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Flexible grid

To meet its climate change targets, electricty standards will support the UK to develop near-zero carbon electricity supplies. A smart, flexible electricity grid could help the UK cut carbon more cheaply and our flexible grid standards support businesses to achieve this initiative.

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Flexible and low carbon: Standards for the future energy grid
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Flexible and low carbon: Standards for the future energy grid

There are many reasons countries around the world have pledged to switch to low-carbon energy. Several factors, chief among them climate change, have prompted countries around the world to pledge to switch to low-carbon energy. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), at least USD 95 trillion of energy investments are planned worldwide before 2050. Why switch to a low-carbon grid? The four key driving forces behind the shift to low-carbon energy generation are: The increasing scarcity and cost of natural resources The window of opportunity to tackle climate change is closing The world’s population is getting wealthier and more urban, and demand for products and energy-intensive lifestyles is only set to rise Industry 4.0 is revolutionizing entire sectors as we move into the post-digital era As a result, we’ve witnessed a new generation of businesses coming to the fore that aim to profit from what’s being dubbed an ‘energy revolution’. Their shared trait? Flexibility. Low-carbon businesses are not defined by whether they are private or publicly owned, their business models are flexible so they can pivot to meet evolving customer needs. Competition amongst these businesses is set to result in cheaper, more efficient energy that’s driven by sustainable profitability, all while creating increased value for consumers. The role of international standardization There are multiple ways in which standards can support governments and businesses to embrace a fully flexible grid. Firstly, standardization aids in spreading best practices. It ensures that all the different stakeholders working on a certain product (such as wind turbines, for example) are connected, and, most importantly, tied into the wider network of international standards. If UK businesses want to export their products, standards must be considered from an early stage to ensure they are viable for the global market. Secondly, standards such as BS EN ISO 44001 Collaborative business relationship management system, are an important consideration for interoperability. As flexible, agile, energy businesses establish themselves, it’s vital they can operate with each other. Therefore, if a consumer decides to switch providers, or wants to change their energy system, standards can make this process much easier. That’s why coordination between different factions is of vital importance. For example, BSI is collaborating with The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) on The Energy Smart Appliances (ESA) program. The aim is to draft a set of standards that will facilitate the uptake of safe, secure, and interoperable of ESAs. Two Publicly Available Specifications have already been created and are available to download for free: PAS 1878 details the requirements and criteria necessary to make an energy-smart appliance compatible with DSR activities PAS 1879 sets out a common definition of demand-side response (DSR) services for actors operating within the consumer energy supply chain, and recommendations to support the operation of energy-smart appliances To read more about Energy Smart Appliances, click here. Barriers to achieving a fully flexible grid Sometimes, rapid innovation is a victim of its own success. John suggested taking a cautious but positive approach toward standardization – one that facilitates, rather than blocks. Furthermore, flexible grid construction relies heavily on the level of electricity demand, which in turn relies on the uptake of electric vehicles, energy efficiency measures, and heating. Another factor is digital transformation and Industry 4.0. It looks likely that artificial intelligence (AI) systems will run the energy networks of the future. If this is the case, it’s essential that all smart systems remain secure against cyber threats. Standards, such as BS EN ISO/IEC 27001 Information security management system, can help energy organizations keep their information assets secure from cyberattacks. Businesses also need to hire employees with the necessary skillsets to manage complex data and communication technologies, making the transition from core engineering to data engineering software skills. Is your organization ready for the energy revolution? The energy industry is entering an exciting, challenging period of development. Demand for flexible and sustainable sources is now at its peak, and all national plans should be designed to align with the global energy agenda. It’s no longer a question of if the UK will fully embrace the low-carbon economy. Rather, how efficiently we can manage the transition. Standards are set to play an important role in this vitally important change of direction. Prepare your energy organization for the demands of tomorrow by adding these standards to your collection today. Discover BSI Knowledge Want to access and manage the standards you need to support your development of the future energy grid - all in one place? With a BSI Knowledge subscription, you will have the flexibility and visibility to manage the essential standards you need to work confidently and optimize the energy supply chain. Build your own custom collection of standards, or opt for access to a pre-built module and keep up-to-date with any relevant changes to your standards strategy. Request to learn more.Read more
Meeting net zero targets with help from hydrogen
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Meeting net zero targets with help from hydrogen

The UK is amongst the top 10 countries globally investing in hydrogen technologies to meet its ambitious 2050 net zero commitments. A new standardization document, PAS 4444, supports  the transition from Natural Gas to hydrogen in industrial and commercial applications, giving guidance to appliance developers and manufacturers, many of whom are developing hydrogen-ready boilers.  It’s likely we’ll be hearing a lot more about hydrogen as a fuel for the future, so what do you need to know? What are the goals? Under the Paris Agreement of 2015, 193 countries plus the EU committed to act to reduce global warming. More than 70 countries have now pledged to get to net-zero emissions, including the US, EU, China and the UK. Each of these countries has chosen different approaches to reach its targets, investing in areas such as nuclear, hydroelectric, wind and solar power. In the UK, 36.3% of energy was  generated from renewable sources  in Q3 2022.  To fuel a speedier transition to net zero as 2050 approaches, the UK is further diversifying its low emissions energy portfolio, including investment into off-shore wind farms and tidal power. Hydrogen is a key plank of the UK’s Net Zero Strategy. The UK’s Hydrogen Strategy of August 2021 laid out a vision for a world-leading hydrogen economy, unlocking £4 billion investment by 2030 to ensure the UK maximized its hydrogen potential. The Strategy  set a production target of 5GW by 2030; this has already been doubled to 10GW. Hydrogen’s advantages Currently, around 30% of the UK’s emissions are from natural gas (methane) used to heat houses. Hydrogen’s big advantage is that it produces no carbon dioxide during combustion, only emitting water.  Whilst being the most abundant element in our universe, hydrogen doesn’t exist in a pure form on Earth, so has to be produced  – a cost that makes hydrogen relatively expensive for the time being. The process to produce hydrogen is called electrolysis and involves passing an electric current through water (H2O) to split the oxygen from the hydrogen (h2). If the electricity is generated using renewable energy from wind, solar or tidal sources, the resulting “green” hydrogen is entirely emissions free. Other forms of hydrogen, such as ‘pink’ or ‘blue’ hydrogen follow the same process which is powered from other energy sources, such as nuclear power. Hydrogen is also readily found in natural gas. But this extraction process generates CO2 as a by-product, meaning that carbon capture technology is needed  to complement the process to remain emissions-free. Countries pioneering hydrogen projects Significant hydrogen generation projects are already underway across the globe. Germany has introduced the world’s first hydrogen powered trains. China has over 250 hydrogen refuelling stations for around 6,000 fuel-cell vehicles. Norway is investigating its vast potential for extracting green hydrogen from hydropower. The Japanese automotive sector is leading the way on hydrogen cars. The UK story In the UK, many projects for the production, storage and supply of hydrogen have launched recently or are in development. Many concern transport: work is underway on the first hydrogen powered seagoing ferries to connect the Orkney Isles to mainland Scotland, while zero-emissions, hydrogen-fuelled double-decker buses are operating on the roads of London. Others are exploring the possibility of hydrogen for residential and commercial heating and cooking. Under the Hy4Heat Research and Innovation Programme, set up by the UK Government in 2017,  manufacturers successfully developed functioning hydrogen appliance prototypes. Performance testing demonstrated that hydrogen usage can be made as safe as natural gas for users In a pioneering trial of hydrogen in a modern gas network, Keele University successfully introduced 20% hydrogen to its natural gas supply on its Stoke-on-Trent campus. If a 20% blend of hydrogen to natural gas could be rolled out across the UK, it would reduce CO2 emissions by six million tonnes – equivalent to taking 2.5 million cars off the road. To support this promising evidence that hydrogen could become a low-carbon solution, BSI have released PAS 4444:2020 Hydrogen fired gas appliances – Guide. Guidance for gas appliances PAS 4444:2020 defines the requirements and components for metering, providing the critical guidance need to develop and build hydrogen-fired gas appliances that are either purpose-built to use hydrogen or are designed to be converted to use hydrogen. PAS 4444:2020 covers the functional specification of the appliance, including specific advice on demonstrating safety. PAS 4444:2020 also includes worst-case condition guidance  to stress the appliance beyond its normal service load to ensure it is safe for normal service use. The PAS could form the basis of wide-scale hydrogen fuel appliance standardization in the UK and beyond. Its use will help to progress the exploration of hydrogen’s role as a major contributor to curbing climate change. Discover BSI Knowledge Over 100,000 internationally recognized standards are available for simple and flexible access with a BSI Knowledge subscription. Our tailored subscription service allows you to build your own custom collection of standards or opt for access to one of our pre-built modules, keeping you up-to-date with any changes. With support from a dedicated BSI account manager, our subscription service helps you achieve a more coherent and effective approach to best practice.  Request to learn more.
Why energy storage standards are key to net zero
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Why energy storage standards are key to net zero

Energy storage is transforming the global electric grid and is an increasingly important element of the world’s transition to sustainable energy. However, its full potential is yet to be exploited. Globally, the market for energy storage is at the very start of its development. The UK is at the forefront of pioneering energy storage but even in the UK, compared to overall demand generation, storage capacity is almost insignificant. There are two energy storage projects which are widely reported on; in the UK there is the Smarter Network Storage (SNS) project in Leighton Buzzard and in South Australia, there is Tesla’s lithium-ion battery facility. Though they both mark a positive step in this emerging industry, they are still in their infancy. While positive steps have been taken to encourage energy storage adoption through regulatory policy and market incentives, barriers remain. How important is energy storage to achieve net zero? Energy storage is critical to achieving net zero. Meeting net zero targets will depend on the growth of renewable energy sources such as wind and tidal power and the take-up of electric vehicles and heat pumps. Because the energy generated by renewable sources varies, there is an increasing need for robust energy storage technologies – for both electricity and heat – which can keep energy systems stable and supply reliability. Developing technologies that allow energy to be stored over hours, days and months are essential. As a result, net zero won’t be achieved without energy storage. This is especially true during the transition to net zero, where different sources of energy generation will be required. However, there are two main barriers currently preventing the full potential of energy storage to be reached: lack of investment and regulation. For energy storage, and ultimately net zero to be achieved, the below must be gaps must be bridged: Re-examine regulatory and market structures to better support and incentivize deployment. Invest in digital capabilities to optimize storage. Integrate storage into a broader system framework to accelerate the path to net zero. To learn more about energy storage and achieving net zero, discover our Energy Talks Webinar Series. What role will standards play in supporting the emerging storage market? Standards are set to play a very important role in the energy storage market. There are safety risks in energy storage, as there are with any industrial process, but they can be mitigated and controlled through clear, commonly understood standards and procedures. Standards are also critical in getting investors on board. If organizations want to see a major infrastructure investment fund put money into this sector, it’s essential that they can be confident that the system is going to be safe, it’s going to be durable, and has got quality certification. A simple, unified standard across energy storage will provide that reassurance. The ESL/120 committees has been working towards identifying and developing areas of standardization for energy storage. According to Scott McGregor, Chair of the Committee, standardization is ‘a slow journey…but it’s critically important…There is good support from the UK Government and from other stakeholders who want this to succeed’. Key net zero standards for your organization Despite the energy storage market still being in its infancy, there are several key standards businesses can still adopt, to aid them in the transition to net zero. Used by large and small organizations across the world to manage and reduce energy use and costs, BS EN ISO 50001 is an excellent framework to help implement an energy management system (EnMS). While PAS 2060 can help you cut through the cynicism and doubt and maintain trust in your efforts to manage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Plus, PAS 2060 applies to organizations of all types. This means you can achieve carbon neutrality across all areas, including buildings, transport, manufacturing, product lines, and events. Also important is BS EN ISO 14001. This standard helps businesses of all sizes across all sectors make their day-to-day operations more sustainable. Sustainability can ultimately save money, improve brand reputation, engage employees and build resilience against uncertainty as well as the ability to rapidly adapt to change. To kickstart your organization’s journey to net zero, add these key standards to your collection today. Discover BSI Knowledge As the pressure builds for all industries to achieve net zero, knowing which standards can help you and how to share their guidance within your organization can seem like a huge challenge. With a BSI Knowledge subscription, you will have the flexibility and visibility to manage the essential standards you need in order to start your journey to net zero with confidence. Build your own custom collection of standards, or opt for access to one of our pre-built modules, such as GBM06 Environment, Wastes, and keep up-to-date with any relevant changes to your standards strategy. Request to learn more.

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