Innovation in the UK energy sector

Introduction

Innovation and transformation of the energy market is required if the UK wants to meet decarbonisation targets.  How can this be achieved from a national perspective as well from an individual consumer level?   Who are the current disrupters pushing change with new business models and propositions?  How can technology and AI support these changes in the market?

Our first speaker, Harsh Pershad from Innovate UK will discuss these questions in the context of macro GB wide energy market innovation potential.  Our second speaker, Iván Castro from Social Energy, will discuss how his firm is using AI to support their innovative energy supply business model.

Speakers

Harsh Pershad

As Senior Innovation Lead (Energy) within the Clean Growth and Infrastructure Directorate at Innovate UK, Harsh’s role is to support the growth of UK businesses seeking to commercialise innovations in the low carbon energy sector.  Harsh is particularly interested in those innovations that combine deep cuts in costs and CO2 emissions, alongside improvements to resilience, user experience, driving wide economic, environmental and societal benefits.

Harsh connects, funds, shapes and promotes the work of innovators, energy companies and their supply chains, industry trade associations, HM Government, Devolved Administrations, Local Government, utilities, NGOs, public-private consortia, engineers, researchers, regulators, in the UK and internationally. Current strategic priorities include:

1. Supporting coordination, integration, delivery, and evaluation of the £102.5 million “Prospering fromthe Energy Revolution” Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund programme for Smart Local Energy Systems
2. Supporting innovations in energy supply, energy systems, CCS, hydrogen, and industrial decarbonisation.
3. Collaborations between the UK and other countries on energy innovation
4. Supporting R&D into Greenhouse Gas Removal

Dr Iván Castro

Chief Scientist & Co-Founder of Social Energy’s software division, Levelise. Iván leads the data-driven activities at Social Energy, from data engineering to algorithm development & business modelling. All to create from scratch an optimisation-as-a-service solution which proactively instructs thousands of battery systems & realises the developed domestic prosumer model. In 2018, he originated three grant-funded projects with an accumulated budget of £1.1m, being also responsible for project delivery as project leader in all three. He also is the Past-Chair of the IEEE Power & Energy Society for UK & Ireland and has won this year’s STEM in Industry Focus Award at the Young Energy Professionals (YEP) Awards 2019.

Resources