How Capgemini Invent Supports the UK's Energy Transition

The UK Government has introduced reforms aimed at crafting an electricity system that is both fair and efficient.

The proposals include:

• Retaining a single national wholesale electricity market
• Implementing an approach to reformed national pricing
• Infrastructure upgrades, streamlined transmission charges and strategic planning
• Support for consumers through energy bill discounts

This is part of the government’s ambition to achieve a clean UK power system by 2030 and reach net zero across the economy.

Rory Burghes, Vice President Sustainable Futures at Capgemini Invent UK, said on LinkedIn: “It's good to see the UK government take bold steps in overhauling our energy market, cutting around £4bn (US$5.3bn) in grid costs and creating a stronger platform for the clean power transition.

“By retaining a single national electricity price and focusing on smart infrastructure upgrades, this reform creates the stability and confidence needed to unlock investment in renewables and modernise the grid. 

“This is a clear signal that the UK is serious about delivering low-cost, low-carbon energy at scale.”

Energy changes in the UK

On the announcement of the proposals, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “Building clean power at pace and scale is the only way to get Britain off the rollercoaster of fossil fuel markets and protect families and businesses for good.

“As we embark on this new era of clean electricity, a reformed system of national pricing is the best way to deliver an electricity system that is fairer, more affordable and more secure, at less risk to vital investment in clean energy than other alternatives. 

“Our package of reforms will protect consumers and secure investment as we drive to deliver our clean power mission through our Plan for Change.”

The government confirmed that, following consultation, NESO will publish a Strategic Spatial Energy Plan to underpin reforms improving the efficiency of the electricity system.

The plan will set out how best to spread new energy projects across Great Britain up to 2050 to speed up development, cut grid connection waiting times and reduce costs.

Capgemini’s impact on energy

Capgemini's Powering Sustainability report shows that more than 60% of organisations have increased revenues from sustainable operations.

“At Capgemini, we’re helping organisations adapt by building resilient, digitally enabled energy systems that accelerate this transition,” Rory said on LinkedIn.

“By clearing grid bottlenecks and offering greater predictability, we’re fast-tracking the UK’s shift to renewables and securing our energy future.”

Capgemini says that it helps energy and utilities organisations to create a positive, long-term legacy of transformative, sustainable products and services that create new types of value in the energy transition. 

“To retain their license to operate, companies in the sector need to take comprehensive measures with a clear energy transition roadmap, the right governance structures and technology solutions and close engagement with stakeholders,” the Powering Sustainability report reads.

Capgemini says that the bridge from now to 2030 in the energy transition is supported by four pillars:

• AI containing outages by islanding, increasing responsiveness and reducing human error alongside leveraging unstructured data draw inferences where data is lacking
• Training and upskilling talent to reshape the energy and utilities workforces
• Cybersecurity protecting grids, including distributed architecture in the form of microgrids
• Local ecosystems through managing multiple energy sources in a microgrid, allowing residents and businesses to purchase energy directly from within their own community microgrid.

Capgemini Invent is the digital innovation, consulting and transformation brand of the Capgemini Group, combining key digital capabilities with deep sector expertise. 

It aims to help organisations prototype, test and scale new products, such as in the energy industry.