Exploiting UK Smart Grid development

Interest in Smart Grids is building within the UK. The Government has recently announced an ambition for smart meters to be in all British homes by 2020. Similarly, the latest price review proposals from OFGEM, Distribution Price Control Review 5 or DPCR5, will see a £500M Low Carbon Fund to encourage smart grid technology investments by electricity distribution network operators (DNOs). DPCR5 also sees the maintenance of the Distribution Generation Incentive Framework, whilst a new licence condition calls on Electricity DNOs to provide better information to customers on the connecting capacity of different areas of their network.

GIS can play a strong role in the promotion, planning and management of a Smart Grid. For utilities, GIS already provides the most comprehensive inventory of electric distribution network components and their spatial locations. With the Smart Grid's sophisticated communication network superimposed on the electric network, data management with GIS becomes critical.