Whilst travelling home after having a very enjoyable evening at the IET President's address and dinner I began to consider the the change that is coming within the energy sector as we generate and consume power.  The Power and Electricity Sector is facing a paradigm shift in its mode of operation and revenue generation models.   The costing and billing within the sector is based upon two sub components, namely generation and distribution.  As the drivers of sustainability, the decline of fossil fuel based generation, the increased use of renewables, the continuing evolution of the SMART Grid, and the impending exponential expansion in electric cars and continued demand for electricifation of the railways, continue we will see transformational change within the organisation and structure of both dimensions within the sector.


Now please forgive me for allowing my imagination to endulge in some blue sky thinking.  We are facing a severe housing crisis in our country and the Governement (and indeed the opposition) are awaking to this fact.  I would suggest that there is however no effective smart control on our increasing population through intelligent imigration controls which align to our aging population and our own increasing  population due to our natural birthrate.  These figures should also directly correlate to the defined need to increase our housing stock but alas successive Governments have sadly failed to address this. So lets assume that the powers that be wake up to this fact and actually have an aligned strategy that is the result of joined up thinking....we then have a building initiative which may aim to deliver a 300,000 homes per year (personal subjective estimate).


I mention joined up thinking.  As we build such numbers of homes thought should be given to power generation.  Perhaps all new homes should be mandated and given the ability to generate (AND STORE) their own electricity through the use of renewables (Solar/Wind).  Effectively a system of mini power generation plants would emerge which would be connected by a network of distributed nodes controlled by the network.  Homes would then consume their own power and sell surplus from their storage as required.  They could also pull power from the network at times of need.  Here we have the rise of peer to peer generation and distribution through the national network.  The cost savings to the household should be significant whilst the impact upon sustainability and green initiatives would be very favourable.  Such a network would also facilitate greater use of electric cars as charging ports would be more accessible.  


The national grid would still control all switching and distribution but the cost model would change from favouring generation to that of distribution.  Also if every household was a 'powerstation' it would result in far greater energy security for the nation when faced with cyber, terrorist, or military attack.


Interesting thoughts.........


So the challenges are:


How to define an aligned strategy that links infrastructure (Power, Grid)  to product use (Cars, Rail etc)?

What are the Cost Models?

What are the Project Implications?


The challenge is huge.....it is coming.....silos are not an option