UK Launches AI Challenge to Cut Peak Electricity Demand by 2GW

The UK government has announced the Clean Energy: 2GW Peak Time Flexibility challenge as part of the R&D Missions Accelerator Programme.

• £4 million initial funding allocated for the first year of a five-year challenge aiming to shift peak electricity demand by 2 gigawatts by 2030, equivalent to powering over 1.5 million homes, to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and cut energy costs.
• The programme is led by UK Research and Innovation in collaboration with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, involving AI and digital technologies to improve energy demand forecasting, manage demand, and optimize electric vehicle charging, with participation from Digital Catapult, National Energy System Operator, Ofgem, and National Grid.