HubNet: Research Leadership and Networking for Energy Networks

Achieving the decarbonisation of the economy while maintaining the security and reliability of the energy supply will require a profound transformation of the networks used to transport energy into and within the country. While the need is clear, the final shape of these networks is not and getting there will require a considerable amount of research. The creation of a hub will catalyse and focus the research on energy networks in the UK. In particular, this hub will provide research leadership in the field through the publication of in-depth position papers written by leaders in the field and the organisation of workshops and other mechanisms for the exchange of ideas between researchers and between researchers, industry and the public sector. It will also spur the development of innovative solutions by sponsoring speculative research in uncharted areas.The activities of the members of the hub will focus on five areas that have been identified as key to the development of future energy networks:- Design of smart grids, in particular the application of communication technologies to the operation of electricity networks and the harnessing of the demand-side for the control and optimisation of the power system.- Development of a mega-grid that would link the UK's energy network to renewable energy sources off shore, across Europe and beyond.- Research on how new materials (such as nano-composites, ceramic composites and graphene-based materials) can be used to design power equipments that are more efficient and more compact. - Development of new techniques to study the interaction between multiple energy vectors and optimally coordinate the planning and operation of energy networks under uncertainty.- Management of transition assets: while a significant amount of new network equipment will need to be installed in the coming decades, this new construction is dwarfed by the existing asset base. It is thus essential to study how the life of existing equipment can be extended under what is likely to be more extreme conditions. Investigators from Imperial College and the universities of Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester, Southampton and Strathclyde will form the core of this hub. However, other academics carrying out research in energy networks or related topics as well as industrial companies and public bodies will be encouraged to become associated members of HubNet and to contribute to its activities in setting a research agenda and seeking opportunities to collaborate in additional research and development activities.

HubNet will provide leadership to the energy networks research community through the delivery of position papers written by senior academics who are recognised leaders in this field. These papers will define important research questions and outline possible paths to solutions. HubNet will support the UK power sector in implementing a paradigm shift in network control, in developing interconnected undersea networks of unprecedented scale and complexity and in developing techniques to optimise significant network investment. Systems-level energy infrastructure optimisation together with the integration of communication and energy network infrastructures present critical challenges for the future of energy networks in the UK and beyond. These challenges could be turned into an important commercial opportunity for the UK to gain early experience and lead system integration of advanced future grid technologies (especially the intermittency integration aspects of smart grids), and contribute to creating a new international industry that provides skilled UK-based jobs. The development of North Sea grids is another commercial opportunity where the UK could lead. Europe is home to all the three companies able to supply subsea DC transmission systems. All have significant UK activities and one has its research, development and manufacturing in the UK. Existing links formed by members of the HubNet team will enable technology transfer for this very valuable domestic and export market. There is a wider and additional benefit to UK in installing more wind generation capacity than required domestically and exporting the resulting energy through continental-scale interconnection. HubNet will open new areas of research through two cohorts of ambitious doctoral projects. The first cohort will focus on highly speculative ideas that will bring more creative thinking into the field. The second cohort will be reserved for inter-disciplinary projects that will address knowledge gaps identified by the community and its partners. HubNet will facilitate knowledge exchanges between researchers working directly on energy networks and between those researchers and others working on technologies, concepts and techniques that could be applied to energy networks. Hubnet will also provide mechanisms for interactions between academic researchers and partners from various industrial sectors: energy network, electrical equipment manufacturers, telecommunications equipment manufacturers, system integrators and others. Finally, the research and networking activities of HubNet will attract a larger number of talented young researchers to the area at a time where there is a great and acknowledged need for such people.