We’ve all heard of green energy, but what about smart energy? Thanks to new innovations, the future is looking brighter than ever.

The energy system of the future won’t look like today’s. The scale of change over the next 10 to 20 years will be considerable.

The main focus will be on local, low-carbon energy. Thanks to the continuing rise of renewable energy like wind and solar power, the old economies of scale are being turned upside down so that generating and using energy locally will represent better value than the old system of generating energy at scale in relatively few, centralised, power plants.

Future Energy and the Industrial Strategy

Clean Growth is a grand challenge outlined in the Industrial Strategy, shifting the UK to low carbon technologies, systems and services that cost less than high carbon alternatives.

The mission is to at least halve the energy use of new buildings by 2030.

Heating and powering buildings accounts for 40% of our total energy usage in the UK. By making our buildings more energy efficient and embracing smart technologies, we can cut household energy bills, reduce demand for energy, and boost economic growth while meeting our targets for carbon reduction.

The future energy predictions in this video show us how the UK could meet clean growth targets and significantly improve sustainability.

Find out more about clean growth and the Industrial Strategy here: [ Ссылка ]

Here are some of our predictions for the future of energy.

Decentralised energy and digital technologies

One of the major benefits of decentralised energy is the move away from inefficient large power stations to localised production, so that energy won’t have to travel so far.

Getting major energy users on board

The move to new, greener production and consumption of energy will only be successful if major consumers are also on board. It’s estimated that the cold chain in the UK currently consumes around 14% of all electricity generated, with food retailers operating massive networks of machines distributed throughout the UK.

Energy as a Service

To make energy part of the circular economy – where, rather than producing, using and disposing of resources, they are kept in use for as long as possible, recovered, regenerated and re-used – there will need to be a shift away from buying energy in kWh and towards buying energy as a service. This means that instead of consumers buying energy from a supplier, they pay a company to get energy at the best price, get the best value from the energy they generate, and improve the efficiency of their homes so that they use less energy.

Free energy?

It’s easier than ever for us to generate green energy. The cost of renewable generation equipment is coming down, and the amount of energy on the grid is going up – often to such levels that during sunny days or when there’s a lot of wind, there can actually be too much energy on the grid. The swings that this creates in wholesale prices can mean that prices can go ‘negative’, so that there is effectively ‘free’ energy on the grid.

Consumers at the heart

The biggest change of all is that consumers will go from being on the edge of the energy system to being at its heart. They will have more control over where their energy comes from, how and when they want to consume it, and can take an active role in making sure it doesn’t cost the earth.

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