National Grid has been awarded £1.7 million in funding from Ofgem‘s Strategic Innovation Fund to support the development of four projects aimed at advancing the UK’s shift towards a net zero energy system.
This funding supports projects led by National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) and National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET), each focusing on different areas of innovation.
NGED has been awarded £920,000 to progress two initiatives aimed at supporting the decarbonisation of rural communities and the construction industry.
The “Rural Energy and Community Heat” (REACH) project aims to address challenges in delivering sufficient electrical capacity for low carbon technologies in remote areas, such as providing energy for electric heating and vehicles.
Meanwhile, the “Road to Power” project focuses on developing solutions to support the transition of construction equipment to electric power, helping reduce emissions from the industry.
In addition, NGET has received £870,000 to explore the feasibility of two projects.
One aims to investigate the potential of offshore energy islands, which could serve as hubs for renewable energy generation, such as wind power, and connect it to the UK grid.
The other project examines superconducting technology, which could enable more efficient electricity transmission over long distances, reducing losses and enhancing the stability of the energy system.