National Grid UK to develop digital twin for regional energy planning

National Grid Electricity Distribution’s project PRIDE (Planning Regional Infrastructure in a Digital Environment) is moving into its next stage, building a digital twin from energy data to assist with regional energy planning.

For this next phase, the project has been awarded £558,491 (approximately $685,905) from Ofgem’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF).

The project, announced earlier this year through the SIF, is taking its initial feasibility work to the next level, building the digital twin on Advanced Infrastructure’s existing Local Area Energy Planning (LAEP+) platform.

The project, which aims to bring together key stakeholders and relevant datasets on a single digital platform, will enable prioritisation and zoning to support coordinated planning between local authority and network operators.

Network data such as capacity will give local authorities greater insight when drawing up their Local Area Energy Plans and enable them to plan projects and investment in energy, transport, heating and housing.

In return, data is obtained from local authorities to help plan and deliver network development and reinforcement where it’s needed most.

Project partner Advanced Infrastructure, a company that develops and provides spatial analytics and digital twins for the energy transition, facilitated the prior feasibility study by exploring how digital tools such as a LAEP+ can help organisations develop their net zero plans.

The project, in partnership with West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Advanced Infrastructure, is funded by £499,874 (approximately $613,915) from Ofgem’s SIF, managed in partnership with Innovate UK, with the remainder coming from project partners.

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Ofgem project funding

Earlier in the year, the project was given the green light in the round two Discovery phase of SIF, which investigated the range of use cases and governance structures of a virtual Regional System Planner and the additional datasets and models required to answer these questions.

This second round of funding marks the project’s entry into round two of SIF Alpha, aimed at accelerating decarbonisation of major energy demands in the UK.

The Alpha phase will also integrate learning from National Grid’s Network Innovation Competition (NIC) and Network Innovation Allowance (NIA) funded projects EQUINOX, DEFENDER, VENICE and EPIC that provide relevant information on flexibility, energy efficiency impacts, vulnerable customers and future load profiles.

Governance structures developed by WMCA as part of its Deeper Devolution Deal from central Government and under PfER RESO will be applied and tested.

Said Jenny Woodruff, innovation manager at National Grid Electricity Distribution, in a release: “The PRIDE project aims to establish how digital tools can support collaboration between distribution network operators and local authorities to create a more coordinated and integrated process when planning and connecting decarbonised heat and transport solutions.

“By sharing data, we can work even more closely together to help deliver Local Area Energy Plans, reducing cost and timescales, and ensuring the electricity network is ready ahead of need to ensure a cleaner and fairer energy future for all.”

Christopher Jackson, CEO at Advanced Infrastructure, added: “The PRIDE project will provide a powerful opportunity to develop and embed best practice local and regional approaches towards decarbonising local areas through the use of digital twins and data-driven decision making.

“We are thrilled to be working alongside our project partners on the Alpha phase which aims to produce a whole systems digital planning tool and regional governance structure to support local authorities in producing more Local Area Energy Plans at a lower cost and serving energy network planning needs.”

The purpose of Ofgem’s Strategic Innovation Fund is to support network innovation that will contribute to achieving net zero rapidly and at lowest cost; deliver net benefits to network companies, energy users and consumers; and help the UK to become a ‘Silicon Valley’ of energy.

It aims to work with other public funders of innovation to ensure that activities appropriately funded by energy users and consumers are coordinated with activities funded by the UK Government.