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ROUNDTABLE " Whole-system" is a phrase you oen hear during discussions around energy. Being used so frequently and within so many different contexts, its meaning can sometimes seem vague. So, when Network and National Grid hosted a roundtable in late 2018, the first topic on the agenda was what exactly con - stitutes the whole-system. Attendees admitted the whole-system could in theory refer to a variety of things and were divided on where the line should be drawn. They agreed it should at least stretch across both transmission and distribution and gas and electricity, with much of trans - port being absorbed into the power sector over time. But some argued it should also cover other essential utilities, for instance water. "There's been quite a bit of renewal of water assets," said one, noting the poten - tial of water pumps to provide significant volumes of flexibility to the power grid. "But they're being renewed without thinking about the link with the electricity system." Others went further, saying the whole- system could even encompass the entirety of the economy. Networks are ultimately to try to save money for energy users, who are becoming increasingly involved in the run - ning of the energy system themselves. However, another warned they shouldn't try to run before they can walk: "I wonder if the definition of whole-system including everything is just too wide at the moment to get a grip on. "You set incremental small goals and then you can broaden it out as you get fur - ther along, rather than trying to define it in a really broad way which is then impossible to make any tangible progress against." Offering incentives Unable to settle on a concrete definition, the conversation nevertheless shied to some of the obstacles that will need to be overcome. Most identified the lack of a joined up Solving the whole-system challenge At a recent National Grid roundtable discussion held in association with Network entitled 'Solving future system challenges now' attendees examined how a whole-system approach could help solve the myriad of challenges faced by the industry. Tom Grimwood reports. NETWORK / 36 / FEBRUARY 2019 regulatory, policy and market framework as the overarching barrier to progress. They said whole-system solutions will re- quire consistent price signals and incentives that allow actors in one sphere to share the gains that accrue in another, particularly in instances where they would otherwise stand to make a loss. Without these in place, they will continue to operate in financial siloes and lucrative opportunities will be missed. Cross-sector incentives should be integrated into the next set of price controls. One attendee noted the difficulty in valu - ing the whole-system benefits of a particu- lar action, or even establishing the baseline to measure against. Several suggested new institutions such a whole-system operator or multi-utility regulator may be required to support such a framework. Another blamed its absence on the short- term, incremental thinking, which they believed had become "dominant" among policy-makers. They said the government must take a longer-term, more strategic view as it did when deciding to build the national electricity transmission network shortly aer the Second World War: "These assets were only fully used 25 years later. If we had an incremental view at the time, the overall infrastructure costs would have been 10 times larger." That said, they also recognised the scale of the challenge: "We've not really found this being resolved anywhere. The UK, given its position as an island and also the com - bination of nuclear and renewables, will be facing these challenges five to 10 years before Europe and the US, for example. Can we turn this in to an opportunity and start really addressing this, and potentially lead- ing this?" Finding solutions Several questioned whether policy-makers

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