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UtILItY WeeK | 3rd - 9th OctOber 2014 | 23 Operations & Assets The focus on reducing embodied carbon encouraged the team to radi- cally rethink the way water treatment works are built and operated. The new works dramatically reduced embod- ied carbon, cut cost and shortened construction time. It is also expected to cut operational carbon by 74 tonnes a year. If you have an asset or project you would like to see featured in this slot, email: paul.newton@fav-house.com Pipe up Dr Simon Harrison T he past decade has seen the beginnings of a period of rapid change in how we plan to produce, use and manage electricity. For example, the electricity network currently has about 10,000 automatic control loops, mainly for transformer tap changing to control voltage. By 2030 this is forecast to increase to around 1,000,000 given all the load management, electric vehi- cle charging, heat pump control, active distribution, and other systems forecast for deployment. However, today's energy system was not designed to cope with the complexity inherent in this vision for energy. To make progress towards it, we will need a shi in the way we approach system change. The best way to do this, which is being done already by the aviation and mobile communications industries, is to introduce a single agent or body – a "system architect" – to make sure all the new systems and tech- nologies work effectively together, within a liberalised market and without spiralling costs for customers. The Institution of Engineer- ing and Technology (IET) has been investigating how other industries – such as the High- ways Agency and Nats, the air traffic management service – are structured to deal with com- plex system changes and the extent to which these technical integration activities are relevant to the electricity sector. We've asked how a system architect for electricity might provide engineering co-ordination and form the glue between established parties and new entrants or stakeholders – perhaps from community groups, car manufacturers or rental companies. How might a system architect facilitate technical operation and market mech- anisms in a multi-party, complex world? How might it advise and assist government in making policy decisions? A system architect can range from a staffed central authority to a series of committees populated by key industry stakeholders, but a common requirement is that it has sufficient power for its accountability to be real. There is a need to debate how a system architect role could be delivered for the electricity sector. We need to find the right balance between ensuring effec- tive systems engineering at a time of massive change and increasing complexity while allowing businesses freedom to operate and innovate. What is clear, though, is that a system architect is the most cost-effective and long-term solution to ensuring ongoing energy security and delivering real benefits to customers. Dr Simon Harrison, chair of the Power Network Joint Vision expert group, IET "A 'system architect' is needed to make sure all the new systems and technologies work effectively together." There is a need to debate how a system architect could be delivered for the electricity sector