Science Minister Lord Vallance has called on tech companies to develop solutions to lower energy costs and shift peak electricity demand.
As the cost of household bills and the demand for energy, driven by increased digitisation and the use of AI, rises the government has launched a five year competition for experts to develop tech solutions to meet the challenge.
An initial £4m has been earmarked for the first year of the scheme that will encourage firms to submit solutions to shift electricity demand in evenings and weekends by two gigawatts.
The government is particularly interested in the use of AI to predict and optimise energy usage, the automatic heating and cooling of buildings based on the availability of cheap renewable power and the prospect of using parked electric cars effectively as batteries that can return energy to the grid when required.
“We’re calling on Britain’s brightest minds and innovative businesses to help us cut energy bills, boost energy security, and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels,” said Vallance.
“This is a challenge with real impact – if we get it right, we’ll save families money, protect the planet, and make the UK a clean energy superpower.
“R&D has the power to change lives and we want to harness it to deliver real, measurable progress towards the Government’s five missions and turn bold ideas into real solutions by 2030.”
The project will be led by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
“We are working to build a more flexible electricity system, giving households more choice and control over when and how they use energy,” said Climate Minister Kerry McCarthy.
“This new challenge will help deliver that, exploiting the exciting potential of AI and other cutting-edge tech to help more people access flexible tariffs and save on bills as part of our Plan for Change.”
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