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NETWORK / 9 / MAY 2017 Roger Duck Agile working FPSA2 is structured into delivery work packages. The requirement for ongoing interac- tion between the work packages drove the need to take a dynamic approach, drawing on the principles of agile software development that are established in the IT sector. This included structuring the project into three time-bound phases. Within each phase, delivery teams were encouraged to consider, to some extent, all aspects of their scope of work to give early sight of issues that might be of importance to others and the project as a whole. Interac- tions and communications were enabled by regular weekly "heart beat" Synthesis Team meetings, supported by a number of plenary sessions, facilitated and self-organised meetings, and practical tools to support interaction and exchange of content. Within this agile framework of interaction, each work package used its own specifi c methodology tailored to its own objectives, while adopting common themes of ensuring an evidence-based approach to the work, and embracing iterative learning and periodic refl ection and review. The approach has enabled the system en- gineering discipline, which has underpinned the functional approach taken by FPSA from the start, to be complemented by additional learning through interaction, by enabling teams with different skills and viewpoints to come together. Dave Openshaw Development of the future energy system – addressing the emerging barriers The established GB electricity system is facing a period of unprecedented change. Analysis has shown that the combined effect will be to create signifi cant new challenges for the design and day-to-day management of the national electricity power system. The Fu- ture Power System Architecture programme has already identifi ed 35 new or extended functions that will be required to ensure the continued security and stability of the electric- ity power system whilst delivering low-carbon energy in the most affordable way. However, there are currently obstacles to performing these and other new or extended functions. The barriers vary in nature and include: technical limitations of the current infrastructure; commercial and market framework barriers; and governance issues surrounding change-control mechanisms, policy, regulation and industry codes. There are also societal considerations that may impede the accommodation of new parties and establishing more energy-engaged cus- tomers. Identifying these obstacles is a key aspect of the FPSA2 project because it deter- mines the actions that need to be taken and the sector parties who need to be involved. Mike Kay Addressing the needs of current and future users of the energy system The established GB electricity system functions at a level that allows customers to have all the power that they need to run their devices and appliances. Technology is chang- ing ever more quickly and having profound effects on the electricity system, as well as in the home. The emergence, for example, of affordable solar generation is already creat- ing bottlenecks and making the system more unstable and harder and more expensive to keep in balance. Much less conventional generation is connected to the transmission system. If customers' needs change, the system needs to change to match. What do customers want from electric- ity delivery in the future? Probably much as now, for it to be reliable, cheap and really something that doesn't actually require much thought! Which is how it should be, but if customers are investing in solar cells, storage, electric vehicles and heat pumps (as replacement central heating) then those managing the overall electricity system need to understand what is driving customer behaviour and ensure that the system contin- ues to meet their needs. Phil Lawton Functional analysis – validating the 35 new power system functions The role of Work Package 2 (WP2) is to further develop the functional analysis in the FPSA1 report that was published in the summer of 2016. The list of 35 new or sig- nifi cantly enhanced power system functions identifi ed by FPSA1 were the main inputs for WP2, combined with the stakeholder views that resulted from work package 1A/1B's programme of stakeholder engagement. There were four main deliverables for WP2, as described below. The fi rst piece of analysis was to test that all the functions identifi ed as part of FPSA1 were required and, more challenging, whether any necessary functions had been missed. WP1A, which looks at the needs of current customers, was particularly valuable in testing for missing functions because the stakeholders each had an independent view of the challenges faced in both the current industry and for its future development. While no entirely new functions were identifi ed, the wording of most of the functions was up- dated. One example was to extend the func- tions related to connected energy systems to include offshore power systems, such as interconnectors to continental power grids. Sacha Meckler Delivering future system functionality through enabling frameworks The proposed enabling frameworks (EFs), and the process around the creation of EFs, has drawn from best practices and proven processes from other sectors as well as building on the exceptional experience already produced in the electricity sector. EFs are the way in which the needs of a function would be met, and also the vehicle that ena- bles the function to overcome barriers that prevent its implementation. Barriers arise typically where current sector mechanisms are no longer fi t for purpose in a world where change is becoming more rapid and there are many new stakeholders, many of whom operate "beyond the meter". The EF assembly process, which defi nes how an EF would be created for each func- tion, has been developed to effectively and effi ciently address the particular needs and barriers of each function or group of func- tions. The main elements of the EF are the capabilities and mechanisms by which new functionality is implemented, including needs assessments, consultations, options apprais- als, implementation plans, testing and fi nal delivery into the live system. I N S I D E F P S A While the fi nal FPSA2 report will not be published until after the general election, readers can glean a sneak preview of its fi ndings in these extracts from a series of blogs written by a number of the project leaders and available to read in full at www.networks.online