UK Power Networks (UKPN) has secured funding for four pioneering energy projects through Ofgem’s Strategic Innovation Fund, each aimed at supporting the journey towards a lower-carbon, more resilient electricity system.
Among the most ambitious is Hot Chips, a project that explores reusing waste heat from data centres to warm homes.
It will assess how excess low-grade heat can support heat pump performance, be stored for flexible demand and integrated into low-temperature networks. This could help reduce heating emissions and ease pressure on the grid.
Another project called SHARED (Smart Hydrogen and Resilient Energy Delivery) investigates the role of locally produced hydrogen to back up power in rural areas.
By generating hydrogen during low-demand periods, the system could support homes and critical infrastructure like water pumping stations — boosting resilience and cutting carbon.
Luca Grella, UKPN’s head of innovation, said: “These projects will build on our existing efforts to enable the transition to a low-carbon, more flexible energy system.”
