Driving the energy revolution

The world’s relationship with energy is transitioning as we attempt to mitigate the impact of climate change. In the energy systems of the future, residential, commercial, and industrial consumers will no longer be passive. They may own generation sources, such as solar panels; they may be able to offer a service, such as giving flexibility for when energy may be used; or they may make lifestyle choices which have an impact on their energy consumption. Because of this, the interface between the grid and these distributed end users will only grow in importance. This interface is called the grid edge. The grid edge encompasses a wide range of technologies and services, from electric vehicles to heat pumps, solar panels to home batteries, and smart meters to building controls. To maximise the impact of grid edge technology roll-out, knowledge of both the need for and readiness for grid edge technologies in a specific geography can be extremely valuable for companies and governments alike. This report presents a novel index to characterise the need and readiness for grid edge technologies of a region. To achieve this, factors which affect the need or readiness are included through an extensive range of indicators – 99 in total. Indicators for need are categorised based on those that contribute to current and to future need for system flexibility.