Roger Hey, Head of Development – Electricity Distribution at National Grid, discusses the work National Grid Electricity Distribution has been doing to get transport ready for our net zero future.
Airports and ports don’t need a silver bullet to begin decarbonising – whatever the future solution, they will need greater electricity capacity.
In the UK, transport is the single biggest contributor to CO2 emissions, making up nearly 30% of the UK’s total carbon emissions. If the UK is to realise net zero, it’s widely recognised that decarbonising transport is key. This poses obvious challenges for the energy industry as a result of the increasing demand for electricity, putting pressure onto networks.
Thankfully, DNOs such as National Grid Electricity Distribution are prepared and are already working with operators to achieve this shift to low carbon transport and overcome the challenges posed by the transition.
Just 10 years ago, the decarbonisation of transport was a novelty. But consumers are now accustomed to the sight of electric vehicles (EVs) on our roads, with more drivers making the switch to EVs every month.
National Grid’s distribution business has a long track record of working to facilitate the transition to decarbonised transport. In 2019, we became the first distribution network operator to release a dedicated EV strategy which detailed our commitment to help drivers charge their vehicles at a time and place to suit them.
Additionally, we have undertaken groundbreaking innovation projects to explore how we can make EV charging easier for households and businesses while ensuring that our electricity network can cope with the increased demand. We also changed our connections process, making it easier for customers to connect their vehicle chargers to our network. Our work means that we are well prepared to cope with the predicted three million EVs across our region by 2030.
While there is still a way to go in terms of decarbonising road transport, as a company we are starting to look at the role that we can play in decarbonising those forms of transport that are more energy intensive and harder to tackle – shipping and aviation.
Across our distribution area, we have a large number of airports and ports, ranging from large international airports such as East Midlands Airport to small regional destinations like Lands End Airport. The range in size and scale of ports within the region is even bigger. This means we have a large number of stakeholders to work with, helping us to understand the challenges facing shipping and aviation in the coming years, as operators switch to low carbon fuels, as well as decarbonising airport and port operations.
From conversations so far, it is in ‘on the ground’ operations that airport operators are making the first move towards electrification. This is no surprise as it is a ‘low regrets’ option for decarbonisation. Indeed, the Government has identified this as the first element of aviation decarbonisation while it continues to support the industry with its funding through Jet Zero for the development of low carbon flight. Although decarbonising airport heating, terminal transport and other areas of operations through electrification initially looks to be uncomplicated, it is not a straightforward challenge.
Shipping, on the other hand, is perhaps further behind. While two ports in the UK have shore power facilities, full electric shipping is some way away. Despite representing 5% of the UK’s domestic transport GHG emissions, we have not seen dedicated funding support for a ‘Jet Zero’ equivalent. Equally, industry players appear to remain undecided on their preferred routes, leaving port operators in the dark.
However, in a similar way to aviation, shipping still has the opportunity in the short term to focus on its ‘low regrets’ options, working on decarbonising its operations while other decisions are finalised. We are looking at how we can help port operators decarbonise and electrify their portside operations through providing the high levels of electrical capacity required to bring down carbon emissions from ports.
Airports and ports have high energy demands. Our recent analysis found that, to fully electrify a medium-sized airport or port operations, this would call for the sort of grid capacity needed to power a typical town. It’s National Grid’s role to ensure that these locations have the capacity required for large scale electrification of their on-ground operations when it is needed. But we also have one eye on the future where powering the actual aircraft and ships will be an even greater challenge.
Airlines and shipping companies are looking in more detail at their options for decarbonising the service they provide. This may be through hydrogen and electricity for planes plus ammonia for ships. Whichever route they take, we are looking at how we can accommodate the future electrical demands that will arise from the manufacture, storage and fuelling of these options. For example, if hydrogen becomes a chosen solution, ports and airports may wish to produce their own hydrogen on site, which will likely require greater grid capacity for electrolysers and co-located renewable generation.
We are beginning to explore whether learnings from our innovation projects, particularly those relating to electric car charging, could assist with these challenges. Our Take Charge project is a ‘plug and play’ solution, providing motorway service stations with the electricity capacity required for the installation of large numbers of rapid EV chargers. This could provide the basis of a solution for airports and ports, ensuring they have the capacity needed for on ground operations electrification.
Reducing the carbon emissions of two of the highest carbon emitting modes of transport will not be easy, but the journey can start now. While airlines, shipping companies and manufacturers continue to explore and invest in their future energy routes and needs, the airport and port operators can still make significant progress in their decarbonisation journey. They can begin this shift by initially focusing on decarbonising their ground operations, which will need increased grid capacity. As their low carbon ambitions grow, future operators will need even more grid capacity to support zero carbon fuels.
The planning needs to start now and will ensure that the electricity grid is prepared for the inevitable increase in demand. To achieve this, National Grid is keen to speak to as many airport and port operators as possible. We are confident that collectively we can rise to this challenge and achieve a net zero future together.
