Smart Grids - the Wider Picture

A smart grid will be needed in the UK from around 2020 onwards in order to operate the electricity network in a low-carbon-energy world in a manner that is secure, cost-effective and able to respond to new demands. In this presentation, words are kept to a minimum in order to maximise the usefulness of the slide-show as a tool for reaching a common understanding of the challenges and goals ahead. John Scott introduces the slides and their implications in discussion with Jeff Douglas. The proposed levels of intermittent renewable generation and new higher-capacity nuclear generation will need to be balanced by developments in demand side participation and energy storage. A smart grid will enable engineers to integrate demand management and distributed generation sources, achieve more efficient utilisation of existing infrastructure and consequently operate this effectively in conjunction with new large scale generation, but what does this mean in practice? Engineers and policy makers planning for a smart grid can often be "divided by a common language". Even the words "smart" and "grid" can mean different things to different experts, depending on the discipline in which they were originally trained and have experience. The key is to view the entire system as offering a dynamic and flexible solution to addressing some of the most intractable contradictions that exist between the world of yesterday and the needs of tomorrow.