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NETWORK / 20 / JULY/AUGUST 2016 real-time net works Webb says: "The way we've managed our networks has been the same for a very long time. At Oban, SGN is demonstrating that you don't have to have to rely on the traditional, tight specification of natural gas in the network. We can actually accept a wider range of gas composition. That means greater flexibility." Using gases from different sources also means them entering the network at different points, rather than in the 'top-to- bottom' fashion of the traditional system. Real-Time Networks is developing a system to demonstrate how a more flexible and intelligent gas network will meet the needs of the rapidly changing gas industry in Britain. "The network becomes less linear and straightforward," Webb says. The uptake of downstream renewable technologies on both a domestic and commercial scale will have a big impact on the network. As more distributed energy generation comes online, this picture will change further, and in unanticipated ways, Webb explains. "The key is flexibility – how we manage our networks with all these changes – and the future changes: the ones we are not currently envisaging." Opening up the gas market demonstrated that LNG with a wider Wobbe limit than is currently permitted in UK gas regulations can be safely used in the UK, adds Webb. The Wobbe Index (WI) indicates gas interchangeability and energy output and compares the energy output of gases on combustion. Each source of gas has different compositions that require some form of processing prior to injection into the distribution network. The processes for gas produced using shale or hydrogen vary once again, with cost and environmental implications. If the findings from the trial in Oban can be replicated and rolled out across the network, a wider range of gases will be managed by the network operators. Real-Time Networks seeks to demonstrate how such an integrated gas network with different gas supply sources could be managed. By funding the Real-Time Networks project, Ofgem is looking a"er the needs of the customer. "We will make information from this scheme available to other industry stakeholders," says Webb. "Once we understand the capabilities of the network better, then we will know more about what we can deliver in terms of energy." This could also inform future work on regulatory standards for new gases. Webb concludes: "We are paving the way to make the network much smarter and flexible for the benefit of all customers." N Widening the Wobbe Index Hydrogen Shale LNG Biomethane Pipeline imports North Sea 54 52 50 48 46 44 42 40 Wobbe Index (MJ/m 3 ) UK regulations EU ambition