Science at the Heart of Energy System Change

Electricity markets are transforming, having to adapt to more decentralised and intermittent low-carbon generation. Drawing on expertise in mathematics, engineering, and social sciences, our scientists are asking some of the most pressing questions of the day: What are the optimal ways to design and operate the energy system? How can we make different models and scenarios available to enable independent analysis of future outcomes? What decisions should be made in situations involving uncertainty and risk, and what do conventional models fail to show? And what role does politics play in determining the structure of market arrangements, both nationally and regionally?

Through the Scottish Forum on Future Electricity Markets, we bring together world-class scientists and key stakeholders to discuss cross-disciplinary, real-world issues that will shape the future of our energy systems.

A weathered utility pole with multiple power lines attached against a partly cloudy sky.

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Chris Dent website
17/08/2025

Chris Dent: We need a new paradigm for local distribution networks

Chris Dent is a Professor of Industrial Mathematics specialising in operational research and optimisation, statistics, and on how uncertainty can be managed when analytical data is missing. Previously, Chris led the Managing Uncertainty in Government Modelling project at the Alan Turing Institute and has collaborated with The Global Power System Transformation Consortium.
Modelling a zonal market
09/06/2025

Zonal pricing would have created over £2 billion more welfare in the UK between 2022 and 2024

If a zonal electricity market had been implemented in 2022, 2023, and 2024, it would have improved Great Britain’s welfare by £2 billion, according to a University of Edinburgh model. The model is an open-source, independent alternative to proprietary tools, which have dominated the discussion on the UK electricity market reform.

scottish flag free stock
09/06/2025

Report: Electricity market reform and its possible implications for Scotland

University of Edinburgh academics Dr Ronan Bolton, Prof Chris Dent and Dr Lars Schewe recently led on the establishment of the Scottish Forum on Future Electricity Markets. Working in collaboration with the Royal Society of Edinburgh and ClimateXChange, the initiative seeks to inform Scottish Government policy and wider public discourse on the crucial topic of electricity market reform.
Andrew Lyden - researcher
08/06/2025

Andrew Lyden: Having an open-source model would have made market reform discussions less polarised – and we’ll need one in the future

Andrew Lyden is a Lecturer within the Institute for Energy Systems. His recent work includes PyPSA-GB, a model of the UK energy grid capable of simulating both historical data and future scenarios. He is also involved in the INTEGRATE project, which focuses on integrating multiple energy sources with seasonal thermal energy storage to support the decarbonisation of heat.