spectrum management, radio and telecommunications services
JRC Annual Conference Thursday 15th October
Building on previous JRC Policy Seminars at Churchill War Rooms, London Transport Museum & Imperial War Museum, JRC hosted this year’s Annual Operational Telecommunications Strategy Seminar as a Web Conference via Microsoft Teams in light of Covid-19 restrictions. The event brought together Policy makers, Regulators and senior operational telecommunications managers from the electricity and gas sectors together to discuss industry / market developments intended to address Government’s ambitious targets to deliver a net zero carbon economy.
Session 1
Speaker 1: Dinker Bhardwaj - BEIS (Energy Security, Networks and Markets)
An update on Government developments specific to Energy Market Data and the role of digitalisation in facilitating market developments.
Summary
To ensure stable and efficient future energy supplies there is a significant focus on the digitalisation of energy networks to address the increasingly dynamic nature of system operation and energy flows. In light of this there is an expectation that the exchange of operational data across the energy networks and between networks assets will need to be enhanced to facilitate / support the net zero carbon ambitions of Government.
Speaker 2: Alex Walmsley - Ofgem
A perspective on how Ofgem is seeking to enable investment in digitalisation to facilitate the net zero future.
Summary
Recognising the transition from large scale energy generation to distributed renewables, how is targeted investment enabling the net zero agenda whilst ensuring that customer expectations of a reliable and resilient service are delivered in the context of GD2 / ED2.
Speaker 3: Patrick Bolton Project Manager / Samuel Ritchie - Radio Spectrum advisor ComReg
Establishing a pathway to facilitate smart grid developments and the net zero agenda in Ireland.
Summary
Why ComReg has enabled spectrum access to support nationwide smart grid capability deployment in Ireland.
Session 2
Speaker 1: Roger Hey - DSO Systems and Projects Manager Western Power Distribution
Developments to address increasingly complex supply and demand across an electricity network and deliver the net zero agenda.
Summary
The expansion of operational telecommunications system capability resulting from increases in embedded distributed energy resources, bi-directional power flows and demand from Electric Vehicles in distribution networks.
Speaker 2: Adrian Riches, Business Implementation Manager IT (Gas Control) SGN
The challenges of maintaining operational integrity of the gas supply system in the context of market changes
Summary
The developing situation with the deployment of small scale embedded generation independent of monitoring and control capability is creating new challenges in terms of balancing gas supply, whilst the WLR (PSTN switch off) programme is displacing the existing resilient communications network where there is no credible alternative.
Speaker 3: Chris Salter, NGESO Distributed ReStart Project
Latest output from the project – introduction to the ‘Central Model’ approach to Black Start via Distributed Energy Resources.
Summary
As we operate in an increasingly decentralised electricity system, National Grid ESO continue to look for solutions to remove barriers to entry across essential services and enable carbon free system operation by 2025. Distributed ReStart is developing a first in world bottom up restoration process to complement existing Black Start provision using DERs. This presentation will explore the control solutions proposed to enable the service and key project findings to date.
Sponsors Contribution
Speaker 4: Nigel Nawacki, Nokia
Market Developments supporting the Digitisation of Energy Networks and delivering the ‘Net Zero Agenda
Summary
An organic telecoms strategy is insufficient to address the market forces pushing grid connectivity operations towards the edge , compounding the ability to connect low carbon services. Examples of Renewables in DER, Electric Vehicles and also Government directives shift the telecom landscape for utility telecoms immensely. The presentation attempts to highlight how operational telecoms need to be a strategic part of the new low carbon landscape.
