UK pioneers data transmission through national electricity grid

The United Kingdom has become the first nation to have transmitted data across a national electricity grid, which is a big step in virtual power stations technology.

Virtual power technology would enable smarter management of electricity use and lower electricity bills for consumers.

Thanks to this new technology –created using telecoms technology developed by Reactive Technologies (RT) - peaks in energy use could be avoided, and optimum intermittent renewable energy use permitted.

The new system is anonymous, and no data collected on household energy usage, to take privacy concerns into consideration.

Data is sent through smart plugs connected to main appliances in order to adjust energy use.

For example, the temperature of a freezer could be increased by 0.5 degrees C to reduce demand.

The system will first be tested in the commercial sector, with water pumps used at special times or adjusted office air-conditioning systems.

Cordi O’Hara, representative of the National Grid, said: “We are keen to support innovative products like this one that can bring a real benefit for customers. It represents another step forward in the development of the smart grid technologies that are going to play an increasingly important role in the energy systems of the future.”

Smart power technology could save UK consumers £8 billion per year by 2030 and help the country achieve its climate targets, according to the government’s National Infrastructure Commission.

Jens Madrian, at RT and former CFO at “big six” utility RWE npower said: “The old mindset would be, we need to build more power stations... We disagree with that. There are other ways of managing electricity, one of which is carrying knowledge from the telecommunications and software engineering side into the energy sector.”