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NETWORK / 8 / MARCH 2019 Editor Alec Peachey outlines Network's central theme and provides a breakdown of the trends that will sit under it. 2019 represents a signi cant opportunity for the UK's gas, power and heat networks. Network is in pole position to help bring the sector to- gether and deliver a once in a generation transformation of the energy system. We'll be putting a focus on what the network of the future might look like. With so many changes taking place it's important to keep a focus on the most important trends. At the heart of the network of the future lies col- laboration and innovation. Both must go hand in hand if the pace of change across all networks is going to continue. Network will play a key role in helping the in- dustry understand what the network of the future is going to look like by acting as the 'go to' place for technical information, project news, analysis and innovation updates – both in-print and online. A series of articles and reports based around the trends identi ed here will be made available to down- load. The trends have been assigned illustrative tabs to make them easily identi able to readers when searching for/looking at content. Look out for the tabs in the header of pages. Join us as we con- tinue to shine a light on the network of the future. Decentralisation: As falling costs drive the growth of technolo- gies such as solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles, the power grid is becomingly increasingly decentralised, with more energy being produced, stored and used locally. Potential bene- ts include reductions in transmission losses and lower network costs. Network will examine the importance of decentralisation and how a decentralised network could make renewables more reliable and therefore increase the amount of green energy in the UK's energy mix through the usage of energy storage solutions. Digitalisation: Assets and systems currently managed by network operators hold a wealth of valuable data. The health of these 'assets' can be driven into to allow for more e‰ cient predictive maintenance strategies and to help direct future investment in the network. This can be done by using digitalisation as a tool to delve into smart meter data along with grid analytics. The information gained can then be used to help predict future network trends. Net- work will look at the systems available to help achieve this, what the network industry and its supply chain need to do to respond to this shiŠ and will explore the bene ts of digitalisation.‹The bene ts of real-time network management will also be looked at. ‹ DECENTRALISATION DIGITALISATION