Tag: Electricity

Sustainability-in-Tech : Solar Sets New UK Record

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Britain generated more electricity from solar power than ever before in July, underlining how rapidly renewable energy is becoming a mainstream part of the UK’s electricity system while strengthening energy security and helping reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

A Record Month For Solar

Solar energy supplied a record 14.4 per cent of Great Britain’s electricity during July, comfortably surpassing the previous monthly record of 12.4 per cent, which had been set only two months earlier.

According to data from the National Energy System Operator (NESO), solar generation was also 50 per cent higher than in July last year, producing a total of 3.2 terawatt-hours of electricity during the month. The increase reflected a combination of unusually sunny weather and the continued rapid expansion of solar installations across the country.

Chris Hewett, Chief Executive of Solar Energy UK, said: “Fifteen years ago, solar energy was a footnote in the electricity mix. Now it is a major player, delivering home-grown, cheap, clean and reliable energy. It’s a success story that the whole nation should be proud of.”

More Panels, More Sun, And More Power

Whilst July was clearly extremely sunny and warm this year, Solar Energy UK is keen to highlight that the new record has not been driven by the favourable weather alone.

For example, official figures show that 142,536 new solar installations were completed during the first half of 2026, making it the busiest six-month period for new installations since the end of the Feed-in Tariff subsidy era. Most of these were domestic rooftop systems, reflecting growing consumer interest in generating electricity at home as energy prices remain a significant concern.

Commercial rooftop installations on warehouses, factories and supermarkets have also continued to expand, although many are not fully reflected in official installation statistics because they often fall outside the planning system. Together with larger solar farms, they have substantially increased Britain’s overall generating capacity.

The figures also seem to illustrate how the economics of solar have changed. For example, falling equipment costs, improved panel efficiency and stronger financial returns mean that many installations are now commercially attractive without relying on government subsidies.

Building A More Resilient Energy System

The record also highlights an important sustainability benefit beyond simply generating clean electricity.

Unlike fossil-fuel power stations, solar panels produce electricity without releasing carbon dioxide during operation while reducing the amount of imported gas needed to meet daytime electricity demand. Every additional unit of renewable electricity therefore helps improve both energy security and carbon reduction.

Julian Leslie, Strategic Energy Planning Director and Chief Engineer at the National Energy System Operator (NESO), which operates Great Britain’s electricity system, said: “These new records show the increasing power of solar. It’s hard to believe how far Britain has come over the past quarter of a century, with renewables now producing around 60% of our electricity – up from just 3% in the year 2000.”

He added: “Enabling low-carbon technologies like solar to play their part in our energy future is critical to helping us on our journey towards building a cleaner energy future.”

Growing investment in battery energy storage is also making solar more valuable by allowing excess electricity generated during sunny periods to be stored and used later, helping smooth fluctuations in renewable generation while reducing pressure on the electricity grid.

A New Chapter For Rooftop Solar

It’s worth noting here also that the growth of household solar looks set to receive another boost later this month.

From 27 August, new legislation will allow plug-in solar kits to be sold legally in the UK for the first time. Unlike conventional rooftop systems, these compact panels can simply be plugged into a standard household socket, allowing people living in rented accommodation or properties without suitable roofs to generate some of their own electricity without major installation work. The systems are expected to cost around £400 and could save households between £70 and £110 per year.

Although these systems did not contribute to July’s record, they represent another example of how solar generation is becoming accessible to a much wider range of households.

At the same time, larger utility-scale projects continue to expand. Britain’s largest operational solar farm, Cleve Hill in Kent, is already generating electricity, while even larger developments remain under construction, illustrating that growth is occurring across every scale of deployment.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

For businesses, July’s record demonstrates that renewable electricity is becoming an increasingly important part of the UK’s energy infrastructure rather than an occasional supplement to conventional power generation. As solar capacity continues to expand, organisations are likely to benefit from greater energy security, lower long-term exposure to fossil-fuel price volatility and continued progress towards national carbon reduction targets.

The figures also reinforce the growing commercial case for on-site renewable generation. Falling installation costs, improving battery storage and rising electricity prices continue to strengthen the financial case for businesses to invest in rooftop solar, particularly for organisations with large warehouses, offices or manufacturing facilities that consume significant daytime electricity.

Britain’s latest solar milestone also illustrates how sustainability and economic resilience are becoming increasingly closely linked. Greater use of home-grown renewable energy not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions but also helps create a more diverse and resilient electricity system that is less exposed to global fuel markets, providing long-term environmental and economic benefits for businesses and consumers alike.

Sustainability-in-Tech : Fusion Breakthrough Turns Plasma Energy Into Electricity

Posted on by Paul Stradling

A US fusion company has demonstrated a new way of converting energy from a fusion plasma directly into electricity, while separate work on advanced electrical conductors could dramatically reduce the amount of power lost as heat, highlighting how the clean energy challenge is increasingly about efficiency as well as generation.

A Fusion First

Realta Fusion, a Wisconsin-based company developing compact fusion energy systems, says it has become the first private fusion company to demonstrate direct energy conversion from a fusion plasma.

The experiment took place on 19 June using the Wisconsin HTS Axisymmetric Mirror (WHAM), an experimental fusion device operated in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Researchers attached a prototype direct energy converter to one end of the device, where it captured energy from charged particles leaving the plasma and converted some of their movement directly into an electrical current.

According to Realta Fusion, the system produced multiple amps at around 100 volts, providing enough electricity to illuminate several light bulbs.

The amount of power produced was small, but the importance of the experiment lies in how the electricity was generated. Realta describes the process as “converting the energy of a fusion plasma manifesting in the form of moving charged particles directly into electricity – real amps of electric current flowing in circuits employed to do useful work.”

Why Direct Conversion Matters

Most power stations generate electricity indirectly. Whether the original energy comes from coal, gas, nuclear fission or some future fusion reactors, heat is generally used to produce steam, which then drives a turbine connected to a generator.

Every stage introduces energy losses, which means a substantial proportion of the original energy never reaches the electricity grid.

However, direct energy conversion offers a different possibility. Instead of turning all the energy from a fusion reaction into heat before producing electricity, some of the energy carried by charged particles can potentially be captured directly.

Realta believes this could be particularly useful in its magnetic mirror fusion reactors, where powerful magnets confine extremely hot plasma between two high-field superconducting magnets. Some charged particles naturally escape through the ends of the system, creating an opportunity to recover their energy.

The company explains that “by directly converting fusion plasma power into electricity, we can push less of the energy through a thermal cycle that has inherent efficiency limits due to the laws of thermodynamics.”

Recycling Energy Inside The Reactor

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the technology is that Realta doesn’t simply want to send the recovered electricity to the grid.

Fusion reactors themselves require substantial amounts of power to heat and sustain their plasma. Realta’s longer-term aim is to recover enough electricity through direct energy conversion to help meet those internal requirements, effectively recycling some of the energy within the power plant.

The company compares the idea with a hybrid vehicle, where a conventional powertrain and electrical system work together to improve overall efficiency.

Realta says: “We believe we can generate enough electricity using DEC in our design points to completely cover the input power requirement of the system for continuous operation, leaving the heat component for either direct use or the generation of electricity for customers.”

If that can be achieved at commercial scale, direct energy conversion could improve the economics of fusion by reducing the amount of electricity a reactor must consume simply to keep operating.

An Important Reality Check

Despite the significance of the experiment, it is important to be clear about what Realta has and has not demonstrated. WHAM is currently just a prototype-scale device using deuterium fuel rather than the deuterium-tritium mixture planned for Realta’s first commercial fusion reactors. As a result, most of the energy recovered in this experiment came from energy originally supplied to heat and sustain the plasma rather than energy newly produced by fusion reactions.

Realta itself is careful to make this distinction, stating that “this is neither a demonstration of net-electricity production nor large-scale conversion of fusion-born power directly into electricity.”

The challenge now is essentially how to scale things up. The prototype has demonstrated the principle, but Realta must develop the technology from its current output to kilowatts and eventually megawatts if it is to become part of a commercial power plant.

The company summarises its approach as “first make it work, then make it good”, acknowledging that a considerable engineering challenge remains between powering a few light bulbs and contributing meaningfully to the operation of a fusion power station.

Wasting Less Electricity On The Grid

While Realta is trying to improve how future clean energy is generated and reused, California start-up Arcturus is tackling another part of the electricity problem by trying to reduce the amount of energy lost during transmission.

Electrical conductors naturally resist the flow of current and produce heat. These losses become particularly important as electricity demand increases and power grids are required to carry greater loads.

Arcturus is developing copper and aluminium conductors infused with carbon nanomaterials using lasers. The aim is to create metals that conduct electricity more efficiently, particularly at higher temperatures, without requiring the equipment around them to be completely redesigned.

The company believes that replacing conventional conductors with its materials could potentially halve electrical grid losses, which could make significantly more electricity available without building additional generation capacity.

However, the technology remains at a much earlier stage than widespread grid deployment. Arcturus has so far produced relatively short lengths of its material and plans to scale production for testing in applications such as electric motors and power distribution equipment.

Efficiency Is Becoming As Important As Generation

These two developments are very different, but they highlight the same fundamental challenge. The transition to cleaner energy is not simply about generating more electricity. Electrification, AI data centres, electric vehicles and industrial decarbonisation are increasing demand at the same time as many electricity grids are already struggling with capacity constraints.

That makes every avoidable energy loss increasingly important. A fusion plant that can recycle more of its own energy could deliver electricity more efficiently, while better conductors could allow more of that electricity to reach the businesses and homes that need it.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

Neither fusion direct energy conversion nor nano-infused power cables will transform business energy costs in the immediate future, as both technologies still face significant engineering and commercial challenges.

However, they demonstrate how innovation across the entire energy system could help address rising electricity demand. The future energy transition will depend not only on renewable generation and new technologies such as fusion, but also on reducing losses within power stations, data centres, industrial equipment and electricity networks.

For businesses, particularly those operating energy-intensive facilities, this means energy efficiency is likely to become an increasingly important area of technological innovation and investment. Improvements that once appeared relatively small can become economically significant when applied across factories, data centres and national electricity networks.

The wider message here is that solving the clean energy challenge will require many more improvements at every stage, from the way power is generated to the materials carrying it across the grid. Realta Fusion and Arcturus may be examples of organisations working at very different points in that chain, but both are really pursuing the same valuable goal of getting more useful electricity from the energy and infrastructure already available.

Sustainability-in-Tech : Can Light Make AI More Sustainable?

Posted on by Paul Stradling

A UK startup claims it can reduce the power consumed by AI data centre networks by 81 per cent by replacing conventional electronic switching equipment with technology that routes data using light.

Why AI’s Energy Problem Is Growing

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence is creating a major sustainability challenge. As AI models become larger and more widely used, the data centres that power them are consuming increasing amounts of electricity. Industry forecasts suggest global data centre energy demand could rise significantly over the coming decade, driven largely by AI training and inference workloads.

Much of the attention has focused on the energy consumed by powerful processors such as GPUs. However, another important source of energy consumption sits in the networks that connect those processors together.

Modern AI systems rely on thousands of chips constantly exchanging data. Every time information moves through conventional networking equipment, energy is consumed and heat is generated. As AI clusters grow larger, those networking systems are becoming increasingly expensive to power and cool.

That has prompted researchers and technology companies to look for ways of making AI infrastructure more efficient.

What Oriole Networks Has Developed

London-based startup Oriole Networks believes it has found one possible solution.

The company has developed a networking platform called PRISM that replaces traditional electronic switches in data centre networks with optical circuits that route information as photons rather than electrical signals.

For decades, data centre networks have depended on electrical switching technology. While highly effective, these systems consume significant amounts of energy and generate large quantities of heat.

Oriole argues that by allowing data to travel directly as light, much of that inefficiency can be removed.

According to the company, PRISM “removes the need for electronic switches entirely” within the network core and replaces them with “nanosecond-switched optical circuits”.

The company claims this can reduce core network power consumption by 81 per cent. It also says GPU idle time can fall from around 60 per cent to less than 1 per cent because processors spend less time waiting for information to move through the network.

Why Energy Savings Matter

The sustainability implications extend beyond electricity consumption alone. For example, networking equipment generates heat, and removing that heat requires cooling systems. Cooling can account for a substantial proportion of overall data centre energy consumption and often involves significant water usage as well.

Reducing the amount of heat produced inside a facility can therefore create multiple environmental benefits simultaneously.

Oriole argues that its technology could help reduce cooling requirements while making better use of existing AI hardware. Rather than building more data centres or adding more processors to achieve higher performance, operators may be able to extract more useful work from the infrastructure they already have.

The company also believes its approach could reduce dependence on some of the complex supply chains associated with today’s networking equipment.

Moving Into Real-World Testing

The technology is now moving beyond the laboratory. Oriole has announced that its system will be deployed as part of the UK’s £50 million ARIA Scaling Inference Lab, a government-backed initiative designed to address performance and efficiency bottlenecks in large-scale AI infrastructure.

The deployment combines Oriole’s networking technology with AMD Instinct GPUs and AMD EPYC processors.

Madhu Rangarajan, corporate vice president of Compute and Enterprise AI at AMD, described the technology as “a fundamentally different way to connect accelerators at scale” and said the collaboration is helping validate how photonic networking can provide the connectivity needed for AI inference workloads.

For Oriole, the deployment represents a significant milestone. Chief executive James Regan said: “A year ago, we were proving the physics; today, we’re proving the business.” He added that the project demonstrates how “photonic networking stops being a research curiosity and starts being the foundation of how serious AI infrastructure gets built.”

The Important Caveat

The headline figures remain company claims rather than independently verified industry benchmarks.

The ARIA deployment will provide the first large-scale commercial test of whether the technology can deliver the same benefits under real-world conditions that it has demonstrated during development.

That distinction matters because many promising hardware technologies perform well in controlled environments but struggle when deployed at the enormous scale used by major cloud and AI providers.

The wider rollout planned for 2027 will provide a clearer indication of whether photonic networking can become a practical alternative to conventional data centre infrastructure.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation?

For organisations concerned about the environmental impact of AI, the story highlights the increasingly important reality that making AI more sustainable is not simply about building better processors.

Attention is increasingly turning towards the wider infrastructure that supports AI, including networking, cooling, power delivery, and resource utilisation.

If technologies such as Oriole’s can genuinely reduce network power consumption while improving hardware efficiency, they could help address some of the environmental pressures associated with AI’s rapid growth. Lower electricity demand, reduced cooling requirements, and better utilisation of existing hardware would all contribute towards more sustainable AI infrastructure.

Whether Oriole’s specific approach succeeds remains to be seen. However, the broader message is clear. As AI energy consumption continues to grow, innovations that reduce waste inside data centres may become just as important as advances in the AI models themselves.

Sustainability-in-Tech : Electricity Generated From Earth’s Rotation

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Researchers have demonstrated a controversial new method for generating tiny amounts of electricity from Earth’s rotation through its own magnetic field, opening debate about whether the planet itself could one day become a source of continuous renewable energy.

How The Experiment Worked

A team of researchers from Princeton University, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Spectral Sensor Solutions has published experimental results suggesting that electrical power can be generated from Earth’s rotation through its own magnetic field. The work, published in the journal Physical Review Research, revisits a scientific question that dates back to Michael Faraday’s experiments in the 1830s.

The researchers built a cylindrical shell made from manganese-zinc ferrite, a soft magnetic material that behaves as a weak electrical conductor. The cylinder was positioned very carefully so that it sat perpendicular to both Earth’s rotation and the planet’s magnetic field. As Earth rotated, the device moved through that field and generated a measurable direct current voltage.

However, the voltage produced was extremely small, around 17 to 18 microvolts, which is far below anything that could power homes, factories, or electrical infrastructure today. Even so, the researchers believe the result matters because conventional electromagnetic theory had long suggested that such a system should not work at all.

The paper states: “We show that this small demonstration system generates a continuous DC voltage and current of the (low) predicted magnitude.”

Why Scientists Previously Thought This Was Impossible

For decades, physicists believed that any voltage generated by Earth’s rotation through its own magnetic field would immediately cancel itself out. They believed that electrons inside a conductor would simply rearrange themselves fast enough to neutralise the effect.

The Princeton-led team has argued that particular material properties and geometries could prevent that cancellation from fully occurring. Their specially designed cylindrical shell was intended to create exactly those conditions.

The researchers explained: “The intention of these experiments was to test the existence of the predicted effect, and the results and multiple controls we report here appear to demonstrate its reality.”

To reduce the possibility of false readings, the experiments were conducted in a dark underground laboratory to eliminate photoelectric effects. The team also tested solid control cylinders, rotated the apparatus into different orientations, and repeated parts of the experiment at a second location.

When the device was rotated into orientations where the effect should theoretically disappear, the voltage also disappeared, matching the team’s predictions.

A Sustainability Idea With Potentially Huge Long-Term Implications

The sustainability implications are attracting attention because the energy source itself would effectively be constant. For example, unlike solar panels, the Earth does not stop rotating overnight, and unlike wind turbines, there are no weather-related calm periods.

This means that, if the effect could ever be scaled significantly, it could represent an entirely new category of renewable power generation that operates continuously without combustion, emissions, or moving mechanical parts exposed to weather.

The researchers note that the electricity ultimately comes from Earth’s rotational kinetic energy, mediated through the magnetic field. They also argue that even very large-scale use would have almost no measurable impact on the planet’s rotation.

According to the paper: “Even in an extreme scenario where our civilisation somehow would obtain all its electrical energy from the effect described here, Earth’s rotation would slow by milliseconds per decade.”

That comparison is important because Earth’s rotation already naturally fluctuates by several milliseconds due to geological and lunar influences.

Why Many Scientists Remain Cautious

Despite the excitement surrounding the concept, many physicists remain sceptical because the voltages involved are incredibly small, and tiny measurement errors can sometimes produce misleading experimental results.

Nature and other scientific publications have also pointed out that the measured voltage is smaller than the electrical activity generated by a single neuron firing in the human body.

Even the researchers themselves acknowledge that practical power generation remains speculative and have stressed repeatedly that independent verification must come first.

As the research paper states: “The next step would be for an independent group to reproduce (or contradict) our results under experimental conditions closely similar to those used here.”

Scaling the technology also presents some major engineering challenges. The current setup produces only nanoamps of current and microvolts of potential difference. Reaching commercially useful energy levels would require dramatic improvements in efficiency, materials science, and system design.

Still, the researchers believe the effect could potentially be amplified by miniaturising devices, connecting many units together, or using materials with different electromagnetic properties.

The Bigger Sustainability Context

Even if this research never becomes a viable energy platform, it highlights how the pressure to decarbonise energy systems is driving scientists to revisit ideas that were previously dismissed.

Much of the world’s current renewable infrastructure still faces intermittency problems. Solar output changes with daylight and weather. Wind generation fluctuates. Grid-scale storage remains expensive and environmentally demanding in its own right.

That has pushed researchers to investigate increasingly unconventional forms of low-carbon generation, including ocean thermal systems, advanced geothermal technologies, space-based solar power, and now potentially Earth-rotation energy harvesting.

The significance of this research may therefore lie less in the current device itself and more in the fact that it challenges assumptions about what forms of renewable energy might ultimately prove possible.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

For now, this remains an early-stage scientific experiment rather than a commercial energy breakthrough. Businesses should not expect Earth-rotation generators to appear in the energy market any time soon.

Even so, the research reflects a wider sustainability trend that matters commercially. As pressure grows to decarbonise economies while maintaining reliable electricity supplies for AI infrastructure, manufacturing, transport, and digital services, interest in unconventional clean energy technologies is increasing rapidly.

The experiment also demonstrates how advances in materials science and electromagnetism could open entirely new approaches to power generation over the coming decades. Whether this specific concept succeeds or not, the search for stable, always-on renewable energy is becoming one of the defining scientific and commercial priorities of the net zero transition.

Tech News : Spain & Portugal Blackout : UK Next?

Posted on by Paul Stradling

The recent mass blackout in Spain and Portugal has raised concerns over whether something similar could hit the UK, and what the fallout would be for British businesses.

Spain And Portugal Plunge Into Darkness

On 28 April, large parts of Spain and Portugal lost power in a sudden, widespread outage. Train lines stopped mid-journey, airports froze, and internet and mobile networks failed. Even hospitals had to fall back on emergency generators as grid operators raced to identify the cause.

While investigations continue, Portuguese energy officials have pointed to a “rare atmospheric phenomenon” that disrupted interconnectors and triggered a chain reaction across the Iberian grid. Some experts suspect a link to geomagnetic disturbances caused by heightened solar activity, a known but unpredictable risk to high-voltage systems.

By nightfall, much of the region remained in darkness. For two countries that pride themselves on modern infrastructure, the blackout was a reminder that even advanced grids have vulnerabilities.

Could It Happen In The UK?

One comforting fact is that the UK (to date) has never experienced a total grid failure. This is because our energy infrastructure is among the most advanced in Europe, with built-in protections and a growing focus on resilience. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that a full national blackout (however unlikely) isn’t possible.

According to government risk assessments quoted in The Blackout Report, by Chris Owens, marketing manager at Riello UPS (a company specialising in standby power systems), there’s roughly a 1-in-200 chance (0.5 per cent) that the UK could suffer a grid shutdown within a five-year period. That’s statistically more likely than being struck by lightning. For another perspective, for anyone who buys a lottery ticket each week, that degree of chance means you are over 225,000 times more likely to experience a national UK blackout than to win the lottery jackpot.

As Chris Owens says in his (2019) report: “Britain’s grid is strong, but not invulnerable,” and that, “The reality is, as we integrate more renewable sources and become more interconnected, we also increase the number of possible failure points.”

But What About 1974?

Many may still remember the rolling power cuts of the early 1970s, particularly during the 1974 miners’ strike and the infamous Three-Day Week. At that time, power outages were largely the result of industrial action, energy supply restrictions, and political decisions rather than failures in the grid itself.

Today’s electricity system is vastly different, far more technologically advanced, diversified, and automated. Today’s challenges are less about fuel rationing and more about cyber resilience, system complexity and environmental extremes. In short, the causes behind 1970s-style blackouts are not the same as today’s threats.

What Could Take The Lights Out?

When considering how things could go horribly wrong today as regards the grid, there’s no single culprit. The risks are most likely to come from a range of natural and man-made factors, often acting in combination. These could, for example, include:

– Extreme weather. From gales to floods, storms can down power lines, damage substations and leave thousands cut off, as seen during the 1987 Great Storm.

– Solar flares. High-energy eruptions from the sun can trigger geomagnetic storms that interfere with transmission systems, potentially taking out transformers and affecting grid stability.

– Cyber attacks. As digital control systems become standard, so too does the risk of targeted cyber operations. Ukraine’s 2015 blackout, caused by malware disabling multiple substations, remains a sobering precedent.

– Technical failures. Grid infrastructure is tightly coupled. A problem at one site, e.g. the lightning strike near London in 2019, can cascade if backup systems fail to respond in time.

– Fuel supply shocks. A disruption to imported gas or outages at generation sites can create sudden imbalances, especially during cold weather when demand spikes.

As Dr Iain Staffell, senior lecturer in sustainable energy at Imperial College London highlights: “Today’s grid is a delicate balancing act,” and that “You have to match supply and demand in real-time, across thousands of miles. When something unexpected happens, the knock-on effects can be rapid and wide-reaching.”

Restoring Power Wouldn’t Be Quick

If the entire UK grid did go down, restarting it wouldn’t be as simple as flipping a switch. Most power stations require electricity to function, and during a total blackout, none is available.

Instead, a process known as a “black start” would be triggered. This involves using a small number of specially designated generators to slowly rebuild the system. In the UK, only a few stations are equipped for this role, mostly older hydro or gas plants.

According to National Grid ESO, 60 per cent of power could potentially be restored within 24 hours, but full restoration could take between five and seven days, depending on conditions and location.

The Business Impact Could Be Severe

Not surprisingly, for businesses, the stakes are high. A nationwide blackout would disrupt not just lights and laptops but entire supply chains, communication networks, and service delivery. For example, just a few hours without power could result in:

– Retail and hospitality losses. Fridges fail, card readers stop, bookings collapse.

– Office paralysis. Without internet or mobile networks, emails, cloud access and remote work all go dark.

– Manufacturing delays. Automated systems stop mid-cycle, risking damage to equipment and materials.

– Healthcare disruption. Hospitals switch to emergency power, but care homes, GPs and pharmacies may not be as well equipped.

– Logistics breakdowns. Traffic lights, rail systems and fuel pumps go offline, stranding deliveries and staff.

The Financial Cost

A 2023 government resilience study warned that a multi-day blackout could cost the UK economy up to £7 billion, and that’s before factoring in the social cost, i.e. vulnerable populations without access to heating, information, or clean water.

Are We Prepared?

The good news is that it appears that Britain isn’t ignoring the risk. For example, in recent years, National Grid and government partners have invested in upgrades designed to strengthen resilience, including:

– Enhanced digital monitoring and fault detection.

– Increased decentralisation of power generation (e.g. solar and wind closer to where it’s used).

– More battery storage capacity to help stabilise peaks and troughs in supply.

– Regular emergency planning exercises, including simulated black start scenarios.

– A renewed cybersecurity strategy for critical national infrastructure, introduced in 2023.

There’s also an ongoing effort (although you may not have noticed it until the Spain and Portugal blackouts) to educate the public. For example, NESO recently reaffirmed the importance of basic preparedness, such as having wind-up radios, torches, offline maps, and a few days’ worth of water and food, echoing similar messages issued across Europe this year.

What About Geopolitical Tensions (The Increased Threat of War)?

That said, while NESO (the National Energy System Operator) hasn’t publicly tied its preparedness messaging directly to the greater current threat of war in Europe, the wider European push for civil resilience, including advice about wind-up radios, water supplies, offline maps and survival kits, does certainly appear to have been influenced by growing geopolitical tensions. In particular, this includes:

In early 2024, several European governments (notably Germany, Sweden, and Finland) restarted national resilience campaigns, urging citizens to prepare for emergencies, not just natural disasters but potential conflicts, cyber attacks, and energy disruptions.

The EU Civil Protection Mechanism has expanded its public messaging on the importance of 72-hour kits in the event of crisis, a move partly triggered by lessons from the war in Ukraine and disruptions to energy infrastructure across Europe.

The UK’s advice from NESO and the Cabinet Office’s “Prepare” guidance align with these efforts, albeit more softly worded, focusing on “general resilience” rather than citing war directly.

So, it’s worth quickly noting here that messages about ramping up civil contingency are also being influenced by a less predictable and more hostile global environment, as well as the events with Spain and Portugal’s grid.

How Businesses Can Protect Themselves

While the chances of a total grid blackout in the UK remain low, experts agree it makes sense for businesses to factor it into their resilience planning.

For example, Nicola Dean, a business continuity advisor with clients in the energy and transport sectors, makes the point that although “There’s no need for panic” and it seems “there is a case for being practical,” as “The pandemic showed us how quickly assumptions about stability can collapse.”

With this in mind, Dean advises companies to focus on five key areas, which are:

1. Backup power. Install uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) for servers and critical devices. Larger sites should assess the viability of generators or on-site solar plus battery storage.

2. Offline communication plans. Keep printed contact lists and emergency protocols. Use two-way radios or crank-powered devices as a backup.

3. Continuity planning. Have clear procedures in place for short- and long-term outages. Consider how you’d trade, serve customers, and protect data during downtime.

4. Insurance review. Ensure business interruption policies cover extended outages — and know the limits and exclusions.

5. Employee training. Make sure teams know what to do if systems go down, especially in customer-facing or operational roles.

A New Kind Of Preparedness

Although the recent blackout in Spain and Portugal may have been triggered by rare conditions, it highlighted vulnerabilities that many in the UK share, i.e. increasing reliance on digital infrastructure, complex energy systems, and minimal tolerance for disruption.

For UK businesses, the simple message may not be to expect the lights to go out tomorrow, yet not to wait until they do to start asking the right questions!

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

While no one is suggesting that a UK-wide blackout is imminent, the events in Spain and Portugal have offered a timely and unsettling reminder that no system is entirely immune to failure. For years, it may have seemed that major power outages were the kind of thing that only happened elsewhere. But as power grids become more complex and more interconnected, they also become more exposed to rare but high-impact threats.

For UK businesses, this is not a call to panic, but it is a clear prompt to think more seriously about resilience. Power is no longer just a utility in the background. It underpins every part of modern operations, from cloud access and communication to security, refrigeration and logistics. Without it, entire business models are quickly exposed. A few hours of downtime can be costly. A few days could be critical.

Thankfully, the reality is that Britain still benefits from one of the most robust and well-managed energy systems in Europe. Investments in digital monitoring, decentralised generation and cybersecurity are all important steps forward. However, preparedness now needs to extend beyond infrastructure alone. It should really include clear business continuity planning, staff training, emergency protocols and basic contingency tools that work without a plug.

For government agencies, critical service providers and civil planners, the lesson is equally stark. Public messaging must be consistent, proactive and realistic. Greater collaboration between sectors will also be needed if we are to build the kind of national resilience that can withstand not just rare events, but the unpredictable world we increasingly live in.

Whether you are running a retail outlet, a manufacturing site, a healthcare service or a home office, the question remains the same. If the lights went out tomorrow, would you be ready? The answer may not be urgent today, but it could be (very suddenly) tomorrow.

Sustainability-In-Tech : Global Electricity Demand Soaring

Posted on by Paul Stradling

The world’s electricity consumption is forecast to rise at its fastest pace in recent years, growing at close to 4 per cent annually through 2027, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The “Age of Electricity”

This IEA report states that the sharp acceleration is being driven by a combination of industrial expansion, the rapid rise of data centres, increasing air conditioning demand, and the global push towards electrification. The report’s findings therefore (as the world enters what the IEA describes as the “Age of Electricity,”) can renewable energy and sustainability measures keep up with surging demand?

What’s Driving The Surge in Demand?

According to the IEA’s Electricity 2025 report, global electricity demand surged by 4.3 per cent in 2024 and is expected to continue rising at a similar rate, adding the equivalent of Japan’s entire annual electricity consumption to the grid each year! The scale of growth looks to be unprecedented, with global consumption set to increase by a massive 3,500 terawatt-hours (TWh) between 2025 and 2027.

Most of this additional demand looks likely to come from emerging economies, particularly China, India, and Southeast Asia, which will account for 85 per cent of global growth. China alone saw a 7 per cent increase in electricity consumption in 2024 and is projected to maintain an average growth rate of 6 per cent through 2027. The key drivers include the rise of electricity-intensive industries, particularly in manufacturing sectors linked to clean energy technologies such as solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles (EVs). For example, in 2024, these industries consumed over 300 TWh of electricity, the equivalent of Italy’s entire annual power usage!

Meanwhile, India’s electricity demand is projected to grow at an annual rate of 6.3 per cent, outpacing its 5 per cent average growth over the past decade. Also, air conditioning use in India is soaring as temperatures rise due to climate change, with electricity demand for cooling contributing significantly to the overall increase.

The Rise of Energy-Hungry Sectors

Beyond industrial production, the global appetite for electricity is being fuelled by the rapid expansion of data centres and digital infrastructure. The explosion of artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and 5G networks is contributing to massive and unprecedented electricity consumption. For example, in the United States alone, electricity demand from data centres is expected to grow so significantly that it will add the equivalent of California’s current power consumption to the national grid within three years.

Electric vehicle (EV) adoption also appears to be a major factor. The IEA notes that China’s EV fleet grew to 30 million vehicles in 2024, a near tenfold increase from 2021. Charging infrastructure expansion is set to push electricity demand even higher in the coming years.

Air conditioning is another major player in this surge. With climate change causing increasingly severe heatwaves, demand for cooling systems is soaring, particularly in emerging economies where AC penetration is still relatively low. The IEA highlights that in China, cooling already accounts for up to 40 per cent of peak electricity demand in some provinces, and demand is set to rise sharply.

Can Low-Carbon Energy Keep Up?

Thankfully, there is some good news, which is that renewables and nuclear power are expanding rapidly and, according to the IEA, should be able to meet nearly all the additional electricity demand by 2027. Solar photovoltaic (PV) energy, in particular, is leading the way. Solar generation surpassed coal in the European Union in 2024 and is expected to account for roughly half of global electricity demand growth through 2027.

China, the US, and India are all expected to see solar power exceed 10 per cent of their total electricity generation within the next three years. Wind power is also set to play a key role, meeting about one-third of the additional demand.

Also, it seems that nuclear power is undergoing a revival. The IEA forecasts that nuclear electricity generation will hit record highs each year from 2025 onwards, driven by a resurgence in nuclear projects in China, India, Korea, and France, as well as the reopening of previously shuttered plants in Europe and the US.

The Carbon Emissions Challenge

Despite the strong growth in renewables, global CO2 emissions from electricity generation are projected to plateau rather than decline in the coming years. The IEA warns that while coal-fired electricity generation is stagnating, fossil fuel use remains high, particularly in India and Southeast Asia. Although emissions in Europe and the US are declining, overall global emissions from electricity generation stood at a staggering 13.8 billion tonnes of CO2 in 2024.

Volatile Electricity Prices

One other critical issue highlighted in the report is the increasing volatility of electricity prices, largely due to the growing reliance on weather-dependent renewables. Instances of negative electricity prices (something that UK users can only dream about) where energy producers pay customers to use power, are becoming more common in markets where renewable output outpaces grid flexibility. The IEA states, “Negative pricing events highlight the need for greater system flexibility and storage solutions to accommodate variable renewable generation.”

The Risk of Grid Instability

Extreme weather events are also adding pressure to electricity systems worldwide. The IEA report details how winter storms, hurricanes, droughts, and heatwaves have caused widespread power outages in multiple countries. In 2024, severe weather disrupted electricity supply across the US, Australia, and Latin America, exposing vulnerabilities in grid resilience.

As Keisuke Sadamori, IEA Director of Energy Markets and Security, warns: “Ensuring a secure, affordable, and sustainable electricity supply is becoming increasingly complex. Policymakers need to urgently strengthen grid infrastructure, improve storage capacity, and enhance flexibility to cope with changing energy dynamics.”

The report stresses the need for significant investment in grid modernisation, energy storage, and demand-side management to prevent blackouts and price spikes as electricity consumption continues to soar.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation?

The IEA’s findings paint a picture of a world that’s entering a new era of electricity consumption at an unprecedented pace. The rapid growth in demand (largely driven by industrial expansion, data centres, EV adoption, and air conditioning) looks like presenting some major challenges. While the acceleration of renewable energy and nuclear power is encouraging, it’s difficult not to ask the question ‘can these clean energy sources keep pace with the soaring appetite for electricity, especially in emerging economies?’

One of the most pressing concerns is, of course, the impact on global carbon emissions. Despite the expansion of renewables, the fact that emissions from electricity generation are likely to plateau rather than decline is a stark reminder of the continued reliance on fossil fuels. This highlights the urgency for policymakers to not only scale up clean energy but also implement stronger measures to phase out coal and gas-fired power generation. Grid instability and electricity price volatility further complicate the landscape, raising concerns about energy security and affordability, especially as extreme weather events become more frequent.

For UK businesses, these developments have significant implications. On one hand, the transition towards renewables could present opportunities for investment in energy-efficient technologies, on-site solar generation, and demand-side management solutions. Businesses with high energy consumption will need to adapt to potential price fluctuations and grid challenges, making resilience and sustainability key priorities. Furthermore, with data centres and AI-driven industries driving much of the global electricity surge, UK tech firms will need to assess the long-term viability of their energy strategies to remain competitive in an increasingly power-hungry digital economy.

It seems, therefore, that the world’s ability to navigate this energy transformation will depend on a combination of strategic investment, technological innovation, and policy reform. The rise in electricity demand is not inherently problematic (after all, electrification is crucial for decarbonisation) but without the right infrastructure and regulatory frameworks, it could become a bottleneck rather than a catalyst for progress. As we move deeper into the “Age of Electricity,” striking the right balance between growth, sustainability, and stability will be paramount.

Featured Article : Microsoft’s $10 Billion Renewable Energy Deal Fuels AI & Cloud

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Microsoft has agreed to back $10bn in renewable electricity projects by Brookfield Asset Management to help it meet clean-energy commitments and provide its data-centres with the extra energy requirements of cloud and AI.

Global Framework Agreement 

The deal, which is a five-year agreement called the “global framework agreement” (“the agreement”) is a commitment by Microsoft, working in partnership with Brookfield, to bring 10.5 gigawatts of generating capacity online. This is reported to be more than three times larger than the 3GW of power used by the world’s largest hub of data centres in Virginia and is the equivalent of enough to power 1.8 million homes!

Microsoft’s partner in the deal, Brookfield, says the signing of the global renewable energy framework agreement will “contribute to Microsoft’s goal of having 100 per cent of its electricity consumption, 100 per cent of the time, matched by zero carbon energy purchases by 2030”. 

Renewable 

The renewable energy projects to create this significant extra generating capacity will come from wind and solar farms, which are yet to be built, between 2026 and 2030, beginning in the US and Europe. There will also be the potential to increase the scope to deliver additional renewable energy capacity to the Asia-Pacific region, India, and Latin America.

Feeding Demand From Cloud and AI 

The agreement is expected to provide Microsoft with access to a pipeline of new renewable energy capacity to support the global trend of digitalisation and, crucially, the growing demand for cloud and AI services.

More Data Centres Needed 

The growth of the cloud and now, significantly, the growth of generative AI has meant there is huge demand for (and investment) in data-centres. These are both the larger self-owned data-centres in the host countries (mostly in the US) of their ‘hyperscaler’ providers, leased data-centres, and smaller data-centres being built to ensure infrastructure is nearer to customers. The main ‘hyperscalers’ (i.e. the companies that provide cloud computing, storage, and networking services at a massive scale) are Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Alibaba Cloud is the leading cloud provider in China and Asia.

Hyperscale Data-Centres To Double Every Four Years 

The effects of the growth in generative AI in terms of demand for more data-centres, processing power and storage capacity are illustrated in recent findings by the Synergy Research Group. Their research shows that the number of data-centre facilities run by hyperscale cloud providers has doubled in the past four years and will double again by 2028, with 120-130 hyperscale data-centres coming online each year.

Microsoft, for example, is building a new 750K SF, $9.2M hyperscale data-centre campus near Quincy, WA, to house three 250K SF server farms.

The Implications 

The implications of this surge in demand for (and building of) data-centres are many. For example, as infrastructure for cloud computing and data storage expands, it puts increasing pressure on existing power grids.

Also, as the growth in data-centres intensifies along with power-hungry technologies, and AI expands and algorithms become more complex, the energy requirements for these technologies are set to increase even further.

This will mean (and has already meant) a search by the hyperscalers for cleaner, greener alternative energy sources, hence Microsoft’s announcement of its renewable electricity projects with Brookfield. Transitioning from traditional fossil fuels to renewable sources like solar, wind, and hydroelectric power is essential, not only for reducing carbon footprints but also for aligning with global sustainability goals.

Microsoft’s main competitors are also investing in renewable energy projects to mitigate their environmental impacts. For example, back in January, Google announced it is building a $1 billion data centre north of London that will be powered by renewable energy from offshore wind. Also, after signing a PPA with ENGIE in January to increase its share in the Moray wind farm to 473 megawatts, Amazon will be making itself the largest purchaser of renewable energy worldwide this year.

Balancing data-centre expansion with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) commitments is also now becoming a priority for organisations and data-centre operators need to ensure that their capacity growth does not come at the expense of the environment or step out of line with ESG commitments and upcoming regulations. Compliance with these regulations not only helps in avoiding penalties but also promotes innovation in green technology and sustainable practices in the data-centre industry.

Alternatives Will Take Time and Planning

However, although Microsoft’s renewable energy project plans (and zero carbon energy purchases) sound promising, some commentators have noted that it will take many years to develop the scale and type of alternative energy sources that are able to provide long-term power to AI. In the meantime, grids will be stretched. Also, the new energy landscape needed to deliver AI’s power requirements will take strategic planning.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

Microsoft’s $10 billion renewable energy deal with Brookfield Asset Management could be seen as a significant stride towards sustainable growth in digital infrastructure that aligns with the company’s goal to match its electricity consumption with zero-carbon energy purchases by 2030. This large-scale initiative not only aims to power Microsoft’s burgeoning data-centres but sees it join the other main hyperscale cloud providers in securing renewable energy sources to meet the escalating energy demands of cloud and AI technologies.

For example, hyperscalers like Microsoft, Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud are all now investing in renewable energy projects as a strategic response to the dual challenges of surging energy requirements and environmental responsibility. These investments are crucial not only for reducing the carbon footprint associated with massive data-centres but also for ensuring compliance with global ESG commitments and forthcoming environmental regulations. These initiatives also reflect a growing recognition among the hyperscalers of their role in shaping a sustainable future for technology infrastructure.

For businesses, the main implications of these investments are profound. For example, as more data-centres are built to support more advanced and energy-intensive technologies like generative AI, the reliance on traditional energy sources could lead to increased operational costs and potential regulatory penalties. The shift towards renewable energy offers a more sustainable and potentially cost-effective alternative, reducing long-term dependency on fossil fuels and mitigating the risk of energy price volatility.

Also, the adoption of green energy by leading technology providers like Microsoft could influence the entire energy landscape. As these companies set new standards for energy use, they drive advancements in renewable energy technologies and contribute to the creation of more robust and sustainable power grids. This not only benefits the hyperscalers themselves but also the businesses that rely on their services, from small startups to large enterprises.

Ultimately, Microsoft’s renewable energy commitment is a signal of a broader and necessary shift in the technology sector towards sustainability. This trend may be an opportunity for businesses of all sizes to reconsider their own energy strategies and align more closely with sustainable practices. As the infrastructure for digital services expands, the integration of renewable energy is becoming increasingly important, not just for operational efficiency and compliance, but for ensuring the long-term viability of our global digital ecosystem.

Sustainability-in-Tech : 600% Data-Centre Electricity Increase In a Decade

Posted on by Paul Stradling

In a speech shared on LinkedIn, National Grid Chief Executive, John Pettigrew, highlighted how demand for electricity from commercial data centres will increase six-fold, within just ten years.

Double The Demand On The Grid By 2050 

Comparing today’s problem of grid network constraint to that of the 1950s, Mr Pettigrew identified the key challenges of demand on the grid growing dramatically, and forecast to double by 2050 as heat, transport and industry continue to electrify.

Why The Dramatic Increase In Data Centre Power Demand? 

Mr Pettigrew put the dramatic predicted six-fold commercial data centre power demand down to factors like the future growth in foundational technologies like AI and quantum computing requiring larger scale, energy-intensive computing infrastructure.

Innovative Thinking Required 

Mr Pettigrew also highlighted how the UK’s high voltage ‘supergrid’ of overhead pylons and cables that powered the UK’s industries and economy over decades is now 70 years old. As such, faced with the challenge of needing to “create a transmission network for tomorrow’s future” Mr Pettigrew suggested that we are at a “pivotal moment” that “requires innovative thinking and bold actions.”

Possible Solutions 

One possible solution, highlighted in Mr Pettigrew’s speech, for creating a grid that can meet future demands is the construction of an ultra-high voltage onshore transmission network of up to 800 thousand volts. It’s thought that this could be “superimposed on the existing supergrid” to create a “super-supergrid” which could enable bulk power transfers around the country. One key advantage of this approach could be using strategically located ultra-high capacity substations which can support the connection of large energy sources to big demand centres, including data centres, via the new network.

Power-Hungry 

It has long been known that data centres are power-hungry and require enormous amounts of water (for cooling), as well as needing to find sustainable solutions for using the excess heat productively. Factors such as the growth in cloud computing and the IoT, as well as the huge power demands of AI, have been identified as key factors driving the growing need for energy by data centres. Recent ideas for how to provide cooling for data centres have included immersion cooling / submerging servers in liquid and even having them submerged under the sea as underwater data centres. Ideas for producing enough power have included building dedicated small nuclear power stations / Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) adjoining each data centre. Ideas for how to best use the excess heat include heating nearby homes and businesses and even growing algae which can then be used to power other data centres and create bioproducts.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation? 

The growth in cloud computing, the IoT, and now AI, have all meant an increase in the demand for more power. All of this comes at a time when there is a need to decarbonise and move towards greener and more sustainable energy sources. This rapidly increasing demand, coupled with the constraints of an ageing, creaking grid (as highlighted in the recent speech by John Pettigrew), means that there is now an urgent need for innovative ideas and the action to match if the UK’s businesses are to be served with the power they need to fuel the tech-driven future.

The ideas, however, must be ones that not only meet the demand for power from UK businesses and data centres, but do so in a sustainable way that meets decarbonising targets. As highlighted by Mr Pettigrew, creating a “super-supergrid” is an idea currently on the table, but a boost in wind, wave, solar, nuclear, and other power sources, as well as more carbon offsetting by data centre owners, and many other cooling and excess data centre heat distribution ideas will likely all contribute to these targets in the coming years. Also, although running AI models is a major power drain, ironically, AI may also help to provide solutions for how to manage the country’s energy requirements more efficiently and efficiently.

Sustainability-in-Tech : Data-Centres Using One-Third Of Ireland’s Electricity By 2026

Posted on by Paul Stradling

A report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts that almost one-third of electricity demand in Ireland is expected to come from data-centres by 2026.

Doubling Of Electricity Demand 

The IEA’s ‘Electricity 2024 – Analysis and forecast to 2026’ highlights how having one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the EU (12.5 per cent) is a key reason why Ireland now has 82 data-centres. However, the fact that data-centres require enormous amounts of energy has meant that, even back in 2022, electricity demand from data-centres in Ireland represented a massive 17 per cent of the country’s total electricity consumption.

The expansion of the data-centre sector, driven by factors like AI, cryptocurrencies, demand for more compute capacity and their associated elevated electricity demand has led to the IEA’s forecast that the electricity demand in Ireland from data-centres will double to 32 per cent of the country’s total electricity demand by next year!

Challenges 

As may be expected with a doubling of demand, the report warns that the reliability and stability of Ireland’s electricity system will be challenged.

Safeguarding Measures 

The IEA reports that in order to safeguard Ireland’s electricity system, in 2021 the country’s Commission for Regulation of Utilities had published requirements applicable to new and ongoing data-centre grid connection applications. These included looking at whether a data-centre is within a constrained region of the electricity system, and the ability of the data-centre to bring onsite dispatchable generation and/or storage equivalent, at least, to their demand. The requirements also included looking at the ability of the data-centre to provide flexibility in their demand by reducing it when requested by a system operator.

This highlights the need by local governments in Ireland to only grant connections to operators who can make efficient usage of the grid and incorporate renewable energy sources with a view that incorporates decarbonisation targets.

Global 

Looking at the global data-centre sector, there are more than 8000 data-centres, with about one-third of these in the US, 16 per cent in Europe and around 10 per cent in China. The 1,240 datacentres in Europe (mostly in Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Dublin) consume 4 per cent of the EU’s total electricity demand. The IEA forecasts that with increasing demand, electricity consumption in the data-centre sector in the EU will reach almost 150 TWh by 2026.

What Can Be Done To Moderate Data-Centre Electricity Demand? 

Measures that could be taken to moderate the IEA’s projected surge in the amount of energy data-centres consume could include:

– Introducing more energy-efficient data-centre cooling mechanisms, e.g. direct-to-chip water cooling systems and liquid cooling systems.

– Data-centres sourcing their power from renewable sources like solar, wind, and hydro. For example, the IEA report highlights a global trend toward clean electricity sources, with renewables set to cover a substantial part of the additional electricity demand.

– Data-Centres participating in demand response programs to adjust their power consumption during peak periods, helping to balance the grid.

– Integrating data-centres more closely with the energy grid to optimise power distribution and reduce waste.

– Governments encouraging or mandating the use of renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies in data-centres through incentives, subsidies, or regulations that set minimum energy efficiency standards.

– Investment in energy storage and grid infrastructure to ensure reliability and the integration of intermittent renewable energy sources.

– Ongoing research into more energy-efficient computing technologies, like advanced chip designs or quantum computing, can reduce the energy footprint of data-centres over time.

Needed, And Part Of The Solution 

It should be remembered, however, that data-centre services are now critical to the daily functioning of the business, consumer, and economic landscape because they add value, and they are enabling the growth of new technologies like AI. It could therefore be argued that more data-centres and the value and compute power they bring could deliver key solutions to solve the energy and climate challenges. In doing so, they could also find ways to generate more energy than they consume, thereby reducing their demand on the grid, and becoming part of the solution to their own problems.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation? 

Factors like the growth of cloud computing, which has helped businesses, the demand for compute capacity, the growth of AI and cryptocurrency, are all contributors to a rapidly growing demand for more electricity and threats to current supply systems (such as Ireland’s).

That said, as shown above, safeguarding and mitigating measures can (and must) be taken. Also, multiple data-centres being sited in countries like Ireland can be a boost to their economy and their standing within the tech-world. Although an electricity demand surge in the growing data-centre sector is inevitable now, technologies such as AI (which increases energy demand from data-centres) may help find intelligent ways to mitigate the extra demand issues it creates and it would be difficult to argue that the world doesn’t need more data-centres to drive forward vital technologies for business and economies.

Nevertheless, there is a need for sustainable action. For example, using cleaner energy and governments working together with industry, combining their technologies and innovations could be the way forward to supporting the energy, economic, and technological outlook.

Sustainability-in-Tech : Green BT Street Cabinets To Become EV Charging Points

Posted on by Paul Stradling

In line with the government’s aim to increase the number of electric vehicle (EV) charging points from 50,000 to 300,000 by 2030, the BT Group has announced that it will be repurposing its old, green street cabinets to EV charging points.

60,000 New EV Charging Points 

The move, as part of a pilot scheme beginning in Scotland “in the coming weeks” will see BT’s end-of-life green street cabinets being repurposed to add 60,000 new chargers nationwide.

Green Boxes 

BT’s green boxes, a familiar sight on many streets, have traditionally been used to house cabling for phone lines and broadband but BT says the cabinets are slowly becoming obsolete as fibre-optic broadband is rolled out across the country. The company says that when the boxes reach the end of their life the old broadband equipment can be recycled, and EV points housed there instead.

Easy To Repurpose 

The BT Group says green boxes can be converted simply by using a small device to supply renewable energy to an on-street charging point, without the need to create a new power connection. The technology can actually be deployed in cabinets which are either in use or due for retirement.

Huge Step 

Tom Guy, Managing Director at BT Group said: “Our new charging solution is a huge step in bringing EV charging kerbside and exploring how we can address key barriers customers are currently facing.” 

Other Ideas 

An insufficient number of charging stations and whether charging points are available at home (or at work) have long been seen as major challenges to the growth of EV ownership in the UK (along with other factors like the price of EVs).

Some of the many suggestions for other potential kerbside solutions include:

– Lamp posts, especially in residential areas where traditional charging stations might be impractical, and they already have an electrical connection, which can be modified to include charging points.

– Parking meters. This would save space plus make use of the existing power supply and payment systems.

– Utility poles (similar to lamp posts), which have an existing power supply and are widely distributed, making them a viable option for EV charging.

– Street furniture such as benches, bus shelters, or other street furniture with integrated solar panels which could be equipped with charging capabilities.

– Retired/classic telephone boxes (only available now in some areas) can (and have been) repurposed as EV charging points, combining cultural heritage with modern technology.

– Bollards could be equipped with charging technology.

– Public toilets, which have been getting scarcer due to closures from council cuts, already have electricity for lighting and heating, and could be adapted to include EV charging points.

– Solar-powered recycling bins with built-in Wi-Fi and charging capabilities are one suggestion of an innovative way to combine waste-management and EV charging.

– Pop-up, temporary charging hubs / mobile charging stations, in areas with high demand, using existing power sources or portable generators.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation? 

The innovative repurposing of BT’s green street cabinets essentially kills two birds with one stone, breathing new life into old infrastructure while tackling the UK’s lack of EV charging points. It’s one step in the right direction towards sustainable technology and environmental responsibility and it sounds as though it has the potential to make a major contribution (60,000) to the UK’s target of having 300,000 EV charging points by 2030. However, bear in mind that this is still only a pilot scheme.

It also seems like quite a practical option for a broad segment of the population. For organisations operating in the EV sphere, this expansion could also open new avenues for growth and innovation, as the increased infrastructure will likely stimulate demand for electric vehicles.

Environmentally, the repurposing of existing structures for EV charging aligns with green initiatives and carbon reduction goals and utilising existing assets, such as BT’s green boxes, is a way to reduce the environmental impact of constructing the necessary new EV charging stations in the UK. It also highlights how sustainability can be achieved through intelligent innovation, rather than just new construction.

Exploring the other potential kerbside solutions, like integrating charging capabilities into lamp posts, parking meters, and even public toilets, underscores the potential for creative solutions to the EV charging challenge. A versatile approach like this could well be the key to meeting the challenge of insufficient charging points in a faster, more affordable way at scale.

However, it’s still important to acknowledge that there are other remaining challenges within the EV market, such as the high initial cost of EVs, the need for widespread adoption of renewable energy sources to truly realise the environmental benefits of EVs, and the technical challenges associated with rapidly scaling up EV charging infrastructure. Addressing these issues requires a concerted effort from both the private and public sectors, with continued innovation and investment in sustainable technologies being paramount.

That said repurposing BT’s green street cabinets, alongside other innovative kerbside solutions, could offer a blueprint for how we can meet our environmental targets while fostering the growth of the EV market in the UK.