Opportunities to enhance electricity network efficiency. Final Report.

From:
Department for International Development
Published
1 January 2015
Document Type:
Technical Report
Theme:
Infrastructure
Authors:
Vivid Economics, ARUP

Abstract

This project seeks to investigate whether and how the application of emerging technologies and techniques can promote electricity network efficiencies and thereby achieve low carbon development goals.

The highest impact opportunities in relation to enhancing network efficiency are likely to be in enhancing understanding of emerging applications and leveraging private finance to drive adoption of those applications. To support these objectives, this report seeks to identify and investigate applications that fulfil four criteria:

  • The application is not well understood technically and in terms of the policy and economic barriers that may prevent its application, and so further research and understanding would likely be of benefit to the climate and development communities;
  • The application is well placed to leverage private finance;
  • The application actively promotes, or at least does not obstruct, ‘leapfrogging’ by facilitating adoption of decentralising technologies, such as storage, distributed generation or smart meters, and innovative business models in electricity supply; and
  • The application has clear abatement potential.

This report:

  • Frames the issues at hand through a broad literature review, that identifies a range of technologies and techniques that could improve network efficiency, and assesses each against the criteria above to identify priority applications for further investigation;
  • For these priority applications, it provides a deeper literature review on relevant technical, policy and economics issues and builds on this with case studies to highlight potential barriers and opportunities in relation to implementation; and
  • Develops a diagnostic schematic to identify where the priority applications may be most feasible or have the greatest impact.

Citation

Vivid Economics; ARUP. Opportunities to enhance electricity network efficiency. Final Report. Vivid Economics, London, UK (2015) 111 pp.

Opportunities to enhance electricity network efficiency. Final Report.

Published 1 January 2015
Contents