Issue link: https://read.utilityweek.co.uk/i/808182
NETWORK / 16 / APRIL 2017 A s Britain seeks to decarbonise its energy system, networks arguably face the toughest challenges in the sector. They will need to absorb a growing volume of intermittent renewable generation in different parts of the country from the fossil generation it displaces, replace petrol pumps in the age of electric vehicles as consumers start charging their cars at home, and facilitate the decarbonisation of heating in whatever form that eventually takes, whether heat pumps, district heating or low-carbon gas. This means networks must become smarter, more flexible and more closely integrated. At the Future Networks Conference in Birmingham, speakers set out a list of obstacles that networks must overcome to achieve this. Towards the top was standardisation. The smart technologies that network operators are developing and testing will have to be able to work alongside each other when they are eventually deployed in the real world. This Networks head into uncharted territory means industry-wide technical standards are essential. Speakers largely agreed that the industry should set common standards by itself to avoid the imposition of restrictive rules and regulations by government. "Actually, we can avoid much of that as an industry just by listening to our customers and users and talking to each other," said Daniel Westerman, head of network management at National Grid Electricity Transmission. "An industry that talks to itself properly and really makes sure it understands one another's needs can make it a whole lot simpler". However, there was less agreement about how quickly the process should move forward. Westerman said it is too early to begin setting standards, because to do so now would "stifle innovation and limit our ability to change". Colin Taylor, director of engineering services at SP Energy Networks, thought otherwise: "I do fundamentally believe that there are a number of technologies, in Delegates at the Future Networks Conference heard that standardisation, innovation and vulnerable customers are just three of the challenges networks face in the future. Future Net works CoNFereNCe sChNeider aNd Capula