Q&A with Siobahn Meikle, VP for Northern Europe at Eaton

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Siobahn Meikle, VP for Northern Europe at Eaton
Eaton’s Siobahn Meikle shares how intelligent power management can help businesses reduce carbon footprint & create new opportunities for energy efficiency

In 2024, the new Great British Energy partnership launched to turbocharge energy independence in the UK.

The announcement of the partnership, between Great British Energy and The Crown Estate, shows the UK government is working to deliver on its commitment to making Britain a clean energy superpower.

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In an era where energy sustainability is paramount, Eaton is a pivotal player in transforming how businesses approach power management. 

Speaking exclusively with Energy Digital, Eaton’s VP for Northern Europe Siobahn Meikle offers an insightful glimpse into the company’s commitment to intelligent energy solutions, highlighting the crucial role this plays in supporting the UK’s journey towards net zero.

Q. In your own words, what is Eaton and how does your work positively contribute to the energy space?

Eaton is an intelligent power management company dedicated to protecting the environment and improving the quality of life for people everywhere. We make products for the data centre, utility, industrial, commercial, machine building, residential, aerospace and mobility markets. 

A huge part of our business in the UK is focused on commercial buildings. And, considering they consume a third of the country’s energy, innovations in this sector greatly benefit both businesses and the UK as a whole. 

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We are guided by our commitment to do business right, to operate sustainably and to help our customers contribute positively to net zero goals. Smart energy management systems, on-site renewable energy generation, EV charging infrastructure and energy storage are all solutions Eaton supports businesses with — helping them play a leading role in the energy transition. 

Q. How can businesses proactively accelerate the energy transition to meet net zero targets in the short term? What role does Eaton see itself playing in this process?

Since June’s general election, it’s been full speed ahead on Labour’s plans to make Britain a clean energy superpower — plans which have predominately focused on improving the national grid. 

While these developments are important and encouraging, there remains a significant opportunity for the government to further advance the UK’s journey to net zero by prioritising greater flexibility within the energy market. 

Beyond the commendable focus on grid improvements, which will require many years and hundreds of billions of pounds in investment, accelerating the energy transition in the short term requires support and investment in demand-side flexibility.

UK Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Sir Kier Starmer

Eaton is helping to address this gap in the market with flexible energy solutions that deploy energy intelligently by optimising energy use in real time. As a result businesses can benefit from a continuous energy supply — protecting them from energy fluctuations caused from things like outages caused by extreme weather conditions or cyberattacks.

Flexible energy storage solutions also help businesses take advantage of renewables and avoid any challenges when the weather isn’t on side. Weather is variable, but being able to store up renewable energy for a gloomy day allows for both a sustainable and stable energy resource. 

Q. With the intermittency of renewable energy sources like wind farms presenting significant challenges, what advancements or innovations do you believe are necessary to enhance grid capacity and balance renewable generation effectively?

Renewable energy is the key to decarbonising the energy sector. However it comes with the challenge of intermittency. As those of us in the UK will know far too well, the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow. While we cannot change the weather, we can change how our energy system works with renewable energy.

Eaton says the energy transition is driven by the progressive replacement of carbon-based fuels with the likes of renewables

With energy storage solutions and demand side-flexibility, businesses can enhance the grid’s capacity to balance intermittency through advanced forecasting and demand response technologies. These are technologies that deploy energy when needed, using algorithms to predict energy usage based on real time data and historical trends. 

Modernisation of the grid to increase its renewable storage capacity is one of the most important upgrades we can hope for and this must be married with efficient demand side flexibility. 

Q. Is there a way businesses can be incentivised to invest in flexible energy capabilities? What specific solutions is Eaton developing?

We know that reaching net zero targets isn’t the only challenge businesses are faced with. They are also looking to innovate, achieve growth plans and ultimately boost the bottom line. That’s why Eaton is committed to helping businesses manage their power sustainably and in incentivising ways. 

For example our energy storage solutions can help commercial buildings open up a new revenue stream by storing and selling energy back into the grid, such as through the UK government’s Smart Export Guarantee. 

Technology such as Eaton’s xStorage Buildings can redeploy energy when needed, and can store up to 5MWh of energy.  This can in fact make energy management a profitable venture, rather than just a cost reducing one. 

xStorage Buildings is an energy storage system by Eaton

In addition to this, with our intelligent power management solutions, businesses can also make savings via the compensation for energy usage adjustment during peak periods — helping them make smarter, sustainable choices.

Q. What do you see the future of the energy landscape looking like following the points made above? How will Eaton continue to make a positive impact?

The energy sector is currently going through a fascinating time. There are new government priorities, technological innovations and growing industry support. I therefore hold optimism for the future of the energy landscape and envision even further strides made to develop cleaner and renewable energy. 

However, to achieve this we must prioritise the adoption of flexible energy solutions. While solar panels and wind turbines may be the showpieces of clean energy, flexible technologies such as intelligent power management systems and energy storage solutions are just as essential, but do not share the same limelight. 

We must prioritise the adoption of flexible solutions — from industry, government and businesses — in order to truly unlock the power of renewable energy.  

Eaton will continue to play a key role in this space, providing the technologies and solutions to businesses ready to take this step forward. This is why I am ultimately hopeful: a future in which commercial buildings have the capabilities and knowhow to intelligently manage their energy is close, and our environment will be the better for it.


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