The UK’s decision to leave the European Union is bad news for the proposed transition to smarter grids, warns a leading academic.

Phil Taylor, Siemen’s professor of energy systems at Newcastle University, has said that the UK has made it harder to de-carbonise our energy system by “diminishing its ability to use inter connectors” for balancing systems.

Taylor commented that the decision to leave the EU will reduce the UK’s ability to negotiate prices of goods, while our use of inter connectors will be more expensive and less flexible.

He added that the decision is bad for system balancing and prices, while the UK is moving towards an energy system with less capacity margin and less spinning reserve which is carbon rich and expensive by replacing it with flexibility of all kinds.

He continued that we have nearly diminished our ability to use inter connectors to aid the act of balancing.

The National Grid’s head of strategy, markets and regulation, European business development, told the Energy and Climate Change Committee earlier in the year that the UK must try even harder to be more influential, but that it is possible to achieve looking at the example of the non-EU country Norway.

Taylor also commented that it has been proved that smaller power systems and island power systems are more difficult to de-carbonise while maintaining the stability of the grid.

He also said that he anticipates the out vote to result in a reduction of the incomes of academic institutions by up to 20%, while access to the vibrant European research community will be more difficult.

Newcastle University is one of 13 universities around the world which has ‘global principle partner status’ with multinational firm Siemens.

Taylor also warned that the UK is now in a less strong position that it was prior to the vote to convince such organisations that it is a good place to invest in development and energy research.