The Big Energy Pitch 2019 will see SMEs pitching their latest innovations and technologies to an expert panel of judges from the industry.  

In keeping with the overarching theme of Utility Week, the focus will be on innovative solutions that can facilitate the transition into a smarter, more flexible energy system. The judges will be looking for technologies that benefit industry, consumers and the environment by accelerating decentralisation, decarbonisation and digitalisation.

In each session three SMEs will present their innovations to an expert judging panel who will carefully consider each pitch and quiz the candidates.  The audience and judging panel will then vote for the winning innovation.

Chair: Matthieu Michel, operations director, EIC

What does a fair energy market look like? This session will address questions around market access, transparency, market power, new technologies, pricing strategies and the ability to innovate, rather than just who pays what price for energy. It will ask, how can we transition to a culture of fairness and trust whilst continuing the drive to a low carbon, secure energy system?

Chair: Sharon Darcy, director, Sustainability First

In a world where technology, data and digital are changing the way utilities interact with customers, how can utilities truly embrace and adopt new and innovative approaches? This seminar will explore new and emerging technologies which are shaping and enhancing customer experience, and meeting growing customer expectations.

Chair: Nicola Eaton Sawford, director of everything, Customer Whisperers 

What does a utility fit for the 21st century look like? This session will address questions around how the utilities are changing and adopting new business models in order to ensure their survival and set the foundations for them to flourish. It will ask how utilities can transition from their 19th century roots and institutionalised in the old way of thinking, to a more dynamic and flexible business.

Chair: Jane Gray, content director,  Utility Week 

A keynote speech by Clive Bairsto looking back at where infrastructure delivery has been effective and how future infrastructure delivery can be improved. This will set out the role of street works in delivering vital works and the proactive role the industry can play with stakeholders and policy makers to bring tangible benefits to consumers and the economy and the policy frameworks needed to achieve this.

Chair: Clive Bairsto, chief executive of Street Works UK

As the UK’s power networks get to grips with a very different future, they are looking at how the DSO business model will work in practice. The Energy Networks Association is leading the Open Networks Project to explore implications of the DSO model, while the Future Power System Architecture project is looking even further ahead. This session will explore the latest thinking from both projects, and ask what it means for network leaders today.

Chair: Farina Farrier, ENA and chair, Open Networks Project

As demands on the industry grows, companies must consider new and innovative solutions to continue to deliver effective works. This session will consider the challenges to delivering innovation and share case studies from companies and teams which have risen to the challenge.

Chair: Clive Bairsto, chief executive, Street Works UK

Following one of the hottest summers on record, how can water companies prepare for future water shortages? This session will explore resilience and investment strategies and long-term behavioural change approaches when preparing for drought and water stress.

Chair: Paul Hickey, deputy director – water resources, Environment Agency

Fuel poverty is a fact of life for 2.5 million households across England. Too many people are forced to make unacceptable choices between ‘heating or eating’.  The latest phase of the government’s £6bn domestic energy efficiency scheme ECO is being upgraded to refocus on ‘affordable warmth’, targeted at households that officially qualify as fuel poor. In this context how can energy suppliers help the most vulnerable of customers out of fuel poverty?

Chair: Denise Chevin, acting content director, Utility Week

The gas network is at the heart of Great Britain’s energy system. It plays a vital role in transporting energy to consumers securely and cost-effectively. It’s also flexible and can adapt to support the decarbonisation of heat, transport and energy towards 2050 and beyond. So, as the nation’s energy mix changes, what does the future hold for gas? How will technology, policy and customer demands evolve, and what does that mean for network innovation?

This session will feature some of the key projects underway within the Gas Networks, with a follow-on Q&A and an opportunity to meet the speakers at the Gas Innovation Showcase Stand, Stand F2

Chair introduction: Matt Hindle, head of gas, ENA 

Key to any business transition is the adoption of new ways of thinking and operating. This session will examine the potential of some key technologies, such as machine learning and AI, as well as assessing the impact they have already made on the utilities. Rounding this off will be an outside-in case study on how a large, traditional business can evolve rapidly, cementing its place at the centre of a much bigger market as a result.

With the UK widely thought to be approaching the tipping point for the mass take up of electric vehicles, the energy networks are poised for the once-in-a-generation rollout of new infrastructure to support charging, with all the investment and innovation that will entail. Meanwhile, new solutions for low-carbon transport are emerging from the gas sector, as well. This session will explore the latest thinking on the decarbonisation of transport and ask, are networks ready?

Chair: Alec Peachey, editor, Network

Street Manager has the potential to shape the industry and how it works for years to come. This session will update attendees on progress made to date and be an opportunity to question the team at the heart of developing and delivering the project.

Digital thinking in the design and build of assets has advanced in the water sector through the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM), but the digital approach to real-time, easily updated shared information has yet to permeate into asset management and day-to-day operations. How can utilities bring about this next level of BIM and how can contractors and the supply chain help them to do so?

Chair: Robin Hackett, deputy editor, WWT

Energy retailers are preparing for the mass take up of electric vehicles with the roll out of new tariffs and storage solutions. But when will the tipping point come? And how can the industry prepare for the adoption of EVs and the central role they will play in the energy transition? This session will explore what EVs mean for customers and their relationship with energy and energy suppliers.

Chair: Jonathan Murray, policy and operations director, Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership

When the energy companies were privatised in the early 90s, the drive to increase the number of suppliers in recent years, as well as the opening up of the non-domestic water market to retail competition, the aim was to improve customer service and to slash costs. However, energy companies are fighting a tide of negative perception and increasing complaints, whilst the water retailers are still finding their feet. As a result, Utility Week is asking: Has competition failed customer service?

As an industry we have committed to minimise the risks associated with operating the gas network for our stakeholders and society. Our shared aim is to ensure the provision of a safe network in compliance with Health and Safety Executive (HSE) standards and improve asset knowledge. In addition, cyber and information security are increasingly crucial issues as we move towards a smart energy future with more connectivity. These changes mean that the way we protect our networks must change too. 

This session will feature some of the key projects underway within the Gas Networks, with a follow-on Q&A and an opportunity to meet the speakers at the Gas Innovation Showcase Stand, Stand F2.

Chair Introduction: Richard Hynes-Cooper, head of innovation, Northern Gas Networks

The Isle Innovation Competition will feature exciting and innovative technologies from within the Innovation Pavilion. This high-octane competition will see these companies pitch for 7 minutes in front of a panel of distinguished industry judges. The winner will receive an award along with the accolade of having been the most innovative technology at the Innovation Pavilion.

Chair: Stuart Moss, european managing director, Isle

The UK’s road network remains crucial for commuters. In this context, delivering effective maintenance and reinstatement works will continue to be high on the agenda of policy makers, local authorities and the street works sector. This panel session will discuss the effectiveness of the current system and what changes should be adopted to ensure high quality reinstatements are delivered first time around.

Chair: Alison Williams, streetworks policy & compliance manager, Openreach

The UK water industry is encountering a period of profound change. There are opportunities to embrace, from exploiting digital capability to accelerating innovation, and challenges to address, from rising customer expectations to creating a resilient future. What are the trends which will shape the future of our industry, will we see a transformational change, and what will the water company of the future look like?

Chair: Professor Tony Conway, director, Water Industry Forum

“If the challenge exists, so must the solution”. This session will see innovative technologies talk in more detail about challenges within the water sector and the solutions they can bring to the table. Each TechTalk will feature a different problem, innovative technology and speaker so you’re bound to walk away with more knowledge and understanding after the session.                                                                                        

The long anticipated price cap came into effect on 1st January 2019 – a historic market intervention, initially capping typical standard variable tariffs for dual-fuel customers at £1,137.  How have energy companies fared and how have customers responded in the first six months – what have been the impacts, challenges and unintended consequences; what has it done for customer engagement and switching; and has it tackled the market issues it was created to address? 

Chair: Suzanne Heneghan, acting editor, Utility Week

With the utilities eager to change themselves and the way they work, clarity is required about what they are transitioning to. Is the historical way of thinking of just being a commodity provider being replaced with that of a service provider? And what do the social responsibilities for these companies look like in the coming decades? This session examines what the future of customer service, and therefore of the utilities, looks like for the rest of this century. 

The UK government has a 2050 target to reduce carbon emissions by 80% on 1990 levels. Heating and cooling homes accounts for half of all energy consumption and a third of carbon emissions, with 80% of homes using natural gas for heating. This session will explore the latest thinking and alternative approaches for low carbon heat, asking what are the alternatives and technologies, what might they cost, what standards and business models will be viable, and how will these be integrated and delivered at scale to deliver a heat transition?

Chair: Dr Keith MacLean, managing director, Providence Policy

As lane rental schemes are developed through 2019, policymakers and industry must identify when they and how schemes will be most effective. This session will explore when lane rental schemes can be beneficial for local communities and how to ensure they are effectively managed.

Chair: Alison Williams, streetworks policy & compliance manager, Openreach

Many water companies have set goals in their PR19 business plans to reduce pollution incidents, large and small, from their assets, while others are working to reduce background pollution from customer properties stemming from misconnections. How ambitious can water utilities be in this work, and what help do they need to succeed?

Chair: James Brockett, group technical editor, WWT

Britain’s gas network has been serving customers since the Victorian age, and continues to evolve to meet new reliability and maintenance challenges. For example, we must deal with the effects of ageing assets and examine the potential of new materials to transform the way we operate. As smart systems are increasingly adopted, how should our network management adapt to a digital future? And how can gas and electricity networks work more closely to improve reliability and maintenance?

This session will feature some of the key projects underway within the Gas Networks, with a follow-on Q&A and an opportunity to meet the speakers at the Gas Innovation Showcase Stand, Stand F2

Chair introduction: Gulraj Chatha, Cadent

An idea originally born out of the first Utility Week Live Hack last year, the "Digital Doorbell" has come a long way from its initial concept. In this session, you’ll learn what happened once the hackathon was over, including a discussion from Microsoft and mobile technology company Apadmi about how they’ve progressed the product, with a demonstration and video of the prototype in action. Plus, you’ll take a look at its future, and see how this product could help thousands of vulnerable customers across the UK.