Smarter switchgear for a renewable and resilient Europe

As Europe ramps up its renewable ambitions, Lucy Electric chief executive John Griffiths believes the future of the grid needs smarter switchgear and stronger partnerships.

How does the European energy sector turn shared ambition into collaborative action?

Recent decades, especially the last ten years, have shown that when the right policy levers are created and regulatory frameworks established, the energy industry can deliver powerful results for a more secure and sustainable energy future. The shift of major generating capacity away from coal, the growth of onshore and offshore wind, increased solar and battery storage are now playing major parts in the energy mix. This has required significant collaborative action but was arguably one of the easier parts of the transition.

The ambition of greater decentralisation of energy generation and management, closer coordination of supply and demand profiles and adaptation to changing consumer demand will also require consumers to be more involved than they have so far. This will not be straightforward.

Utilities, generators and developers of low carbon technologies need the reassurance of skilled, engineering-driven and innovative supply partners to collaborate on what will be these harder-to-tackle parts of our energy consumption.

It’s 2030: what does Europe’s energy mix look like?

Across western countries, the goal of the energy mix is energy security. In Europe, this will come from a reduced reliance on imports or volatile markets in fossil fuels, such as gas, and accessing more home-grown renewable sources. Currently, imports make up over 50% of energy consumed in Europe, so there is a fair way to go.

The ability to increase renewables in a resilient way will drive a continued shift towards greater electrification. Stability and flexibility will be integral to this, reducing reliance on these imports and therefore lowering costs. Aligned to this will be how the EU facilitates more cross-border interconnections, and the introduction of policy initiatives, such as the Affordable Energy Plan and Clean Industrial Deal, will help to bring down industrial energy, essential for a competitive business, industry and economic landscape.

Is there another industry vertical that has vital lessons for the energy sector?

It is hard to think of another industry that has been required to undergo such a fundamental shift in its operating environment than the energy sector and its supply chain in such a relatively short period of time.

We have seen a dramatic shift across European countries with the decarbonisation, decentralisation and digitisation of energy systems. This has been at a time of increased cost pressures from geopolitical challenges, shifting consumer demand and political environments.

Other sectors such as telecommunications or the shift from analogue to digital television have seen sector-wide transformation over time but the combination of changes in our industry are fundamental and require the industry to work together for the innovative engineering solutions that will enable the goals being set to become realities.

What is the biggest workforce issue for the energy transition? 

One of the most significant challenges for progressing to Net Zero isn’t financial or policies but human: the industry lacks the skilled workforce necessary to deliver on investment. Even if funding is unlocked, there aren’t enough workers to install connections, maintain equipment, or respond to emergencies. Addressing this gap is vital.

The supply chain has brought to market many digital solutions, automation technologies and AI to make it easier for utilities to maintain their assets, but the numbers of engineers to manufacture infrastructure and install new equipment fall well short of what is needed. Europe and the UK are competing on a global market for talent, and a combination of solutions are needed to address this challenge.

Increasing opportunities within schools through STEM subjects, apprenticeships, retraining and upskilling is critical. There is no single solution that will meet the vast demand of our decarbonised and decentralised energy future, it will require the expansion of all these opportunities.

Is the energy sector making the most of the current AI tech?

Two key application areas dominate the way AI enables more efficient grids: monitoring and fault detection. Both are critical in the sector’s ability to adapt to the remarkable transformation of widespread electrification and changing supply and demand patterns.

Monitoring enables near real-time assessment of load profiles and electricity demand, providing operators with valuable insights into the behaviour of the network. AI-enabled monitoring is revolutionising how we maintain and operate our networks transforming the grid from a static system into a dynamic, intelligent network that can adapt to the demands of modern electricity consumption. This capability not only supports operational efficiency but also lays the foundation for a smarter, more resilient energy infrastructure.

Fault detection is a critical application of AI, solving one of the biggest challenges for operators. Allowing utilities to move from a reactive approach to managing faults on the network to a proactive, predictive strategy, identifying faults before disruptions occur. Maintenance programmes are better targeted with predictive maintenance reducing lengthy power cuts and emergency repair costs.

The use of AI technologies in our industry will continuously evolve to keep up with demand. As we move to even greater use of low carbon technologies such as EVs, heat pumps and domestic renewables as standard, AI will need to accelerate for utilities to maintain energy security and reliability.

What sustainability practice in your organisation are you most proud of? And how have you reduced your personal carbon footprint?

Lucy Electric is committed to improving its sustainability and in turn improving customers’ Scope 3 emissions, including targeting a 35% reduction in Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 2031. Our Carbon Reduction Certificate demonstrates our rigorous approach to transparency and accountability which means our emissions data quality is robust and we can make meaningful changes to reduce our impact.

Since 2021, the carbon intensity of our operations has decreased 25.7%, and energy consumption has decreased by 2.8% since 2023. These are just two successes we’ve delivered so far despite our 35% increase in turnover and a corresponding rise in production.

We see our biggest overall contribution to sustainability in innovation like our non-SF6 range of Ring Main Units.

What are the biggest challenges facing energy leaders today? 

Electricity consumption is expected to rise by 60% by 2030, requiring expanded renewable generation such as wind and solar. Much of this expansion occurs at the distribution level, coinciding with infrastructure upgrades, where roughly 40% of assets are over 40 years old.

With the scale of investment estimated to be around €400bn, is understood; the rate at which this transformation needs to take place is at a greater pace than has ever been seen before. Policies and money alone are not enough.

A robust, diverse and experienced supply chain is essential; manufacturing capacity, materials and skills have all faced increasing challenges as the global competition intensifies. There is determination across Europe, seen with the EU Grid Action Plan 2030, to deliver the expansion needed for a shift to reliable clean energy and reduced reliance on fossil fuels imports.

How are your industry experts going to address these challenges at Enlit Europe in Bilbao?

Enlit provides a prime opportunity for Lucy Electric to showcase innovative engineering expertise and long-term partnerships with utilities worldwide. With over a century of experience supplying London’s network infrastructure, we bring deep technical knowledge to Europe.

Our partnership approach combines knowledge, history and presence in our customer’s markets, driving shared success at the heart of major growing cities from Dubai and Riyadh to Bangkok. Most recently, we have pioneered the development of a new range of non-SF6 Ring Main Units, showcasing our Aegis EcoTec as part of supporting utilities efforts to decarbonise energy infrastructure.

We also recognise that no electricity networks are the same and as utilities adopt digital solutions as part of ensuring smarter, more flexible grids, we must tailor our technology. Our bespoke monitoring, data analysis, and automation tools are designed with the customer in mind. Our experience has taught us that the answer can’t always be a full replacement programme, so our solutions integrate seamlessly into existing systems, enabling utilities to unlock insights without disrupting operations and reducing minutes lost.

If you had a magic wand what is one thing you would implement today?

Recent outages in Spain, France, the London Underground, and Heathrow demonstrate the impact of network faults. Stable, resilient electricity is critical for hospitals, airports, and daily life.

Grid resilience is more critical than ever. With electricity demand expected to double between 2030 and 2050, a resilient network is non-negotiable for economic growth.

For the industry to move in the right direction, a significant mindset shift is needed. This must be matched by real, tangible change, moving from reactive to proactive fault management. Currently, large parts of our energy network remain blind spots, particularly at the medium voltage and secondary substation levels, as well as across overhead line infrastructure.

Lucy Electric partners with network operators to shine a light on these blind spots. Together they can identify weaknesses and fix faults pre-emptively, thereby significantly reducing outages and minutes lost. Capturing, locating, and analysing critical data points across these segments is essential for predictive maintenance and building true network resilience.

As one network executive said: “It’s unacceptable that we only learn about power outages when customers call us.”