Centrica is balancing the grid with innovative technology

Blog contributed by Centrica’s Meghan Cunningham.

A recent study commissioned by Centrica Business Solutions found that nearly one quarter of Fortune 500 companies have committed to carbon neutrality, 100% renewable power, or other science-based targets by 2030. Centrica itself has committed to becoming a net-zero business by 2045, and helping our customers do the same by 2050.

As people, governments, and organizations commit to and invest in a pathway to net zero, we are seeing unprecedented growth in renewable energy on the grid, combined with a digital revolution, connecting everything in our world in real time.

This rapid increase in renewable and distributed energy generation is both necessary and exciting in terms of our ambitions to reach net zero and cap climate change, but it also introduces risk of grid imbalances that can have material impacts on business costs and grid reliability.

Centrica is taking steps to reach our own net-zero targets, but also helping to build solutions that will support this grid transition, like our Virtual Power Plant (VPP) which balances grid demand and supply in real time across large geographies by aggregating unused energy assets to offset grid shortages.

Alexandra Coleman Presents at re:Invent 2021

Alexandra Coleman, Head of Energy Optimization, North America at Centrica recently spoke at re:Invent 2021 about the grid, its evolution, and how Centrica is positioned to drive change. View the session (PNU306) on demand.