What we said we’d do
Our outputs for this priority will benefit current and future consumers through lower costs, continued reliability of the network and quicker progress to a clean energy system. In our T2 Business Plan we committed to:
- creating a more innovative, creative and performance-based culture across our organisation
- exploring how digitisation, artificial intelligence and data sharing could reduce our asset management costs
- delivering a programme of innovation focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, such as finding and using alternatives to high carbon materials on the network and opening up the Deeside innovation testing facility to all organisations
- improving how we work with stakeholders on innovation, being more accessible, easier to work with and creating a joint innovation monitoring framework with all energy network companies.
The whole electricity system is becoming more integrated and other sectors are becoming ever more dependent on energy (e.g. transport and heat) as they drive towards net zero emissions.
This stakeholder priority is about being innovative for our customers, stakeholders and ultimately the end consumer. Our Innovation Strategy has been developed with our stakeholders.
The engagement we had as we were building our RIIO-T2 business plan with our stakeholders gave us really clear feedback on what was important. This is the basis of our business plan for 2021 – 2026 and continues informing us as to how we work as an organisation. It was clear that our stakeholders fundamentally want a reliable and resilient network that can support the changing energy system, while keeping bills low and having transparency in explaining our performance.
What we’ve done and what we’re going to do
Innovation is essential to keep pace with emerging technologies and the rapid scale-up of infrastructure. It also supports national priorities like energy security, cost of living, economic growth, industrial renewal, and job creation.
Our refreshed Innovation Strategy shares information about our four focus areas:
- Build the Future Network by maximising the current capacity of our infrastructure, delivering significant new infrastructure, reducing supply chain constraints and enhancing the intelligence of our network infrastructure
- Accelerate customer connections by finding new ways of connecting customers, maintaining system operability and facilitating system access as we move towards decarbonisation
- Enhance sustainability by eliminating emissions across our operational and construction activities
- Improve resilience by maintaining the reliability of our asset base and improving our resilience against a changing external landscape.
Our innovation work is increasingly being adopted into business as usual throughout NGET. As our innovation portfolio matures and projects reach completion, we are introducing new ways of working and advanced technologies that offer a range of benefits, including enhanced safety, risk reduction, increased capacity from the network, and lower emissions.
It is essential that our innovation, aimed at supporting the transition to net zero, delivers tangible benefits for consumers, customers, and our industry. We are placing greater emphasis on the rollout, implementation, and performance tracking of our innovations once they become part of our everyday operations. We are excited to share some of the innovations that have been successfully rolled out and the benefits they have delivered.
Our innovation in numbers
Read more about the work we do in Innovation at National Grid in our latest annual innovation report