As a newbie working in the world of energy, I have had a steep learning curve working at pGrid getting to grips with the industry terminology and what’s involved when we say – getting to Net Zero by 2050.
pGrid recently attended the online Smart Local Energy Systems: Unlocking Net Zero as part of Net Zero Week 17-23 July 2021 and UKRI’s Prospering from the Energy Revolution (PFER) challenge. It was a really useful event for us and there were some great sessions which made me appreciate the complexity of the issues involved and how little I think that the British public are aware of what needs to happen or even the choices that can be made?
Integrating energy use, generation and storage locally could save costs, cut emissions, and bring communities greener, cheaper energy. There are some great projects being developed in Orkney, Oxford, Rugeley etc but how much do the general public hear about these? And how will they fit into the national scenario? And what if you want to do something yourself?
Everyone needs to benefit from Net Zero and they need to have a good experience but where do you start? Deciding to take individual action is great but what if you can’t afford to make personal changes in your energy choices or simply don’t understand what is best to do? I came away from the event feeling that some of the experts are working in a silo and that public engagement is vital in order to take decisive action. The government needs to be bold and clear in its policy going forward.
By creating pGrid, if we can help people whether they be in the industry or in general, to understand the complexities of the UK’s grid so that they can realise the different choices that lie ahead, then I hope we will be helping in a small way in their journey to Net Zero.