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Open Networks

Britain’s energy landscape is changing, and new smart technologies are changing the way we interact with the energy system. Our Open Networks project is transforming the way our energy networks operate.

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Creating tomorrow’s networks:
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Open Networks:

New smart technologies are challenging the traditional way we generate, consume and manage electricity, and the energy networks are making sure that these changes benefit everyone.

 

We’re helping transition to a smart, flexible system that connects large-scale energy generation right down to the solar panels and electric vehicles installed in homes, businesses and communities right across the country. This is often referred to as the smart grid.

The Open Networks project has brought together the nine electricity grid operators in the UK and Ireland to work together to standardise customer experiences and align processes to make connecting to the networks as easy as possible and bring record amounts of renewable distributed energy resources, like wind and solar panels, to the local electricity grid.

We’re also working with the UK Government (through the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy), the energy regulator Ofgem, respected academics and industry trade associations.

We test key developments with an Advisory Group of experts, as well as seeking broader views through consultations, stakeholder forums, webinars and guest presentations.

The UK has a dynamic energy environment ranging from solar farms in sunny Cornwall to the offshore wind farms in Kent and the Moray Firth, and all the local generation projects in-between. As homes and businesses adopt these smarter technologies and connect them to the local distribution networks, how these resources are integrated and support the networks will define the future smart grid and ensure the overall grid is equipped to deliver the energy we rely on well into the future.

As demand patterns shift as a result of new technologies such as electric vehicles and heat pumps, and more local renewable power is connected, network operators will play a more active role in managing and operating their networks, allowing them to address periods of high and low demand and power outages more efficiently, including paying customers to help support the networks with their flexible solutions.

Areas of focus

The pace of change Open Networks is delivering is unprecedented in the industry, and to make sure the transformation of the networks becomes a reality, we have created six workstreams under Open Networks to progress the delivery of the smart grid.

Each year, the project produces a forward work plan and a Project Initiation Document to set out the priories and direction. The final document is informed through consultation with industry, giving everyone a chance to feed in on priorities and timescales for the project.

For 2021 the project’s workstreams are:

  • WS1A: Flexibility Services
  • WS1B: Whole Electricity System Planning and T/D Data Exchange
  • WS2: Customer Information Provision and Connections
  • WS3: DSO Transition
  • WS4: Whole Energy Systems
  • WS5: Communications and Stakeholder Engagement

Getting involved

We want to bring the project to the industry, making sure to get as much input as possible to build an all-inclusive energy system.

  • The Advisory Group

    To help guide the work of the Open Networks Project, we have created a representative Advisory Group containing more than 40 experts from across the energy industry. The Open Networks Project uses the Advisory Group to help in the development of products from an early stage, but also to report back the progress of the project to the wider industry.

    We have representation from most sectors of the industry on the Advisory Group and feedback can be provided through them. Any material for the Advisory Group meetings, such as agendas and slide decks, is published two weeks in advance of the meetings to give members the opportunity to share and bring views from their part of the industry.

    We've published a full list of members of the Advisory Group. If you would like to raise anything at one of our meetings or provide feedback on the agenda items we're discussing, do get in touch with your representative or email one of the Open Networks Project team.

  • Public consultations

    Each year we identify high priority items based on your feedback and consult the whole industry for views on these developments. This feedback is incredibly important and we seek and welcome responses from across the industry, in whatever format and level of detail.

    Our final 2021 Project Initiation Document (PID) and associated materialsare available via the Resource Library.

     

  • Public events

    We host a series of public events, webinars, panel events and roundtables throughout the year to complement our consultations or specific items of work, all of which help steer the development of Open Networks products and deliverables. These are listed on our Events page.

Project governance

The whole system challenges that we are looking to solve requires the right expertise. As the natural home for network collaboration, Open Networks draws on the expertise of each network company to lead this development work and has a significant number of representatives from each company developing and progressing all the necessary steps to build a grid that leaves nobody behind.

The project is overseen by the Steering Group, which informs and advises the Advisory Group, as well as drawing on expertise from our other committees. BEIS and Ofgem sit on the Steering Group.

Latest project documents and resources

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Open Networks:

Related content

Flexibility services are now being procured by all electricity networks in Great Britain on a business as usual basis.

See our flexibility timeline

Innovation projects are helping us understand how flexibility services can support the planning and operation of electricity networks.

Smarter Networks Portal

Our network companies are following a Distribution System Operation roadmap to realise a future smart grid for all of us.

DSO implementation plan
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Creating tomorrow’s networks:

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The voice of the networks

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