News & Events

YORKSHIRE VILLAGE AT THE HEART OF SMART METER TRIAL THAT COULD CUT UP TO £500M ANNUALLY...
26 Nov 2021
Northern Powergrid is to put Boston Spa and Wetherby centre stage in a bid to reduce carbon emissions as part of a bold trial that will see real-time data-led technology being used to lower energy bills and reduce the carbon emissions.
ENERGY STORAGE, RENEWABLE GENERATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY FUEL A SMART-GRID...
03 Nov 2021
Northern Powergrid is to pilot a pioneering technology innovation that will maintain power supplies to critical infrastructure and isolated communities.
NORTHERN POWERGRID TRIALS INNOVATIVE SECURITY SYSTEM TO PROTECT POWER NETWORK
11 Oct 2021
The new innovative technology is critical to ensuring that the right people have the proper access at the correct time; while ensuring those who shouldn’t have access are kept out. It can potentially deliver a completely new range of valuable...
TRIAL SHOWS BATTERIES COULD ENABLE AT LEAST 25% MORE RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR USE DURING PEAK...
04 Mar 2020
We launched the findings from our ground breaking two-year Distributed Storage and Solar Study.
SILENT POWER TRIAL COULD REVOLUTIONISE TEMPORARY POWER RESTORATION IN THE UK
11 Oct 2019
We've partnered with British energy storage SMEs Hyperdrive Innovation and Offgrid Energy to run a trial which could revolutionise temporary power restoration in the UK.
NORTHERN POWERGRID INVESTIGATES TRANSFORMER HEAT RECOVERY VIABILITY
22 Mar 2019
Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for keeping the lights on for 3.9 million homes and businesses across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, has teamed up with engineering and design consultancy Arup,  to help manage losses...
NORTHERN POWERGRID JOINS FORCES WITH NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY TO IMPROVE POWER NETWORK LOSSES
14 Mar 2019
We've joined forces with Newcastle University to enhance its understanding of electrical losses from the region's power network.
NORTHERN POWERGRID ENCOURAGES OTHER NETWORK OPERATORS TO BENEFIT AND EMPOWER CUSTOMERS...
08 Feb 2019
We're offering gas and electricity network operators across the UK, and beyond, the opportunity to learn from our game-changing ACE project with the public release of our final report and findings.
PAINTING A BETTER ENVIRONMENTAL FUTURE: NORTHERN POWERGRID IN UK FIRST TRIAL OF RAPID DRY...
24 Oct 2018
We're the UK’s first distribution network operator (DNO) to trial an innovative new eco-paint.
GROUND-BREAKING MOBILE APP SEES THOUSANDS OF DOMESTIC ENERGY CUSTOMERS ACTIVELY...
11 Jul 2018
We've released details of our unique ACE project which has found that mobile games could become an important tool for energy companies as they seek to manage power demand and keep costs down for customers.
INNOVATIVE WOODEN MATERIAL TO ‘CHANGE THE FACE OF CONSTRUCTION’ AND SAVE 90,000+ TREES A...
04 Jul 2018
We're championing a new sustainable ultra-strong wood pole manufacturing technique that reduces material use by up to 85%.
SELF-HEALING CABLES TO DRIVE £20M NETWORK SAVINGS
30 May 2018
Innovative self-healing fluid-filled power cables that can minimise environmental impact and increase efficiencies could save our network up to £20m over the next five years.

Areas of strategic interest

Five areas of strategic interest guide our modernisation investment for the long-term. They are:

How we fund innovation

We are involved in innovation in various ways: either by leading projects, or by partnering on projects. Projects are funded through different sources. We have access to the Network Innovation Allowance (NIA) through the regulator Ofgem, which is worth up to £29m over eight years, and we can also benefit from specialist funding sources (e.g. Innovate UK) through  partnering with universities or other industrial partners.

Get in Touch



Ian Miller Head of Innovation

We do not see innovation as limited to a department or as a sideline of our business at Northern Powergrid. It is a capability, a culture. The team I lead, creates a common vision across the business of the future network and the services it will provide, sets the yearly priorities and helps develop innovation projects to something usable we can deploy.

"If you’d like to share an idea that aligns with these priorities or a question to ask, get in touch via yourpowergrid@northernpowergrid.com .

"If you are new to energy networks innovation and want more information, this industry guide may help.” 

Documents & Resources

Download documents
Innovation Strategy
Our Innovation Strategy offers an overview of the challenges that we face as an energy network, and how we plan to address them through innovation.
Digitalisation Strategy
Our Digitalisation Roadmap forms part of our approach to meeting the challenge of the new zero carbon landscape.
Distribution Flexibility Services Procurement Statement 2022/23
A guide to our approach to procuring flexibility services in 2022/23
Engaging Community in Network Innovation
A guide for communities and local energy stakeholders who are interested in electricity network innovation.
Environment and Innovation Report 2020-21
Our Environment and Innovation report provide an account of what we are doing to address environmental matters including our role in the transition to a low carbon future.
Network Innovation Allowance Annual Summary 2017-18
Network Innovation Allowance Annual Summary 2017-18
Network Innovation Allowance Annual Summary 2016-17
Network Innovation Allowance Annual Summary 2016-17
Data Dissemination Policy
Our Data Dissemination Policy describes our approach to make available raw trial data generated by innovation projects that have been funded by the NIA, NIC or other regulatory innovation stimulus funding.
Report on the Impact of Voltage and the Harmonic Variations on domestic losses
Optimal energy efficiency is a fundamental feature of any power system, as it has a direct effect on other major parameters such as cost and environmental impact.
Resources
Energy Innovation Centre
The Energy Innovation Centre is our standard route for interaction with innovative SMEs is through the Energy Innovation Centre (EIC), a brokerage system entirely led by industry
Energy Network Association’s smarter networks portal
The Energy Network Association’s smarter networks portal is a library of information for all innovation projects run by energy networks and funded by the regulated allowances.
Ofgem
Our regulator offers its own information on network innovation, as well as a ‘one stop shop’ for businesses looking to introduce innovative propositions to the energy sector (‘The Innovation Link’).
Innovation plans of other electricity network operators
The innovation plans of other electricity network operators are also available publically. Together with ours, they form a pool of knowledge that benefit the UK customer.
Customer-Led Network Revolution (CLNR)
As one of the most significant smart grid projects ever undertaken in the UK, CLNR generated important new learning on technology deployment and customers’ energy practices. Read more about the project, which Northern Powergrid led.
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