As we inch closer to the Scottish Government’s target of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, you’ll be hearing more about a ‘smarter’ energy network.
So, what is it and where do smart meters fit in?
According to the National Grid, Britain’s reliance on cleaner energy sources will overtake fossil fuels this year. And Scotland is leading the way, with the Scottish government aiming for renewable sources to generate the equivalent of 100 per cent of Scotland’s gross annual electricity consumption by 2020.
To allow us to use more renewable energy we need to upgrade our current system to a smarter energy network.
This will ensure we make the most of the greener energy available and open the door to a more sustainable future.
With the uptake of smart meters in homes around Great Britain will come a new, smarter system, which is a more flexible and decarbonised. What’s more, this system is central to the country reducing its CO2 emissions, whilst being more reliable, sustainable and cost-effective.
The increased complexity of the system and the need to be able to flexibly match supply and demand means that digitalisation is an important part of the transition. Central to digitalisation is the accurate measurement of customer energy demands so the system can provide energy in the most efficient and costeffective way, and customers can accurately understand how they use energy. And that is where smart meters – available from your energy supplier at no extra cost - come in.
Simply put, smart meters will make Britain’s energy grid, and energy system, smarter. This is because the data that they are able to generate allows our energy network to understand how much energy is being used, when and where across Great Britain. The system will also be able to draw on more local and renewable sources of energy.
Our electricity needs are predicted to double by 2050, so we have to upgrade our outdated energy grid. Just by having a smart meter in your home, you’ll be helping the grid to better anticipate demand and reduce waste, readying it to meet the demands of the future.
For more information visit smartenergyGB.org
The Herald’s Climate for Change initiative supports efforts being made by the Scottish Government with key organisations and campaign partners. Throughout the year we will provide a forum in The Herald newspaper, online at herald.scotland.com and in Business HQ magazine, covering news and significant developments in this increasingly crucial area.
If you are interested in contributing editorially or interested in becoming a Climate for Change partner, please contact Stephen McTaggart on 0141 302 6137 or email stephen.mctaggart@heraldandtimes.co.uk
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article