Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/951810
TOP TEN TECHNOLOGIES DISRUPTING UTILITIES Energy storage Electric vehicles Ar ficial intelligence Smart meters Data analy cs Internet of Things (IoT) Renewable energy advances Blockchain Water re-use technologies Hydrogen THE TECH: ELECTRIC VEHICLES What's the deal: 2011 marked the introduc on of commercially-available refined and reliable electric vehicles (EVs) into the UK from mainstream models available to consumers has proliferated and government subsidies have incen vised uptake so that, at last count, there were more than 140,000 plug-in vehicles on UK roads, compared with just 3,500 in 2013. With government now commi ed to phasing out petrol and diesel vehicles from 2040. There's no doubt that the electrifica on of transport is on the cusp of a radical increase. Why it ma ers: An enormous growth in EV uptake means big challenges for power networks, and for sustaining reduc ons in the energy sector's overall contribu ons to carbon emissions. A surge in power demand for charging EV's means addi onal genera on and network capacity will need to be available and reliable, if u li es are to avoid being framed as opponents to green progress and consumer sa sfac on. The UK's energy networks are more than awake to this challenge with a wide variety of EV innova on projects underway to gather data on EV user behaviours and understand the effects of fast charging and "clustering" on the grid. But EV's aren't just high impact for energy networks. They are hugely important for energy suppliers too and in 2017, a number of retailers, large and small showed that they are ready and eager to offer special tariffs and services to EV owners. In a future with generally declining energy consump on and an emphasis on low-carbon energy efficiency, being able to offer these bundles and services will be core to retailer survival. Services will undoubtedly include vehicle to grid demand response, leveraging EVs as mobile energy storage units and opening up a new world of value for both suppliers and consumers to enjoy. Say what?: Jonathan Marshall, energy analyst, Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit: "On top of revolu onising transport, EVs have the poten al to upend electricity systems around the world. Parking a large ba ery outside millions of homes will allow people to take back control of their energy use, making money from buying and selling power to and from the grid, while balancing the output from renewables at increasingly low cost. The electrifica on of transport will also likely change how consumers interact with u li es, with many in the industry talking about a shi away from unit pricing towards a tariff system." THE TECH: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) What's the deal: A er decades in the realms of science fic on, real life applica ons for ar ficial intelligence have sped to market in the last couple of years. Consumer- focused AI applica ons have manifested in chat bots and voice-controlled smart home assistants like Amazon's Echo (with Alexa) and the Google Assistant. But commercial technology providers have also busily enhanced their enterprise and opera onal solu ons with AI capability. Some network control systems, for instance, now use AI to deliver autonomous network op misa on. And recruitment and workforce development professionals are increasingly eyeing its poten al to plug a looming skills gap, by powering digital training and support services to staff in the office and in the field. Why it ma ers: AI could open up a wealth of opportuni es for u li es to standardise customer services, op mise use of resources and realise opera onal efficiencies. In U lity Week Live's market research, chatbots in par cular appeared to have captured the imagina on of customer-facing u li es for their poten al to boost customer engagement. But other u lity applica ons of AI are also emerging: Last year Na onal Grid made na onal headlines when it revealed it is working with Google Deepmind, perhaps the most advanced AI programme to date, to explore how it could manage elements of system balancing in the future. It also emerged that Na onal Grid is exploring whether Deepmind could capture knowledge from outgoing staff and act as a virtual tutor to newer recruits. Say what?: Dr Rafik Salama, lead data scien st, Energy Systems Catapult: "AI in the energy domain is no longer advancing incrementally. Customer sa sfac on, real me se lement, adap ve tariffs are all compe ng elements in the energy market, and AI features at the heart of those services." I N A S S O C I A T I O N W I T H NETWORK / 31 / MARCH 2018