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New Energy World
New Energy World embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low carbon technologies.
Microgrid as a service
27/4/2022
6 min read
Let’s get radical about decarbonising domestic heating – local microgrids could support energy communities and help deliver the electrification of new homes in Europe, writes Jeremy Harrison.*
National climate targets will require major transformations across all sectors of the energy system. At the same time, we need significant numbers of new homes to meet our housing needs.
The UK housing market is expected to grow to around 300,000 homes annually by 2030. To deliver this level of growth whilst simultaneously meeting our net zero targets, we will need to apply a wide range of technology and business model innovations.
Even for today’s homes with gas heating, building large numbers of affordable homes already represents a significant challenge. Capacity constraints on the electricity distribution network may cause delays and increase costs and investment risk for developers seeking to obtain connections to the grid. And, as we decarbonise heat and mobility through electrification, we impose additional burdens on both the distribution network and the overall energy system.