Utility Week

8. WHAT: BLOCKCHAIN What's the deal: Long associated with crypto currencies like Bitcoin, blockchain is a distributed ledger that allows fast and super-secure transac ons between mul ple par es in a network. Held on mul ple computers as a huge distributed database, a blockchain ledger is both secure and immutable: falsifica on is impossible, because of the impossibility of changing every distributed record and its hash-encoding at the same me. Why it ma ers: The poten al for blockchain to disrupt the u li es industry is enormous. It is the ul mate accompaniment to the rise of distributed energy resources, enabling peer- to-peer trading of energy between prosumers. It also has wider applica ons such as enabling faster switching systems. w w w . u t i l i t y w e e k l i v e . c o . u k 9. WHAT: WATER RE-USE TECHNOLOGIES Direct water re-use is a rela ve rarity in the UK. However, the advent of compact, inexpensive treatment technologies together with growing water scarcity could make re-use an increasingly appealing proposi on, whether it be greywater systems which re-use par ally treated water for flushing toilets, or more comprehensive localised treatment systems which, in combina on with rainwater harves ng, could take individual sites en rely off-grid. Why it ma ers: Water re-use boosts water resilience at a local level and could be the key to easing pressure on the country's overstretched water resources, while also helping to reduce the burden on urban sewerage systems. However, if deployed widely it could disrupt the centralised business model of water u li es, calling into ques on the tradi onal boundaries of responsibility for water supply, water quality and public health. 10. WHAT: HYDROGEN What's the deal: Hydrogen is gaining popularity as a poten al answer to the challenge of decarbonising heat. Hydrogen is zero carbon at the point of use, with only two by-products – heat and water – making it the ul mate clean fuel. There has been a series of reports inves ga ng the feasibility of conver ng the gas network to carry hydrogen, and the GDNs have conducted some research in this area. Why it ma ers: Conver ng the gas network to hydrogen would deliver a huge cut in heat-related emissions, and preserve a role for the UK's regulated gas networks long into the future, but the technical challenges would be formidable. It's more likely that hydrogen will find a place in a network blending biogas, heat pumps, and geothermal energy as appropriate. I N A S S O C I A T I O N W I T H UTILITY WEEK | 2ND - 8TH MARCH 2018 | 15 I N A S S O C I A T I O N W I T H

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