Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | MARCH 2022 | 39 stronger human a liation with local areas. The transi- ence of place, particularly for those living in urban areas, was put on trial as people were forced to live and work in their immediate surroundings. With hybrid working here to stay, stronger community ties can be leveraged in the context of energy. As we move away from the traditional model of centralised thermal generation and transmission, energy assets are becoming more widely distributed. Com- munity-owned renewable energy projects can help to decarbonise the UK's energy system by generating clean electricity that feeds into the grid – and empower local communities at the same time. Quantum computing could become a commercial reality sooner than expected An idea sketched out on blackboards before the turn of the millennium has become a competitive race between governments, tech giants and start-ups: who can make machines that use the properties of quantum physics to perform computations € rst? Commentators say we're on the cusp of the commer- cialisation of quantum computing, when we'll be able to use this technology to solve real-world problems. When it comes to the climate, quantum computers could help with everything from molecular simulation to carbon sequestration. In the near-term, quantum computers will be able to take complex, industrial processes that are hugely energy intensive and rapidly improve their e ciency. While a 0.5% energy saving might not sound huge, con- sider the impact of that € gure across a giant data centre or a complex assembly line. The metaverse will take hold The recent rebrand of Facebook to "Meta" has brought the concept of the metaverse to the mainstream. In this virtual world, real people can interact with one another and visit digital places, from museums to music concerts. While its implications for the energy sector might not be immediately obvious, the ability to access a parallel universe presents untapped opportunities as we transi- tion to net zero. Virtualisation and the application of sophisticated digital enablers, like digital twins, will continue to dis- rupt the energy sector and address issues of e ciency, risk – and, importantly, the mass deployment of renew- able energy. Lucy Yu, chief executive, Centre for Net Zero Utility Week Live 2022 See this content brought to life at Utility Week Live, 17-18 May 2022, NEC Birmingham Delivering smart energy networks is one of the frontline challenges at the heart of Utility Week Live 2022's live content programme. View the challenges and be alerted for tickets to the industry's most eagerly awaited reunion at utilityweeklive. co.uk From cryptocurrencies and the Metaverse to NFTs and quantum computing, we are on the brink of the mass adoption of technologies that could have profound consequences for energy companies.

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