-life carbon reduction.

Our whole-system approach will deliver shared methods and frameworks to for data provision to develop applications. Our computational models and tools will facilitate scenario testing to predict future performance and create a virtual representation of our increasingly complex and dynamic systems to improve visibility of interconnected resources for improved, data-driven, decision making.