UtilityWeek: Majority of UK’s energy networks are ‘under-utilised’

Utility Week covered one of the most significant challenges facing utilities in the UK and Ireland today: enhancing grid capacity to meet rising energy demand. While some new infrastructure is needed to achieve this, the cost and time required to deliver it remain a major obstacle.

At Neara, we set out to uncover whether more capacity could be leveraged within the existing grid. Using physics-enabled digital modelling, we ran an in-depth line rating analysis of energy networks across the UK and Ireland. Our findings? On average, 74% of the UK and Ireland’s distribution networks are underutilised at their current maximum operating temperature (MOT), meaning the vast majority of power lines could safely carry more electricity than they currently do.

Our Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Taco Engelaar, comments:

“One of the greatest challenges facing utilities when it comes to boosting capacity has always been a lack of data. Without having granular, span-by-span insights into the nature of their networks, decision-makers are forced to implement arbitrary restrictions which prevent the grid from operating at its full potential and leave huge sections of our infrastructure cautiously underused.”

Read the full article here.