Building a greener grid for a sustainable future

A partnership between The University of Manchester and National Grid is transforming the UK’s electricity transition system for future generations.

A strategic alliance

In 2003 the University formed a strategic alliance with National Grid, owner and operator of the high-voltage electricity transmission network in England and Wales, to tackle the challenges of nationwide power supply. Among the partnership’s priorities – to successfully transform electricity transmission to a system that is greener and more sustainable.

To date, the partnership has succeeded in delivering significant reductions in CO2; has increased productivity; stimulated substantial investment in both new jobs and overall engineering activity across the UK; and facilitated the safe transfer of cleaner and more affordable energy. These steps are the beginning of the journey towards the NET Zero electricity network of the future.

Tackling challenges

Situated in the University’s purpose-built Engineering Building is the High Voltage Lab – the biggest electrical infrastructure test and research facility in UK academia. Within this £9 million lab, researchers are helping expedite innovation in electricity infrastructure, and resolving existing challenges in transmission and distribution.

Together, the University and National Grid have worked to understand the performance of alternative fluids for transformers. Used to keep electricity networks running safely, Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) is one of the most potent greenhouse gasses on the planet, and a significant cause of global warming. Thanks to the University’s full-scale test capability, it has evaluated greener alternatives with the potential to replace SF6.

The partnership has also brought about the development of a virtual substation acceptance test system that allows digital protection and control equipment to be evaluated before deployment. Improved understanding of the health and environmental impact of different assets found on the network, from overhead line insulators to cable sealing ends, and enhancement of their capacity has also been achieved.

Industry wide impact

Manchester’s work with National Grid has seen an impact not just in the UK, but also on the other side of the world. The Newton-funded UK-Chile ‘Disaster management and resilience in electric power systems’ project was awarded the 2018 Newton Prize by the UK government for excellence in research, impact and novelty.

In 2022, the University and National Grid were named Best Innovation in Net Zero and Sustainability at the E&T Innovation Awards. That same year, National Grid was successfully shortlisted as a finalist for the inaugural government-backed Bhattacharyya Award.

In addition to creating a greener network fit for a Net Zero future, the partnership has also succeeded in training the engineers who will work on it. By 2022, more than 300 Manchester graduates had worked with National Grid.

The University and NGET are also partners in the Power Academy Scholarship Programme, while between 2014 and 2023, an EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Power Networks led by Prof Peter Crossley trained PhD students with the technical, scientific, managerial and personal skills needed by the Power Networks sector.