Impact
The Academy supported the National Energy Systems Operator (NESO, formerly National Grid ESO) to further enhance their whole system capabilities, which they are deploying to enable the energy transition.
Insights from Academy Fellows have helped NESO incorporate systems approaches into their corporate strategy. The Academy supported NESO to explore their whole system remit, including the interconnections between the energy system and adjacent systems that are outside of its immediate control. This approach has been incorporated into NESO’s ongoing operational activities.
Systems Journey
During the transformation from National Grid ESO to NESO, the Academy delivered two Systems 101 workshops. Leaders from across National Grid ESO participated in the workshops to explore the impacts of the energy transition on different economic sectors. Workshop participants examined NESO’s role in balancing stakeholder needs during the energy transition process.
The workshops provided leaders and strategists with systems tools and approaches ahead of the organisation’s launch. Matthew Blackmur, then Strategy Manager at National Grid ESO, highlighted that:
“The workshop fulfilled our expectations, and we would recommend it to other organisations wanting to enhance capability around systems approaches.”
Abbie Badcock-Broe, then Head of Corporate at National Grid ESO, completed a Policy Fellowship to identify strategic opportunities and risks. Through discussions with Academy Fellows, she was able to bring systems thinking and leading engineering expertise into strategic thinking that took place during the transformation into NESO.
Abbie Badcock-Broe reflected that Fellows’ expertise gave the new organisation:
a courage mindset to tackle the challenge of decarbonisation and think holistically about the other sectors and systems that NESO intercepts with.
Browse more case studies
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