Sphere No.48 (Jan 2020)

Sphere #48 2020 08 In the 2013 DreamWorks film The Croods , a prehistoric family only dares to venture out in the daytime; dusk sees them cowering in a cave from all the nasty things that go bump in the night. Man conquered fire and then built cities; it became the dawn of the night-time for mankind. It was a safer sort of dark that emerged in the cities, a seductive danger, a fun night-time culture of relaxation and revelry that took place after the serious work of the day was done. Enterprise AFTER MIDNIGHT Cover story n the modern era, working through the night is vital. Civilisation needs the oil, gas, electrons, containers and calories to flow 24/7. But it has a cost. The dangers of sleepy workers monitoring heavy equipment and vital machinery have been scrutinised and considered. Now, world-beating operations across CK Hutchison’s global enterprise not only compensate for those concerns but have turned the midnight hours into a time of peak performance, with operators sometimes turning in their best work after the sun goes down. Fire may have been the liberator from darkness, but now it is artificial intelligence, advanced physiological and psychological understanding, and other cutting-edge technologies that make us masters of the night. Insightful leaders know how important our night-time operators are to economic success. They plan for night-time to not just extend the daytime, but to take advantage of the unique circumstances that arise when the sun goes down. London lights UK Power Networks keeps the lights of central London bright for 165,000 homes and businesses. This includes the I