5G – The art of the possible

Completed

Other Cross-Cutting Technologies or Research
Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electricity transmission and distribution)

Applied Research and Development

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Computer Science and Informatics)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Project Contact
National Grid Electricity Transmission

Network Innovation Allowance

Ofgem

01 June 2021

31 March 2022

ENA months

£265,016

Power

London

Network Innovation Allowance

Project Contact, National Grid Electricity Transmission

Project Contact, National Grid Gas Transmission

Method: The project will be mainly carried out as a desktop-based research project including a small number of site visits to inform the optioneering for wireless communications designs and cost benefit assessments. NGGT and NGET will work with a specialist consultant and will provide detailed domain knowledge and share key use cases. The specialist supplier will carry out the research into how 5G technology can address the highlighted problems and will also include generic designs as well as a technical and economical assessment of a number of use cases.Data Quality Statement (DQS):The project will be delivered under the NIA framework in line with OFGEM, ENA and NGGT / NGET internal policy. Data produced as part of this project will be subject to quality assurance to ensure that the information produced with each deliverable is accurate to the best of our knowledge and sources of information are appropriately documented. All deliverables and project outputs will be stored on our internal sharepoint platform ensuring backup and version management. Relevant project documentation and reports will also be made available on the ENA Smarter Networks Portal and dissemination material will be shared with the relevant stakeholders. Measurement Quality Statement (MQS): The methodology used in this project will be subject to our suppliers own quality assurance regime which is currently in the process of ISO 9001 certification. Quality assurance processes and the source of data, measurement processes and equipment as well as data processing will be clearly documented and verifiable. The measurements, designs and economic assessments will also be clearly documented in the relevant deliverables and final project report and will be made available for review. Quality assurance:The quality assurance process for this work will align with the requirements documented in the Energy Network Innovation Process (ENIP) section 3. Based on the common risk assessment methodology, the project risk category is “low” due to TRL change 2 -> 4, cost<£500k, single supplier and clearly defined assumptions and principles regarding project data and delivery. The chosen quality assurance approach is therefore “Internal Assurance” and will be delivered in line with our internal project quality assurance process. As part of this project we are proposing to investigate the opportunities that 5G networks can offer in this context with regards to the provision of high bandwidth wireless communication channels as well as location-based services. The project will provide an extensive overview of the current and future capabilities of wireless networks as well as collect and evaluate potential use cases. Several high value use cases will be developed in more detail with regards to technical and commercial aspects including a detailed business case.Integration of 5G solutions into operational/IIoT networks and deployment options will also be covered. The project will be delivered in 4 work packages as follows:Work package 1: Overview of current and future capabilities of 5G technology Evolution, roadmap and comparison to other alternative technologies Deployment options and infrastructure requirements 5G applications and integration into IIoT and operational network infrastructure Cyber security features and considerations Work package 2: Stakeholder engagement and feedback Investigate value levers for energy networks Develop long list of use cases Work package 3:Assess and prioritise the long list of use cases Select four highest scoring use cases for further detailed analysis Work package 4: For each of the four use cases, Develop and design a high-level technical solution Develop corresponding specifications Carry out cost benefit analyses Develop a roadmap for trial and pilot schemes to facilitate future higher TRL work This research aims at providing an assessment of the capabilities of current and future wireless networks and how these technologies can be applied by energy networks. Specific emphasis is on 5G and successor technologies as availability improves. The objectives of this work include: Detailed assessment of current and expected future performance of wireless networks. Analysis of deployment issues in a GT/distribution and ET/distribution environment. Investigate deployment models and infrastructure required for 5G networks Review of cybersecurity measures and features Development and appraisal of long list of use cases including technical and economic factors Identify key value levers for energy networks Design of 5G communications solutions/concepts for a number of use cases in terms of technical implementation and detailed business cases ready for follow up development and rollout projects.This work aims to support energy networks identify opportunities to deliver enhanced consumer value through digitisation and use of 5G and successor technologies.

This project aims to investigate the opportunities that 5G networks can offer with regards to the provision of high bandwidth wireless communication channels as well as location-based services. The project will provide an extensive overview of the current and future capabilities of wireless networks and evaluate potential use cases. Some will be developed in more detail with regards to technical and commercial aspects including a detailed business case. The highest value use cases are expected to be in the area of online asset monitoring and backhaul of system and asset data, however a detailed review will be included in the project. If successful, the project will provide the foundations for follow up projects which are expected to prepare several applications for Business as Usual rollout.

02/11/22