National Grid joins global initiative to advance clean energy innovation

UK utility National Grid has joined forces with the Mission Innovation 2.0, a new initiative established by 24 countries and the European Commission to enhance innovation within the clean energy sector.

Mission Innovation 24 was first announced at COP21 in November 2015, to bring together governments, as well as energy and technology companies to research and develop new ideas to reduce the carbon intensity of the power sector and make electricity widely affordable.

National Grid has joined the initiative as it unveils the Green Powered Future Mission aimed at ensuring increased integration of distributed renewables with main grids to ensure cost-efficient, secure, and resilient power grids by 2030.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth (UK), says: “The UK is proud to be at the forefront of international innovation efforts to develop greener and smarter grids. We believe that data and digitalisation are crucial enablers for the integration of variable renewables and we are committed to collaborate with countries and businesses to bring forward smart, cost-effective solutions to achieve our net-zero goals.”   

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Craig Dyke, head of international decarbonisation at National Grid, says: “We are living in a transformation era that is going to see how we power our lives completely evolve over the next 30 years. With our net zero goals, we have to be innovative and find solutions in order to create a zero-carbon power system. This commitment is driving everything we do. In a year when we have COP26, the focus is even more so on the engineering, the innovation and the smart ideas that can shape the future of energy.”

National Grid has already made commitments to reach net-zero by pledging to various initiatives and setting corporate targets including in its Responsible Business Charter. The company plans to:

•    Achieve net-zero by 2050 by reducing Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% by 2030, 90% by 2040 and to become net-zero by 2050 from a 1990 baseline,

•    Reduce Scope 3 GHG emissions for electricity and gas by 20% by 2030 from a 2016 baseline, and

•    Reduce SF6 emissions by 50% by 2030, from a 2019 baseline.

Anna Carolina Tortora, head of innovation at National Grid ESO, will participate at the Innovating to Net Zero Summit on 2 June 2021, to launch the Green Powered Future initiative and discuss how innovation in data and digitalisation is key to addressing challenges to reduce carbon emissions.