UCL-Energy researchers win project with National Grid

UCL-Energy researchers Dr. Mark Barrett and Dr. Catalina Spataru have been successful in securing a new two phase project with National Grid for UCL.

The aim of the work is to help National Grid understand the implications of future changes such as the electrification of heat and more renewables for demand-supply management, and for wider policy.

The first phase will be to model the national electricity and gas system demands on a half hourly basis. This will involve collating non-domestic data and developing and applying previous modelling work with EleServe and DEAM models.

The second phase is to disaggregate the national system: down to 14 Distribution Network Operator regions or National Grid zones. This project will be done with the Energy Savings Trust who will led and manage the overall project, collate domestic data and implement the model in Mathematica. The project will run from February to October 2014.

As part of Dr. Catalina Spataru's module Smart Energy Systems, she took her students on a trip to National Grid Control Centre in Wokingham. They visited the control room, learnt on what happens on a typical shift in the control room, viewed the gallery and learnt from experts from National Grid on future challenges, processes and IT systems.

Image: Dr Spataru and students at the National Grid Control Centre