Enabling the Local Electric Revolution

The journey to net zero is not a quick one, it is going to take a good number of years, significant investment, and incredible amounts of collaboration.

Every second we are making progress though. Close your eyes and count to ten …

In the 10 seconds that have just passed, net zero just got a little bit closer:

• 18 brand-new vehicles have rolled off the production line around the globe – 4 are fully electric and ready to be plugged in.
• 5 MW of renewable energy has been generated for use across the UK electricity system, powering homes and business. ?
• ￡2,441 has been invested by National Grid to build the net zero electricity systems of the future in the UK and USA.
• ￡375 has been invested in the our distribution region to enable local communities to connect to clean, fair and affordable energy.

While this is undeniably positive progress, particularly when extended across today or the whole of this week, we still have a way to go to achieve global net zero targets.

The scale of change when it comes to electricity demand is massive too. Our future scenarios to 2035 show that we can expect to see 23 times more EVs on our roads, 13 times the number of heat pumps in customers’ homes, 10 times more battery storage on our network and 4 times the amount of solar and onshore wind generation.

We’re increasingly in a sprint to Net Zero and we can’t afford to fall behind. For every day we don’t meet these demands, every day we fall behind the necessary pace of change, the next day becomes that little bit tougher and the Net Zero finish line that much further away.

Electricity is already essential to life; it powers our homes, our communities, and our businesses. When you look at Government decarbonisation targets, this link is only going to deepen and grow in the coming years.

By 2035, the majority of our gadgets, technology, appliances and vehicles that are essential to our daily lives will be humming with clean electricity.

Conventional gas boilers will be consigned to the past and replaced by electric heat pumps, infrared heating systems, and renewably created hydrogen solutions.

EVs will become the go to transport with chargers becoming standard items in our homes, on the streets, in car parks, and even inductive charging as we drive along local roads. Midlands holidaymakers, destined for Cornwall, will stop at the motorway services to recharge their own and their car’s batteries.

Of course, it’s not just ground transport. Planes out of Birmingham or East Midlands Airports will be powered by electricity or green hydrogen produced using renewable energy and ships sailing from Poole and Plymouth will be firing up industrial scale batteries to power them on their way. ???

Electricity will play other essential roles too. Over the last few years, we’ve witnessed first-hand the realities of what climate change could mean for the UK, with unpredictable weather and a higher risk of droughts. Desalination off the coast of Lincolnshire will help us to address this basic human need of access to water, requiring large amounts of clean energy each year.

The scale of change is massive and it means electricity no longer only flows one-way. Communities are increasingly generating local renewable electricity that needs to connect to the grid and the flexible management of tariffs and technologies mean our network is now a multi-directional, active network.

At National Grid, we’re pioneering many of the technologies and techniques needed to enable and prepare for the green transition. From developing the UK’s first flexibility market, to maximising network capacity by offering smart, flexible connections as standard, our systems are being transformed to meet the new demands of a more agile, low carbon energy system.

But we’re not resting on our laurels. To keep pace in the decarbonisation race, we’re going to have to continue to transform and evolve. Finding smarter more efficient ways of working while integrating and mainstreaming new innovations.

Our core function and task will remain the same: to deliver safe, secure and affordable electricity to our 8 million customers – but the way we deliver that mission is being transformed.

Climate change is not going to wait patiently for us to decide the best approach to decarbonise. We cannot afford to debate, dither, or delay our response. The race is on to deliver the low carbon future and reap the rewards.

Electrification is a proven technology and a credible route for delivering the UK’s decarbonisation and economic growth ambitions.

Every ten seconds, more consumers are voting with their feet – buying EVs, heat pumps and household generation. Businesses are gearing up with decarbonised vehicle fleets and new technologies. Communities are building new, low carbon futures.

The reality is that the electric revolution is already here, and networks have a key enabling role to play to supercharge that transition.

We are the enablers, but this future cannot be achieved by any one sector alone. Every one of us has a role to play and we must work together collaboratively to reach the finish line.?