Smart technology could pave the way for tens of thousands of EV chargers to be easily installed across the UK. An innovation trial by network operator UK Power Networks has shown for the first time that more than 500 electric vehicles chargers could be connected around a single electricity substation, using new technology rather than building new cables and substations.

UK Power Networks has launched a new digital portal that is making it quicker and easier for installers to connect clean technologies to homes and businesses. Smart Connect will give many technology companies an instant decision on whether they can connect domestic electric vehicle charge points, heat pumps, battery storage or solar PV, to the local electricity network. It removes the need for multiple paper forms and streamlines the process.

A Sussex village could hold one of the keys to helping the UK reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Residents in Barcombe, East Sussex, are helping their local electricity network operator to create a model roadmap for ‘greener’ home heating that will in time show the way for other communities to follow suit.

We’re getting used to seeing them fly high in the sky, and now high-tech drones are also delving deep underground to help maintain power supplies.  UK Power Networks, which runs power supplies for 8.3 million homes and businesses across London the East and South East, has invested in cutting-edge ‘inspectors’ in collaboration with global energy and water knowledge enterprise Enzen.

A new tech trial is creating the UK’s automated home energy systems, proving people can save money, cut carbon emissions and use less energy at the same time.

Data specialists are being challenged to predict future electric vehicle uptake, in a new innovation competition by UK Power Networks. The distribution network operator’s ‘Charge Challenge’ calls for anyone, from any background, to use its open data combined with any other open source channels to predict when and where the next generation of electric vehicle charge points should be located.

Local authorities could save thousands of pounds on each electric vehicle charger they install for public use, after UK Power Networks launched free advice surgeries for the road to net zero.

An artificial intelligence system designed to predict the impact of a storm on the electricity network  in order to shorten storm power cuts is to be trialled across the East and South East starting this winter. UK Power Networks’ ‘Storm Resilience’ project will use a machine learning algorithm to help control room staff decide where to send engineers, so they are ready to respond as storms hit.

Seven towns across Kent and East Sussex have benefited so far from new smart traffic lights which reduce waiting times for drivers. The new system was successfully trialled by electricity firm UK Power Networks in Maidstone last summer and is now being used regularly across the South East.

Electricity engineers out on the road are doing their bit to help customers cope with social isolation, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 3,000 UK Power Networks’ employees who are key workers to keep the power flowing, now have a new app which helps them support customers feeling socially isolated.

The majority of motorists would be happy to use smart charging for their electric vehicle outside of peak times new research by UK Power Networks has found.

An innovative device which has freed up 95MW of additional network capacity, enough to power 45,000 homes, has been successfully proven in the UK. In just a year, UK Power Networks’ LoadShare trial has already saved customers eight million pounds, and enabled enough renewable power to run 45,000 homes to safely connect to a previously constrained point in the local electricity network.

A study to find out how to harness more of the renewable energy generated by solar cells on people’s homes has been honoured at the British Renewable Energy Association Awards.

UK Power Networks has revealed the next steps in its plans to transform its network into a smart, flexible grid. A new report: ‘What our stakeholders said’, summarises how the responses to the network’s 2017 Future Smart consultation, will inform its 2018/2019 Distribution System Operator (DSO) plans to support ‘a smart grid for all’ and deliver better outcomes for customers.

UK Power Networks is part of a consortium that has won £11m government funding for four electric vehicle demonstration projects as part of a series of Vehicle to Grid (V2G) innovation bids. Vehicle to Grid technology enables energy stored in an electric vehicle’s battery to be fed back into the electricity network at times of peak demand.

In order to help keep power supplies resilient, technology inspired by Google Street View is being used to undertake inspections of remote overhead power lines. Britain’s largest electricity distributor, UK Power Networks, is testing a 360° photographic approach to safety inspections in the South East and East of England, capturing panoramic views of power lines to analyse from a computer back at base.

Distribution network operator, UK Power Networks, has announced a trial that will save connections customers millions of pounds, and free up about 95MW of additional capacity for renewable energy to feed into local electricity networks. Load Share is an innovation project that is testing an alternative to costly and time-consuming reinforcement to help the network serve the continued expansion of low carbon energy in east Essex.

UK Power Networks is calling on energy resources to offer their services to support the distribution network during periods of high electricity demand. Until now, such contracts were used to support the national power system, and rarely on the local network.

One of the UK’s largest electricity distributors, UK Power Networks, has published a guide to help businesses electrify their commercial fleets. Launched at the LoCITY roadshow on 12th July, the guide gives fleet operators useful tips and information about the options available to connect to the electricity network. It also advises fleet operators to contact experts at UK Power Networks when they start their journey to invest in electric ve...

In order to enable more electricity generation across the South East of England, UK Power Networks and National Grid are launching an innovative new service. The region has one of the most dynamic electricity networks in Europe. Significant amounts of renewable energy generation, a nuclear power station and interconnecting cables to Europe make management of the electricity flows a complex challenge for the transmission and distribution...