The energy trilemma, which encompasses the balance between sustainability, security, and affordability, continues to present a formidable challenge within the UK's energy sector. As the cornerstone of future energy systems, the power grid is increasingly vulnerable to climate-related hazards such as storms, which pose a significant risk to the continuity of power supply and our communities. Additionally, the importance of addressing social equity and energy vulnerability cannot be overstated. The transition towards a sustainable energy system in the UK necessitates a comprehensive, equitable, and inclusive strategy that considers the environmental, economic, and social facets of future energy systems. SAT-Guard project is committed to addressing these multifaceted challenges through the development of innovative Satellite-aided "Forecast-Flex-Fortify" mechanisms. These mechanisms are designed to proactively manage power grids, thereby minimising power outages, enabling flexible and socially-conscious energy management, and ensuring swift and efficient power supply restoration following hazards. The specific objectives of SAT-Guard include: The development of Climate/weather-informed Digital Twins (CIDTs) to facilitate precise monitoring of renewable distributed energy resources (DERs). These CIDTs will incorporate predictive analytics of DER generation and the impact of hazards, thereby enabling proactive grid management and enhanced resilience to natural hazards. The development of flexible and socially-conscious energy management strategies to foster responsive and equitable energy communities. This will involve tailoring energy management methods to meet the unique needs of diverse communities. The formulation of hazard-resilient satellite-assisted strategies for post-hazard restoration and coordination, aimed at reducing recovery times following disruptions. The demonstration of the developed technologies within living labs to expedite their real-life impact. This will involve the integration of people, knowledge, resources, and systems to formulate effective responses to the climate change crisis. Through these objectives, SAT-Guard project seeks to pioneer a path towards a resilient, equitable, and sustainable energy future for the UK.

Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) are small, modular energy generation and storage units, e.g., wind turbines, photovoltaics, batteries, and electric vehicles, that could be connected directly to the power distribution network. DERs play a critical role in achieving Net Zero. Presently there are over 1 million homes with solar panels in the UK. With the green energy transition well under way in the UK, by 2050 there could be tens of millions of DERs connected to the UK power grid. Although DERs have many benefits, e.g., a reduced carbon footprint and improved energy affordability, they present complex challenges for network operators (e.g., low DER visibility, bi-directional power flow, and voltage anomalies), creating a major barrier to Net Zero. Meanwhile, natural hazards and extreme events are an increasing threat not only to humans but also power grid resilience - a direct impact is the power cuts, e.g., Storms "Dudley", "Eunice" and "Franklin" in February 2022 left over a million homes without electricity. How best to manage millions of DERs is still an open question, especially for improving the grid resilience to natural hazards and extreme events, e.g., storms and heatwaves. This project will develop innovative physics-informed Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions for enabling Virtual Power Plants (VPP), capable of aggregating and managing many diverse DERs; not only improving decision-making for network operators but also enhancing the grid resilience to natural hazards and extreme events. These could also lead to reduced energy bills for millions of UK energy consumers, less power cuts during extreme events, to greater adoption and more efficient management of DERs, and ultimately to enable rapid progress towards Net Zero.