Skip to main navigation
Home
ESO
  • ESO
  • Group PLC
  • NG in the UK
  • NG in the US
  • Careers
  • Investors
  • Data Portal
  • Calendar
  • News
  • Contact us
  • Back
  • Who we are
    • Back
    • Home
    • Who we are
    • What we do
      • Back
      • Who we are
      • What we do
      • Work with us
      • Our people
      • How we're organised
      • How we're regulated
      • Meet the board
      • Our Executive Team
      • The Future System Operator (FSO)
      • Stakeholder groups
      • Our global network
      • Compliance statements
    • Electricity National Control Centre
      • Back
      • Who we are
      • Electricity National Control Centre
      • What does the Electricity National Control Centre do?
      • What is the Balancing Mechanism?
      • How does the ENCC handle severe weather?
      • What does a day in the ENCC look like?
      • Operational Transparency Forum
    • Electricity Markets
      • Back
      • Who we are
      • Electricity Markets
      • Electricity markets explained
      • Publications and projects
      • The role of the ESO Markets team
  • Electricity explained
    • Back
    • Home
    • Electricity explained
    • What is electricity?
    • How is electricity generated?
    • How does electricity move around?
    • How do we balance the grid?
    • What to do in a power cut
    • How is electricity priced?
    • Electricity and me
    • Monthly Insights
  • A net zero future
    • Back
    • Home
    • A net zero future
    • Our progress towards net zero
      • Back
      • A net zero future
      • Our progress towards net zero
      • Carbon Intensity Dashboard
      • Road to Zero Carbon report
      • Road to Zero Carbon in numbers
    • Our net zero work
      • Back
      • A net zero future
      • Our net zero work
      • Future Energy Scenarios (FES)
      • Virtual Energy System
      • Innovation
      • Projects
      • The Pathway to 2030 Holistic Network Design
      • Empowering climate action
      • Bridging the Gap to net zero
      • Our RIIO-2 plans
    • Net zero explained
      • Back
      • A net zero future
      • Net zero explained
      • What is net zero and zero carbon?
      • Renewable energy
      • Electric vehicles
      • What is carbon intensity?
  • Industry information
    • Back
    • Home
    • Industry information
    • Connections
      • Back
      • Industry information
      • Connections
      • Our role in connections
      • The connections offer process
      • Your connections journey
      • Reports and registers
      • Connections Portal
      • Use of System (UoS) and Virtual Lead Party (VLP)
      • Connections help and support
      • TEC Amnesty
    • Balancing Services
      • Back
      • Industry information
      • Balancing Services
      • Future of balancing services
      • Demand Flexibility Service
      • Frequency response services
      • Reserve services
      • System security services
      • Reactive power services
      • Trading
      • Settlements
      • Local Constraint Market
      • Balancing Mechanism Wider Access
      • Electricity System Restoration Standard
      • Power Responsive
      • Balancing programme
      • Single Markets Platform
    • Charging
      • Back
      • Industry information
      • Charging
      • Balancing Services Use of System (BSUoS) charges
      • Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) charges
      • Assistance for Areas with High Electricity Distribution Costs (AAHEDC)
      • Connection charges
      • Charging guidance
      • Charging policy developments
      • Charging statements
      • Our consultation responses
    • Codes
      • Back
      • Industry information
      • Codes
      • Code changes: Beginner's Guide
      • Connection and Use of System Code (CUSC)
      • Grid Code (GC)
      • System Operator Transmission Owner Code
      • Security and Quality of Supply Standard (SQSS)
      • Balancing Settlement Code (BSC)
      • Digitalised Whole System Technical Code (WSTC)
      • European Network Codes (ENC)
      • About the Codes Team
    • Industry Data and Reports
      • Back
      • Industry information
      • Industry Data and Reports
      • System Performance Reports
      • Balancing services performance monitoring report
      • Data finder and explorer
      • Forecast volumes and costs
      • System balancing reports
      • System constraints
      • Voltage costs
    • Winter Operations
      • Back
      • Industry information
      • Winter Operations
      • Markets Forum events
      • Operational Transparency Forum
    • Network Access Planning
      • Back
      • Industry information
      • Network Access Planning
      • What happens when there's an outage?
      • eNAMS
      • Accelerated Loss of Mains applications
  • Our strategy
    • Back
    • Home
    • Our strategy
    • Our RIIO-2 Business Plan
      • Back
      • Our strategy
      • Our RIIO-2 Business Plan
      • How we're performing under RIIO-2
      • RIIO-2 Stakeholder Group
      • Previous plans and documents
      • Get involved
    • Annual report and accounts
  • Research & publications
    • Back
    • Home
    • Research & publications
    • Future Energy Scenarios (FES)
    • Network Options Assessment (NOA)
    • ​Electricity Ten Year Statement (ETYS)
    • Markets Roadmap
    • Summer Outlook
    • Winter Outlook
    • Whole electricity system
    • System Operability Framework (SOF)
    • Regional Development Programmes
    • Balancing Market Review

The man who works with space weather

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Email

20th December 2019 - Our people

One of the best things about working at National Grid ESO, according to Andrew Richards, is the wide range of projects that individuals get involved in. Alongside his job as Modelling and Insight Manager, Andrew works on policies relating to space weather and how these extremely unusual occurrences could affect GB’s electricity grid.

When we think about space weather, we’re talking about how the sun can affect electricity networks here on earth. Every day, huge balls of magnetic charge, created by explosions on the sun, hit earth’s magnetic field. This causes currents to flow deep within the surface of the earth, out of conductors and onto our transmission lines. This can lead to equipment like transformers behaving in abnormal ways.

Preparing the grid for space weather is a bit of a challenge because the science is still in its infancy. We don’t yet know what causes explosions on the sun, so we can’t yet reliably forecast them. For now, we have to rely on spacecraft to record when an explosion has happened and give us a warning. In the future, it would be great to know about these explosions before they happen, but we need to study the sun in more detail for this to become a reality.

With such an interesting project to work on, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Andrew’s day-to-day work was less exciting. But you’d be wrong. He’s recently been profiled by National Grid ESO as part of a video series explaining some of the unique and fascinating roles available at the company. Watch Andrew explain about his work with space weather work and his role as Modelling and Insight Manager here.  

Similar reading

National Grid ESO - Innovation Strategy 2021 - Man and woman in office glowlines ESO : Our people

Are you interested in working for an organisation that is at the heart of tackling climate change?

4 November 2022

The power is in your hands!

Read article
ESO : Our people

Celebrating International Women in Engineering Day 2022

17 June 2022

We spoke to some of the incredible women in engineering at the ESO to hear what inspired them and how they would inspire the next generation.

Read article
Day in the life of Francis Vary ESO : Our people

A day in the life of Francis Vary

10 June 2022

Francis Vary, who works in long term outage planning shares his experience at the ESO and an insight into what his current role entails.

Read article
National Grid ESO
© National Grid 2023

Connect with us

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Contact us
    • Media centre
    • Work for us
  • Information
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookie policy
    • Terms and conditions
    • Security
    • Modern Slavery Statement
© National Grid 2023
Top