Andrew Scobie explores Edinburgh’s legacy of innovation, tracing the city’s evolution from Renaissance thinking through to the steam engine and electromagnetic theory. 

This year, to mark International Women in Engineering Day, we spoke to some of our team, to hear their perspectives on how the engineering landscape is evolving, and where progress is still required.

The essay further investigates ENODA’s integrated technological solutions as a case study in how innovation can “deconstrain” the AC electricity grid, increasing its capacity, stability, and efficiency.

We are waiting to learn what caused the Iberian blackouts. We don’t yet know the precise chain of events that took down the Iberian power grid, and we shouldn’t speculate on the causes until we have the data. Nevertheless, this tragedy has drawn attention to the challenge of maintaining frequency stability as electricity systems decarbonise.

In her latest opinion piece featured in the EUobserver, Anna Bazley details both the challenges facing the Spanish electricity grid and the promising reforms underway.

However, as industrial control systems (ICS) and smart meters shift from isolated setups to internet-based networks, new cyber threats emerge. SCADA protocols, originally designed for closed systems, now face connectivity challenges, allowing a single cyberattack to escalate into a widespread blackout.