Blog - Guest Blogs & Editorials

The smart grid revolution: Turning data, AI and human expertise into energy resilience

  • 5 days ago (2026-07-11)
  • Junior Isles

While the days of a fully autonomous grid are still a way in the future, the intelligent smart grid powered by Industrial AI, predictive analytics and an empowered workforce is very much here today. It’s taking energy and utilities far beyond simple decarbonisation goals – it’s improving reliability, affordability, and safety.

By Carol Johnston, VP Industries, Energy, Utilities, and Resources, IFS

Keeping the lights on: Critical national infrastructure longevity

  • 6 days ago (2026-07-10)
  • Junior Isles

Conflicts in Iran and Ukraine have reinforced the need for national energy security. And while the rapid increase in renewable energy has reduced the UK’s reliance on imported oil and gas, while also supporting Net Zero targets, it has also placed unprecedented pressure on critical national infrastructure. 

By Dr Benedikt Engel, CEO and Co-Founder, MatAlytics

The energy efficiency assessment that doesn't stop the line

  • 9 days ago (2026-07-07)
  • Junior Isles

Energy appraisals that work within existing data infrastructure, continuous digital monitoring that replaces periodic snapshots, and structured upgrade programs with clear payback timelines have removed most of the practical barriers that once made efficiency assessment feel risky or disruptive.

By Erich Labuda, President, Motion Services division, ABB

It’s time to change who can access clean energy deals

  • 17 days ago (2026-06-29)
  • Junior Isles

Organisations that are too small or too widely spread to sign a CPPA alone can work with others to reach the scale that makes a deal possible.

By Robert Groves, CEO, SmartestEnergy

Energy-efficient power by the kilowatt-hour

  • 23 days ago (2026-06-23)
  • Junior Isles

Smart financing drives smaller energy-efficiency projects.

By Oliver Finkill, Head of Specialist Finance, Commercial Finance UK, Siemens Financial Services (SFS)

How opening the grid to competition could cut bills and boost growth

  • 24 days ago (2026-06-22)
  • Junior Isles

Consumers are bearing the cost of an energy network that hasn't kept pace with the demands placed on it. Emma Ford, CEO of Eclipse Power, explains why consumers are paying the price for a lack of competition in energy transmission.

How energy retailers can plug the five per cent revenue leak gap

  • a month ago (2026-05-22)
  • Junior Isles

Many energy retailers are losing around five per cent of revenues through hidden, data blind spots, forecasting gaps, settlement complexity and disconnected commercial systems. These issues don’t show up in headline numbers but lie under the surface, steadily destroying asset and portfolio value. This ‘invisible erosion’ has become one of the biggest commercial risks facing energy retailers as volatility normalises and margins tighten.

By Ruben Van den Bossche, CEO of Gorilla

The pursuit of efficiency: the role of distributed energy in a successful infrastructure strategy

  • 2 months ago (2026-04-20)
  • Junior Isles

With energy becoming a significant factor in either limiting or spurring growth, businesses are looking away from the wholesale market and towards the potential held within their own estates, assets and operational footprints.

By John Behan, CEO, AMPYR Distributed Energy 

Smart energy 2.0: Moving from mandates to meaningful insights

  • 3 months ago (2026-04-15)
  • Junior Isles

Great Britain’s smart meter rollout has not been without its challenges, but smart energy infrastructure is now taking real shape.

Kyle Brown, CCO at Chameleon Technology

Electrification is no longer an option, it’s an essential

  • 3 months ago (2026-04-07)
  • Junior Isles

Energy professionals – from grid operators and system planners to power generators and investors – should view fleet electrification as part of the solution to Britain’s capacity crunch and a necessary step to protect us from global energy market instability.

By Andy Rees, Director of Power, Flexibility & Optimisation, VEV