Power Systems Innovation is at the heart of the UK’s journey to Net Zero. As grid conditions become more complex and less predictable, innovative tools, technologies, and approaches are essential to ensure stability, resilience, and effective renewable integration. Read on to find out more.
What Does Innovation Mean in Power Systems Today?
The energy system is undergoing a profound transformation. As we work toward the UK’s target of Net Zero by 2050, electricity networks are being asked to carry more power, support more distributed generation, and operate under increasingly dynamic and unpredictable conditions. This is not simply a matter of scale. It requires a rethinking of how the system is planned, modelled, and operated. The traditional, centralised model of generation is being replaced by one that is decentralised, digital, and decarbonised.
At Blake Clough Consulting, we are helping to shape this future. Our team is actively involved in supporting developers, utilities, local councils, and local authorities as they navigate this transformation and plan for a more resilient and decarbonised energy system. From the automation of complex curtailment studies to the development of new analytical tools, we are using innovation to improve how power systems are understood and optimised. But more importantly, we are working to solve real, practical challenges that arise from an energy system in transition.
Why Innovation in Power Systems is Now Essential
Across the UK, power networks are under increasing pressure. Developers face growing uncertainty about whether their projects can connect without delay, whether they will be exposed to curtailment, and how future reinforcement plans will impact viability. Utilities are managing rising volumes of connection applications while also being tasked with maintaining system stability. These challenges are not abstract. They are daily realities for the people building, operating, and investing in clean energy.
Part of the challenge comes from the physical growth of the network. More cables are being installed, more substations are being built, and more distributed energy resources are coming online. The growth is necessary to accommodate increased demand and a rising share of renewables. At the same time, we are seeing the gradual retirement of synchronous generators that once provided system inertia, voltage support, and other essential stability services. In their place, we have technologies that are often cleaner and more flexible, but which also behave differently and require new methods of planning and operation.
This is a structural transformation, not a temporary adjustment. It affects every part of the power system, from high-voltage transmission corridors to local distribution networks. To respond effectively, we need better tools, faster processes, and a shift in how the industry approaches complexity. Innovation is not a luxury or a long-term aspiration. It is a necessity today.
The Challenges Utilities and Developers are Facing
The transition to a Net Zero energy system introduces a wide range of technical, operational, and regulatory challenges that affect both developers and utilities. One of the most pressing is the decline in system inertia, which is the grid’s natural ability to resist sudden changes in frequency. This decline is a direct consequence of retiring conventional synchronous generators and replacing them with inverter-based technologies like wind, solar, and battery storage. These newer technologies do not inherently contribute to system inertia, making frequency control more difficult and increasing the risk of system instability.
This is not a theoretical concern. It is already observable in real data. In 2015, minimum system inertia in Great Britain was estimated around 240–250 GVA·s. By 2024, this had declined to around 140 GVA·s, based on operational data published by NESO. If this trend continues unchecked, inertia could fall below 100 GVA·s by 2030, as illustrated in the plot below. This represents a dramatic reduction in the grid’s ability to absorb disturbances and raises serious operability concerns.
Addressing this challenge will require more than operational workarounds. It will require innovation across all levels of the power system. New stability services, such as those now procured by NESO, are one part of the solution. Grid-forming inverters and synchronous condensers are also being explored to help restore lost inertia. But none of these will scale without better control methods, new planning tools, and collaborative work across the industry.
A related concern is the decline in system strength, often measured through the short circuit ratio (SCR). As more inverter-based generation connects in areas with limited fault current contribution, the grid’s ability to maintain stable voltage during disturbances deteriorates. When SCR falls below critical levels, typically around 3.0, control interactions become unstable and connection applications become more difficult to approve. This is already happening in many regions with high renewable uptake. Without innovation in grid modelling, real-time stability analysis, and new control capabilities, these weak-grid conditions will become more widespread.
Other technical challenges are also intensifying. Dynamic line ratings offer a way to safely increase asset utilisation by using real-time weather and conductor data, but their adoption is slow due to system complexity and regulatory inertia. Inter-area oscillations are emerging in systems with high inverter penetration and low damping, requiring advanced monitoring and control methods. Cybersecurity risks are also increasing, as digitalisation accelerates and more critical operations are exposed to potential attack surfaces.
Curtailment continues to affect project economics. In 2023 and 2024, the UK experienced record levels of wind curtailment, driven by local grid congestion and a lack of operational flexibility. These events represent lost clean energy and undermine investor confidence. Addressing them will require faster reinforcement strategies, improved forecasting, and more intelligent local storage and control schemes. All of these solutions depend on innovation.
Underlying all of this is the need for regulatory and planning reform. Many of today’s grid connection processes were not designed for the current pace or scale of change. Developers struggle with shifting queue positions and unclear reinforcement timelines. Utilities must plan and operate in near real time, often with limited data and outdated tools. These problems are technical, operational, and institutional in nature, and innovation is needed on all fronts to overcome them.
What ties these challenges together is that they are deeply interconnected. Declining inertia, lower fault levels, and increased curtailment all stem from the same shift: the move to a distributed, low-carbon grid that behaves very differently from the one it is replacing. Addressing this shift requires more than patching legacy tools or scaling existing methods. It requires a fundamental rethinking of how the system is designed, modelled, and managed. That means putting innovation at the centre of the energy transition.
The Growing Role of AI in Power Systems Innovation
Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming a key enabler of innovation in energy networks. As the volume and complexity of data increase, AI provides powerful tools to automate insights, forecast conditions, and support more effective decision-making. It enables faster analysis of generation profiles, constraint risks, and network conditions, which in turn allows both developers and utilities to respond more proactively.
For developers, AI can be used to optimise site selection, evaluate connection routes, or understand curtailment risk across multiple scenarios with far greater speed and flexibility than traditional methods. For utilities, AI can support everything from the management of active network management zones to long-term reinforcement planning and real-time system optimisation. It can even be applied to the prediction of faults, identification of weak points in the grid, or the optimisation of demand response mechanisms.
At Blake Clough, we view AI not as a replacement for engineering expertise, but as a powerful extension of it. We are actively integrating machine learning into our internal toolsets to improve how we model, simulate, and interpret large-scale power system behaviour. As the industry matures, AI will play an increasingly central role in maintaining reliability, reducing costs, and enabling the energy transition at scale.
How Blake Clough Can Support This Transition
At Blake Clough Consulting, we are committed to helping clients adapt to a system that is no longer static or predictable. Our focus is on developing and applying the right tools to make faster, smarter, and more confident decisions. We understand the technical, commercial, and regulatory dimensions of energy system change and work closely with our clients to deliver analysis that supports action.
We also engage with strategic funding initiatives such as Ofgem’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), the Network Innovation Allowance (NIA), and UKRI programmes. In addition, we have worked with organisations like the Energy Systems Catapult, and our consultants bring experience from previous collaborations with the Carbon Trust. While these initiatives support vital research and development, the need for innovation now goes far beyond funded projects. The complexity of the modern grid demands that innovation becomes part of everyday work across all areas of planning, operation, and investment.
The path to Net Zero will not be delivered by conventional thinking. It will be shaped by those who are willing to explore new methods, embrace better tools, and take informed risks. At Blake Clough, we are proud to be part of that change and we are ready to help others lead it too.