Be Innovative

Embedding a culture of innovation

Improving our ‘innovation culture’ throughout the organisation

Board level commitment to embed innovation into our BAU culture

Use IDEO cultural survey to improve purpose, experimentation, collaboration, empowerment, looking out and refinement

Adopting National Grid Partners ‘centre of excellence’ which establishes a shared understanding of the value innovation can bring, ensures consistent execution, tracking & enhances collaboration

Rolling out proven T2 innovation

Creating new innovation projects which deliver benefits within the period and rolling out the benefits

Deliver technical innovation in OHLs, SGTs, Protection & Control, Cyber Security, Cables, Power Electronics & Network Management

Improving collaboration & attracting 3^rd parties

Being open and accessible, and attracting a wider set of external stakeholders and 3^rd parties, including SMEs and other industries

Hold annual conferences with other electricity networks to disseminate learning from innovation activities

Share specific learning through presentation at other network conferences and events

Create new data sets from our wider stakeholder set

Stakeholders will experience a consistent approach

Develop a portal for our innovation website where 3^rd parties can submit idea

Hold joint ‘whole system’ gas and electricity calls for proposals and run yearly challenges on NIA propositions

Monitoring progress and outcomes

Developing a joint monitoring framework across the industry for a common method of measuring  the progress and benefits of innovation activities

Work with other network companies and the ENA to deliver a joint monitoring framework, which is publicly available (see annex on Benefits Framework)

Being more transparent

Sharing our work, benefits and progress externally

Be consistent in our approach

Striking the balance between open source data and the security of our network

Investigate alternatives to SF₆ which can be retro-fitted, avoiding the need for more costly asset replacement

Identify methods for reducing or eliminating cement requirements

Implement solutions with novel materials with a lower carbon footprint and which also help with the reduction of visual and environmental impacts

Create enhanced methods of measuring SF₆ leakage

8

• Lower greenhouse gas emissions

• Lower costs associated with the management of SF₆

• Quicker availability of lower carbon products within the supply chain

• Delivers our commitment to the energy transition

We will collaborate with other network companies and expand the facility in the T2 period, allowing the facility to be truly whole system and not just for electricity

Include a facility to trial gas (hydrogen and liquefied natural gas) integration, electric transport technologies, and zero-carbon generation technologies

Open up the facility to SMEs

We will be transparent about the activities at Deeside, to allow all parties to share and collaborate regardless of fuel or network

30

• Faster implementation of newer low-carbon technologies

• Reduced costs through quicker and safer ‘off-line’ testing and commissioning

Lead the way to a low carbon future by implementing the government’s Clean Growth Strategy

Facilitate electricity network’s role in the transition to electric vehicles

Actively explore opportunities to support and work with other industries (transport, steel, cement) to identify and implement decarbonisation activities

Explore the appetite of other industries to move toward a hydrogen economy and the implications for transmission networks

Support industry in the development of technology and systems to help them participate in the future energy market

13

• Overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions across other industries supporting the UK to achieve its emission targets

• Greater flexibility in charging points for electric vehicles

• Greener options available for heating in the home, transport, products and services

Investigate tools and techniques to allow the digitisation of maintenance, monitoring, and testing of equipment with automated archiving and analysis of information

Research and investigate algorithms for the mixture of data with various levels of accuracies and time-frames

Investigate risk in real-time to maximise asset performance and value

Investigate the potential of artificial intelligence, robotics and research sensors

Explore how artificial intelligence can be applied to our asset, financial and other data sets

Share data across the whole energy system (heat, transport, energy)

22.5

• Reduced whole system costs through the ability to collaborate with a common data platform

• Reduced costs through improved real-time asset information allowing more informed risk based decisions

• Improved analytics and intelligence in business support systems will provide information to allow lower cost decisions

• Improved collaboration and sharing of data will create a more agile system, allowing cleaner technologies to access the system quicker

Produce offline tools to replicate our live network, allowing us to respond to customers more quickly

Create new assets and installation methods that can be quickly deployed and moved around the UK to support the fast connection of customers

7.1

• Lower costs through improved optimisation of network operations

• Quicker connection of renewable generation

• Improved customer experience

Collaborate with parties closer to consumers (suppliers, DNOs, supply chain)

Explore our role in this area with stakeholders (leadership or supporting)

Collaborate with SMEs to develop further understanding in this area of how we can support vulnerable consumers

2.2

• Ensuring vulnerable consumers are not ‘left behind’ in the transition to cleaner energy

• Focussing our strategy to deliver cheaper energy to vulnerable consumers

• Employment and education opportunities

Lead research into new safety technology for the whole energy industry

1.2

• Improved safety for the public and for our staff