Powering the night shift: greener energy after dark

In the wee small hours, while most of us are tucked under duvets dreaming of summer holidays and lie-ins, the energy grid is still hard at work. It’s the quiet chorus of night: hospitals ticking, hotels operating, supermarkets quietly coming to life. And in homes across the country, night owls stream boxsets, fridges hum, and electric vehicles quietly charge – ready for the morning commute.

But this isn't just a quieter version of daytime energy use, it’s a different beast entirely. And rethinking how we power those precious, peaceful hours – or how we capture unused energy ready for the coming day – could be the secret to unlocking a smarter, more affordable grid for everyone.

Running the night shift at QMC

Take the Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham, one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching hospitals. To help power their round-the-clock care more sustainably – not to mention reducing energy costs so budgets can be better focused on patient care – we’re working with Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust on a 15-year energy efficiency partnership.

The QMC’s new heating and cooling system will source energy from more than 60 boreholes, going down 200 metres underground, drawing warmth from the earth. And at night when energy use drops and there’s surplus warmth floating around won’t be wasted. We store it, preserve it – bank it – for when the hospital needs it again.

This means less reliance on fossil fuels, lower energy bills for the NHS, and a more comfortable environment for patients and staff alike. Because no matter what time it is, comfort – and cost – still matter.

Coventry: bright nights, better bills

Meanwhile, in a quiet corner of Coventry, a different kind of night shift is under way – in people's homes. Here, we’ve developed our first fully funded battery installation pilot, aimed at helping vulnerable households tackle high energy bills head-on.

Here’s how it works: A free home battery charges overnight when electricity is cheaper, and stores that low-cost energy ready for use when needed in the peak hours of the day. It gives people cheaper bills for the long term. Add solar panels to the mix, and suddenly homes are producing, storing, returning, or using their own clean energy – even while the residents sleep.

And, as part of our ‘Next Gen Home’ initiative, we’re offering more customers a modular, all-inclusive energy package to help lower the cost-barrier of low carbon technologies – allowing homeowners to benefit from solar panels, batteries, heat pumps and EV chargers, heat pump servicing, and energy, all for a fixed monthly fee (think of it like a mobile phone contract – you get the tech and the call bundles, but without the upfront cost)

But it’s more than just tech. The pilot includes direct financial support – writing off energy debt and replacing inefficient white goods – creating a genuine fresh start. It’s about treating the root cause, not just the symptoms, of fuel poverty, and it proves that a greener grid isn’t just about saving the planet – it’s about making life more affordable.

The future of 24-hour energy? It’s local

Now imagine if every school, hospital, and corner shop that powers through the night could do more than just use energy – what if they shared it?

That’s the idea behind Energy Sharing Communities. Picture a library covered in solar panels that powers its lights during the day, and sells excess solar power (at a discount!) to the homes next door at night. No waste. No waiting. Just local energy, doing local good.

Current policy still charges those buildings as if they’re transporting energy across the national grid – even when it’s just going next door. But change that rule, and we unlock a huge reservoir of rooftop solar potential, helping communities to save and share their way to a cheaper, cleaner energy future.

Superdielectrics: a battery built for the night shift

Some innovations don’t just support the night shift – they are the night shift.

We’ve teamed up with Cambridge-based Superdielectrics to develop a groundbreaking new battery technology that could power millions of homes while the rest of the world sleeps. Using a polymer material (not unlike soft contact lenses!), these batteries offer a safer, more sustainable (no rare metals and minerals here) and more affordable way to store and release clean energy, especially during those after-dark hours when reliability matters most.

By soaking up excess electricity when demand is low – and releasing it when it counts – this next-gen tech which is currently under development could save households up to 85% on their energy bills.

Bi-directional charging: when your car joins the night shift

Your EV might sleep in the driveway – but its battery could be working the late shift.

With bi-directional charging, or Vehicle-Grid (V2G) electric vehicles don’t just consume energy, they give it back. Charge your car during the day with solar power, then after sunset let it power your home or return energy to the grid when grid prices rise.

At our Testing Lab in Essen, we’re exploring how these vehicles can act like rolling batteries – charging smartly when electricity is cheap, then supporting your home or even the grid when energy is in short supply.

And you’re still in control: just set how much charge you need for your next journey, and let the car do the rest. Pilot projects show it could save households up to £800 a year. So, while your car might not clock in at 9pm, it’s very much part of the night shift team.

Uskmouth: from coal to clean (overnight) power

Innovation also means giving old sites a second life.

In South Wales, we’re helping transform the former Uskmouth coal-fired power station into a clean energy hub. Together with our partners Quinbrook, we’re building a 230MW battery storage facility that acts like a giant power bank for the grid.

These batteries will help balance supply and demand, keep prices steady, and power up to 35 million smartphones-worth of energy storage.

Grid-level storage like this is vital for energy security – especially as more renewables join the system.  And this battery will act like a massive safety net – smoothing out demand spikes, keeping prices stable, and helping make sure power is available exactly when it’s needed, even in the darkest hours.