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UNDERSTANDING its gas supply. Thus, the gas network

was designed around large, centralised
inputs of natural gas, feeding a reliable
THE CHANGING supply of gas, of consistent quality,
to the national transmission system
(NTS) with little to no embedded
entry of alternative gases. This gas
was passed down the pressure tiers to
ENERGY LANDSCAPE the consumer. As there was only one
supply of gas, all gas in the network
was correctly assumed to be the same
in terms of gas quality, and it was
subsequently modelled in this way.
However, the diminishing supply
of natural gas from the North Sea,
coupled with the drive to distribute
energy compliant with decarbonisation
targets, has resulted in a very different
gas industry landscape. The modern
gas network is subject to rapid and
significant changes in gas quality due to
the ever-increasing variety of gas sources.
Traditional UKCS gas, imported LNG, plus
embedded gases such as biomethane and
LNG boil-off gas are all injected into the
network at different points, each with
different qualities and properties.
At present, there is a lack of
monitoring across the distribution
network. The lack of real-time
monitoring in the distribution
network results in modelling based on
upstream conditions. This iterative and
recursive process is based on complex
mathematical models, whose base
Alastair Scott, Energy Futures Graduate, provides an update assumptions were derived in the 1980s.
on SGN’s ground-breaking Real-Time Networks project This model has served the industry well,
but it is losing validity as the gas network
atural gas is the bedrock of gas comes from, where it enters the modernises, with embedded entries and
the UK’s entire energy system, network and the way we use gas have more variety in gas supply and demand.
fundamentally supplying just all changed and will continue change. Based in the South East of England,
under 37.5 per cent of our total The current tools to monitor and model RTN has installed an extensive
N energy demand in 2017 . It is the network and how it is used are and complex network of novel and
1
delivered to our homes, businesses, becoming less relevant to an ever- innovative real-time monitoring
industries and power plants by an changing gas network. This project will equipment. This field trial aims to
industry which has experienced very enable our industry to adapt to changes establish real-time capability at every
little change over the past few decades. now and in the future. stage of the Medway network, as well as
SGN owns and operates the gas It will also transform the way we real-time localised weather data. All data
distribution network that delivers model our network, allowing more is collected at six-minute granularity
natural gas and green gas to 5.9 million informed operational decisions and and transmitted, stored and analysed
customers across Scotland and the network investments to be made. in a novel, cloud-based solution,
South East of England. In 2018/2019, And it will provide the modelling where the modelling takes place. The
we delivered 137TWh of energy. flexibility required to enable the gas installations include 1,200 flow loggers
Along with project partners DNV network to distribute different types on domestic, industrial and commercial
GL, our NIC-funded Real-Time of gases in greater quantities, such as properties, six novel sensor sites on
Networks project has, since 2017, been biomethane and hydrogen, a key step in various pressure tiers measuring gas
conducting the most extensive and the decarbonisation of the nation’s gas flow, quality, pressure and temperature,
meaningful gas demand research the supply, which supplies so much of the 25 pressure loggers on the low-pressure
industry has seen for decades. Through energy we rely on every day. network and five dedicated weather
this, we have developed a potentially Since the conversion from town gas stations recording real-time composite
transformative approach in the way we to natural gas, the UK gas industry has weather variable data.
view, model and plan our network. This been designed and operated under the Results from the modelling have
project, has for the first time, enabled ‘beach to meter’ concept. When natural delivered some significant findings,
real-time gas demand modelling, gas from the UK Continental Shelf including a potential reduction in
energy modelling, and full visibility of (UKCS) was plentiful and reliable, the our understanding of estimated peak
live network performance. Where our United Kingdom was self-sufficient in demand, which underpins all network

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