Electrical power systems are undergoing unprecedented changes that increase the levels of complexity and uncertainty, mainly driven by decarbonisation targets on the way to achieving net zero operation and addressing climate change. As an example, towards this direction the UK government has set a bold target for zero carbon electricity by 2035. Increasing complexity comes from the introduction of a large number of converter-interfaced devices (CID) that exhibit very different dynamic behaviour, governed to a large extent by control. In addition, uncertainty in power system operation is increasing, due to the intermittent behaviour of renewable sources but also increasingly by social behaviour through EVs and potential electrification of heating as well as complex market and power industry structures. This leads to an exploding search space of possible operating conditions and contingencies, which is particularly challenging for computationally intensive stability assessment and dynamic studies. This aspect coupled with the increasing complexity of dynamic behaviour, makes identifying critical operating conditions and contingencies challenging. Consequently, these developments raise the need for improved representation and understanding of dynamic phenomena as well as fast and informative dynamic security and stability assessment. Both aspects are crucial in order to avoid potentially hidden risks of instability that in the worst-case scenario can lead to widespread events and even blackouts. Consequently, the aim of this proposal is to develop methods, tools and models needed to achieve a secure, resilient and cost-effective power system operation. Building on progress made in the initial part of the fellowship, the extension will continue focusing on two main directions. From one hand, it will develop tools, methods and models to represent and investigate the changing dynamic behaviour of power systems in order to capture new arising dynamic phenomena, spanning both transmission and distribution (e.g. offshore/onshore wind, solar PVs, HVDC links, EVs, heat pumps, electrolysers, etc.). On the other hand, it will develop novel machine learning based and data-driven methods for the fast and informative stability assessment as well as the estimation of the stability boundary. This direction will enable unique understanding of the dynamic behaviour that will lead to ancillary services and control to mitigate or alleviate the impact of disturbances and improve system security and resilience. In addition, the fellowship extension will continue and ramp-up engagement with industrial partners to capture practical aspects and fine tune developed methodologies to pave the way for real world applications. In effect, the results of the fellowship will enable more secure, resilient and potentially more cost-effective operation of power systems due to better knowledge of system stability limits. Consequently, much higher integration of renewables and new technologies with various technical and environmental benefits can be achieved in order to meet bold decarbonisation targets in a secure, resilient and cost-efficient manner.

Heat demand in the UK accounts for around 44% of final energy consumption and is currently predominantly obtained by burning natural gas and oil, representing about 90% of the fuel share, while renewable energy sources supply only a fraction of it. Recent legally binding net-zero targets for greenhouse gas emissions (by 2045 in Scotland and by 2050 for the UK), will truly test our nation's technical and engineering competence and ability to innovate. The net-zero transition will not only require radical changes in technologies-it will also result in a profound impact on our society. A targeted decarbonisation framework, built from the participation and contribution of every home and every customer, is needed, so each of them may find optimal place and role as a fully functioning part of a wider smart energy system. This will require innovation. DISPATCH asserts that a net-zero transition in the UK should be planned and realised as a "bottom-up" and "user-centric" approach, where scalability and flexibility are obtained through the aggregation, sharing and control of the resources of individual customers, in such a way that the search for optimal solutions always starts with customers' needs and always ends without reducing customers' comfort levels and sacrificing their wellbeing. DISPATCH will focus on multi-vector energy solutions for decarbonisation of heating and cooling in residential and typical commercial applications (office buildings, educational facilities, etc.). These can be specified as generic parameterised models, as opposed to medium and large industrial and non-domestic applications. Our decarbonisation framework will also include cooling, which is anticipated to increase due to climate change-caused global warming (since 1884, all of the UK's ten warmest years occurred in years from 2002), but also due to provision of automatic or user-set temperature regulation by reversible heat pumps. Furthermore, as the net-zero transition through electrification of heating requires electrical-thermal solutions to be better in all aspects than the currently predominant natural gas infrastructure for heating, we will use electrification of heating as a "reference case" for comparative evaluation and ranking of other considered decarbonisation routes. Arguably, the highest potential for the provision of flexibility and balancing services is through increased customer participation in energy management and coordinated shifting of energy demands in the UK's 27 million homes and 1.4 million SMEs. However, to ensure wider customer engagement and to increase their willingness to take part in various demand-side management (DSM) schemes, they should be able to access appropriate energy exchange and energy trading services for their voluntary or interest-based participation. DISPATCH approaches the above challenges as actual opportunities for exploring synergies, interoperabilities and the overall integration potential of different energy vectors, in order to identify the most cost-effective solutions for reshaping and redistributing energy flows. For example, we will repurpose balancing and demand shifting controls used in normal operating conditions as low-cost resources for automated frequency response in emergency conditions, and compare its benefits with recently introduced procurement of stability as an ancillary service by NGESO.

This project evaluates the potential of Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage (STES) systems to facilitate the decarbonisation of heating and cooling while at the same time providing flexibility services for the future net-zero energy system. The Committee on Climate Change's recent report highlighted that a complete decarbonisation of the building, industry and electricity sectors is required to reach net-zero. Current estimates are that 44% of the total energy demand in the UK is due to heat demand which has large seasonal variations (about 6 times higher in winter compared to summer) and high morning peak ramp-up rates (increase in heat demand is 10 times faster than the increase in electricity demand). Currently, around 80% of the heat is supplied through the natural gas grid which provides the flexibility and capacity to handle the large and fast variations but causes large greenhouse gas emissions. While cooling demand is currently very small in the UK, it is expected to increase significantly: National Grid estimates an increase of up to 100% of summer peak electricity demand due to air conditioning by 2050. In countries such as Denmark, district energy systems with Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage (STES) are already proving to be affordable and more sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel-based heating that are able to handle the high ramp-up rates and seasonal variations. However, the existing systems are usually designed and operated independently from the wider energy system (electricity, cooling, industry and transport sectors), while it has been shown that the best solution (in terms of emissions reduction and cost) can only be found if all energy sectors are combined and coordinated. In particular, large STES systems which are around 100 times cheaper per installed kWh compared to both electricity and small scale domestic thermal storage, can unlock synergies between heating and cooling demand on one side, and industrial, geothermal and waste heat, and variable renewable electricity generation on the other side. However, the existing systems cannot be directly translated to the UK due to different subsurface characteristics and different wider energy system contexts. In addition, the multi-sector integration is still an open challenge due to the complex and nonlinear interactions between the different sectors. This project will develop a holistic and integrated design of district energy systems with STES by considering the interplay and coordination between energy supply and demand, seasonal thermal storage characteristics, and regulation and market frameworks. The results and models from the individual areas will be combined in a whole system model for the design and operation of smart district energy systems with STES. The whole system model will be used to develop representative case studies and guidelines for urban, suburban and campus thermal energy systems based around the smart integration of STES systems. The results will enable the development and deployment of low carbon heating and cooling systems that provide affordable, flexible and reliable thermal energy for the customers while also improving the utilisation of the grid infrastructure and the integration of renewable generation assets and other heat sources.

The Centre for Doctoral Training in Green Industrial Futures (CDT-GIF) will deliver the next generation of global leaders in the energy transition, through a world-leading, interdisciplinary whole systems research and training programme to address national and global priorities to realise the green industrial revolution. The CDT-GIF is critically important, as skill shortages are currently limiting the opportunities of the green industrial revolution, adding significant risk of loss of economic and social value. For example, over 350,000 additional jobs (28% professional roles) are required to meet the demands of the current UK industrial cluster decarbonisation projects between 2025 to 2040. Therefore, there is a substantial and pressing demand for training doctoral-level graduates to fill these roles to drive R&D for industrial decarbonisation, lead critical important decarbonisation projects, and prepare future graduates for the net zero agenda. The CDT-GIF directly addresses this and is in closed alignment with the EPSRC mission inspired priority 'Engineering Net Zero' by providing an industry-guided, interdisciplinary training environment in transformative low-carbon technologies that will uniquely train 100 doctoral students, whilst leveraging significant investment from academic and industry partners. Four institutions with global standing in decarbonisation (Heriot-Watt University, Imperial College London, University of Bath and University of Sheffield) have partnered with a comprehensive range of stakeholders to ascertain the critically in-demand skills and knowledge that prospective employers are seeking to deliver net zero industries. These include technically trained on systems thinking, career ready and industry literate, and internationally connected. As a result, we have co-developed a training programme, based on three pillars, that will equip our students with these attributes, namely: (1) a cohort-based whole systems taught training programme (2) metaskills development programme (Net Zero Leadership Programme), and (3) unrivalled international opportunities to visit world-leading facilities, e.g. National Carbon Capture Centre (USA), ECCSEL (European network), Heriot-Watt Dubai campus and UNECE Sustainability Week. The training elements of the programme will run parallel to student's research in order to ensure cohesive learning within and across yearly cohorts, building peer-to-peer networks. A series of activities have been designed to foster a cohesive cohort trained in a diverse and inclusive environment that engenders a culture of environmental sustainability, research trust and responsible research and innovation. The CDT-GIF research and training programme is centred on four technological themes, with one cross-cutting systems theme: (1) Advancing carbon capture, utilisation and storage technologies, (2) Green hydrogen & low carbon fuels, (3) Developing next generation CO2 removal technology, (4) Energy processes, systems integration & resource efficiency, and (5) Integrated thematic areas including socio-behavioural change, policy & regulation and net zero economics related to the four technological themes. Within these themes, students will undertake challenging & original research projects that will be co-created with industrial collaborators to discover transformative, responsible and integrated solutions to achieve net zero. Challenging and original research projects will be rooted in one of these research themes, as well as across three integrated thematic areas and supervised by >75 internationally recognised researchers with excellent track record of doctoral supervision. In summary, CDT-GIF has the capacity, expertise and unique training opportunities to deliver the most comprehensive and transformational Centre for Doctoral Training to realise the green industrial revolution.

SuperAIRE aims to establish a world-leading network connecting academia, industries, and policymakers across the spectrum of artificial intelligence (AI) for renewable energy (RE), particularly wind, solar, marine, and bio energy. This includes generation, storage, transmission/distribution and demand side management. These represent most of the research areas in the UKRI's Energy and Decarbonisation theme. With SuperAIRE, we aim to create the conditions in which AI for RE can be promoted much more rapidly than at present to boost the development and deployment of RE. We will not only exploit the transformative power of AI in different RE subsectors but also address common challenges and optimise performance across the RE ecosystem. Supported by a broad partnership currently with 30 partners across industry (23), leading R&I organisations (5), and policymakers (2), we will incubate a Supergen AI+RE research community seizing the opportunity to enhance the UK's role as a global leader in the intelligent and digital transformation of the RE sector. Despite the recent growth in all subsectors, progress in essential technologies supporting the lifecycles of RE systems lags behind. AI offers strategic advantages in overcoming the limitations of traditional methods which struggle to process the increasing complexity and big data in RE systems. It will enable decision-supporting digitalisation, operational efficiency optimisation, cost-effective integration, multi-scenario adaptability, and technological cross-applicability. Though there are some current critical masses in AI for RE, the communities are facing many challenges, e.g., the fragmented nature of the landscape, subsystem isolation, and limited scope. SuperAIRE will address these challenges by enabling shared learning on common research challenges in different RE subsectors through promoting novel generic approaches complemented with refinements tailored to subsector's unique needs; forging a holistic view to facilitate system-wide AI applications; and fostering comprehensive solutions that go beyond single-task focuses to exploit the full potential of AI in enhancing the RE ecosystem. SuperAIRE will carry out diverse activities to engage with stakeholders, facilitate knowledge exchanges, catalyse community coherence, identify cross-sector opportunities, address skill gaps, support nurturing high-skill professionals with multidisciplinary expertise, and disseminate project outcomes. These activities include four key challenge workshops, bimonthly seminars, flexible funds, outreach activities, an international conference, etc. SuperAIRE will support early career researchers (ECRs) from both academia and industry via a dedicated ECR Forum, a mentoring scheme, secondment opportunities, and ECR grants. We will emphasise Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in all activities. Based on the current critical mass and emerging gaps and opportunities, we have also proposed six pre-defined research themes (RTs) to steer our Network+ activities, especially in guiding discussions, identifying challenges and opportunities, streamlining research coordination efforts, shaping a research landscape report, and developing a whitepaper. This includes RT1 Robust and trustworthy AI; RT2 Prediction and forecasting across scales; RT3 AI-powered digital twins; RT4 Intelligent control and management; RT5 Smart integration; and RT6 Intelligent robotics and autonomous systems in resource assessments, operations, and maintenance. Bolstered by strong support from project partners, we will consolidate core achievements and pursue the establishment of a new Supergen Hub in AI for RE at the end of SuperAIRE. Through these endeavours, we aim to enhance the efficiency, resilience, and affordability of RE, ultimately transforming the RE sector and addressing environmental challenges via AI.