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NETWORK / 13 / JULY/AUGUST 2018 companies and their investors. It's a further complication that policy makers must include themselves in the re-thinking. For example, how will Ofgem honour its principal objec - tive to "protect the interests of consumers", if its oversight of networks stops at the meter, the very boundary where disruptive network changes now start? Ofgem has many sound initiatives, including innova - tion incentives, assistance for entrepreneurs, and governance reform. It's becoming increas- ingly urgent that these are brought into alignment with the nature of emerging challenges. Governance reform applied to the present model will have limited returns, or even be counter-productive. Why not channel this effort into fresh thinking for more holistic and responsive change mechanisms. The evidence from the Future Power System Architecture project should be a helpful ac - celerator for practical change. The Energy Systems Catapult and The IET have jointly led this work, bringing impartiality and expert knowledge, and draw- ing on other sectors where agile governance and complexity are managed well. There are serious power system challenges ahead but no shortage of solutions, just many stumbling blocks. Policy mak - ers, this is happening on your watch: the sector needs your lead to engage in rethinking the rule set, implementing stream - lined governance, and establish- ing oversight accountability for whole-system issues. Every day takes us further down the wrong path, making it harder and more costly to establish coordinated, open systems and markets. It will be a sorry legacy if RIIO2 locks the sector into today's misalignments, just when we need an operating model fit for tomorrow. If my analysis is flawed, please tell me. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: John Scott is an independent consultant. He has a background in distribution and transmission networks and his career includes director of engineering for National Grid and technical director at Ofgem. He contributes to the Future Power System Architecture project, but has authored this article in his own right. Smart Networks Ready for the data communication of tomorrow Industrial networks are becoming more complex. With comprehensive solutions for tomorrows industrial data communication, from patch panels to cyber security products, PHOENIX CONTACT can support all your needs for Industry 4.0. For additional information call 0845 881 2222 or visit phoenixcontact.co.uk/smartnetworks Disruption - one simple example l Consider, just two per cent of the car fleet being electric, a credible scenario for the early 2020s, and their owners having a 7kW smart- charger at home. l This charger monitors market prices. l The market moves from a high to a low-price period. l Wherever they are in the country, the chargers will turn on simultaneously, creating a step in demand of some 4GW. l This is about four-times the system operator's safe limit today. Potential solutions: l Do nothing, take a chance that it won't happen and risk a widespread black out, or; l The system operator buys significantly more fast response, which is an expensive service, and does this increasingly as the EV fleet expands, or; l Develop technology/market solutions such as randomised delays in the smart charger logic, price banding, or frequency-sensitive charging controls. These need not be costly options but they require coordination and ongoing monitoring across EV and charging point manufacturers, network companies, the system operator, and the standards for App developers.