Accelerating rural electrification: developing innovative strategies and interventions to increase network capacity and support rural decarbonisation

The impact of increased decarbonisation of industries traditionally not associated with significant electrical energy use is of major interest for distribution network operators. Agricultural industries have historically had minimal impact on the electrical networks, whether by design or necessity. Rural networks are typified by poorer power quality and greater unreliability compared to their urban counterparts. When these industries choose to electrify raises issues for network capacity and reliability, as reinforcement or upgrade plans require development time.