/ A new report published by Eurelectric examines the impact blockchain will have on Europe’s distribution network operators. The digital ledger technology is a potential threat to operators, offering a cheaper and more efficient alternative, but with it comes concerns of a monopolised network system. Could blockchain spell the end for the traditional network distribution model?

We also find out more about a mobile app that allows Northern Powergrid customers to win cash prizes by turning off appliances at times of peak demand, consider whether a big city can retrofit its already vast network of drinking water and sewage pipes with turbines capable of producing hydropower, and in a special roundtable feature we ask experts for their opinions on new nuclear in the UK.

Plus, we talk to Centrica about how an organisation as large and unwieldy as the NHS could benefit from an energy upgrade, investigate the role of water in the coal supply chain, and address the £1.3bn worth of energy loss in the UK due to poor cabling. /

Read on for all this and more, and join the conversation on Twitter. 

Katie Woodward, editor