SP Energy Networks (SPEN) has been awarded £10 million to create what the company claims is a first of its kind AI-led digital twin of its electricity network.
The distribution network operator’s (DNO) ENSIGN (Energy System Digital Twin) project will be the first to be funded by the Engineering, Physics and Sciences Research Council’s Prosperity Partnership Fund, by UK Research and Innovation.
ENSIGN will model and test digital solutions, helping to identify how best to optimise capacity and incorporate green energy technologies onto the grid as the UK moves closer to net zero. It is being developed in collaboration with Strathclyde, Glasgow, Heriot Watt and St Andrews universities.
A SPEN spokesperson explained: “The ground-breaking digital project is based on finding the best options for managing increased electricity demand on an energy network platform – hosted by the University of Strathclyde – from the decarbonisation of heating and industry as well as hydrogen use, which will be modelled by the other partner universities.
“This will allow SP Energy Networks to identify best practice and solutions that can be deployed in real-life to deliver an optimised, reliable, resilient, and cost-effective energy network of the future.”
The company added that the project is due to last for five years and will create 20 new academic research jobs. Once complete, ENSIGN’s findings are expected to be rolled out to other UK DNOs and further afield.
Scott Mathieson, network planning and regulation director at SP Energy Networks, said: “This new digital twin will allow us to simulate innovations and understand the potential benefits of new services in a whole new light, giving us meaningful insights that will directly impact what we do in the real world.
“To do that, we’re partnering with some of the world’s most renowned universities and bringing together the best minds and machinery to create something truly unique, which is really exciting.
“The insights from this project will help shape the future of the energy system in the UK and offer the potential to transform the energy grids of countries around the world. Having the support of the Prosperity Partnership enables us to drive this industry-leading project to create a cleaner, greener and better future, quicker, for everyone.”