Great British Innovation has led to some of the greatest transformations in history such as the Agricultural, Industrial, and more recently Digital revolutions. We need this innovative spirit more than ever if we are to meet our ambition for clean energy. What these changes mean is that great innovation will be funded and rewarded seamlessly – just bring us your ideas,” states Marzia Zafar, Deputy Director Strategy – Energy Systems Management & Security at Ofgem.

“In the past few decades, the energy system has already begun to move from its old way of thinking and doing to adopting new technologies like smart meters and new arrangements to create flexibility in the energy system. There is still more that needs to be done, we need longer duration energy storage and seasonal storage.  We need households to have smart devices that automatically flex when the system sends signals. We need nuclear, Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS), offshore wind, onshore wind and digital solutions that can use machine learning to run the energy system efficiently and visibly.”

To assist the country in achieving this, applying for the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) to gain funding is improving following Ofgem’s announcement of a new process being introduced to enable this. Following extensive engagement with stakeholders, the changes will make the SIF more flexible and create more opportunities to apply for funding.

Over £95 million was announced for ten trailblazing projects through the SIF in July 2023.

SIF projects aim to end the era of high energy bills,  excessive carbon emissions, and energy insecurity by accelerating the transition to clean, homegrown energy.

Projects being developed include technologies that will enable more flexible use of energy, artificial intelligence (AI) and weather data systems to predict energy network risks and faults and circuit breakers that enable the increasing amounts of power generated by offshore wind to be connected to the grid more efficiently.

Delivered in partnership with Innovate UK, the SIF is funded by Ofgem and taps into the best of UK and international innovation while aligning with other public innovation funding for the benefit of energy network users and consumers. Launched in 2021, the fund is expected to invest £450 million by 2026.

Jodie Giles, Innovate UK, Strategic Innovation Fund Programme Director, said: “As we strive towards net zero, we are continuously improving how we support innovation. The launch of the enhancements to the application process for the Strategic Innovation Fund will increase the frequency of application cycles and streamline our processes.  With these improvements we aim to accelerate the delivery of transformative solutions and drive forward the energy transition with greater efficiency and flexibility.”