With the drive to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions, increasingly generators are connecting directly to the distribution network and customers are becoming more diverse, with some of them generating their own electricity and others using technology such as heat pumps and electric vehicles that places new demands on the distribution network.

The Customer Led Network Revolution is the UKs largest smart grid project and at the forefront of the move to a low carbon economy.  Over a three-year period, Northern Powergrid and its partners will be trialling smart grid solutions on the distribution network within the electricity grid as well as creating smart enabled homes to give customers more flexibility over the way they use and generate electricity. The results will help the industry make sure the electricity networks can handle the mass introduction of solar PV panels, electric cars and other low-carbon technologies.

One year in from its outset, key engineers responsible for the success of the project will present progress to date in addressing the challenges associated with widespread integration of distributed generation and the move towards a dynamic electricity distribution network.