The Situation

I have been fortunate enough to work in the customer connections department at both a Distribution Network Operator but also within Electricity Transmission. There is one word that sums up these departments within both organisations: Busy. This is really exciting because the types of projects that everyone is working so hard to get connected to the electricity network are typically green technologies such as solar and battery storage. These technologies are a crucial part of delivering the UK Government’s target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.  

The Challenge

In fact, the Government’s target is to fully decarbonise the UK power system by 2035. In order to do this, green energy companies have significantly ramped up their applications for connections to the distribution and transmission networks across the country which has put somewhat of a strain on these departments. It is not an easy job to determine how best to connect individual projects to the networks, particularly with such a high volume of customers applying at the same time. These are often at the same nodes on the network creating a near constant increase in scope on substations right up to the point where there is simply no more land available to extend a substation for future customers. 

In addition to the space challenges, there will also be new technology to integrate into the system. For example, SF6 free switchgear and substation automation and remote monitoring systems will offer significant advantages over recent technologies and allow carbon emissions through day to day operations to be reduced drastically. 

The Focus 

Following the COP27 event in Egypt, I expect to see even more focus on how our global electricity networks are going to achieve the decarbonisation of their power sources but also how the networks will be expected to provide decarbonisation for other areas of life including heating and transport. How this will all be done in a timely and cost effective manner, might be a topic for another day but let us hope that the conversation starts sooner rather than later.

About Us…

At Monui, we have over 36 years of combined experience working on innovative substation extension and new overhead line and cable circuit installations and as a result could be in a great position to help your project find the right solution to connect to the network at the right time and at the right price. If you are a network owner, we can help your teams to rationalise complex customer connection portfolios into a clear, coherent plan to achieve your net zero goals.

Adam