Supporting local authorities to deliver decarbonisation with open data
What will energy for local authorities look like by 2050?
- Will Hull see 7.8MW of energy storage?
- Could West Lindsey have 13MW of rooftop solar?
- Will there be nearly half a million EVs on the roads of Leeds?
Forward planning is necessary to manage uncertainty. Comprehensive data enables factual and constructive dialogue and will be a key resource for local authorities as they develop their decarbonisation strategies. As the network provider for Yorkshire, the North East and northern Lincolnshire, we want to play our part and are doing so by providing data that will accelerate net-zero conversations, and collaboration.
Over three quarters of local authorities across our region have declared a climate emergency and all councils are developing initiatives that will drive decarbonisation and champion clean and renewable energy.
At Northern Powergrid, we’ve mapped the potential future uptake of low carbon technologies like electric vehicles, heat pumps, rooftop solar PV generation and energy storage as part of the Distribution Future Energy Scenarios (DFES) project.
This modelling – and the data that sits behind it – is crucial for our network planning and ensuring we are an enabler of net zero. The assumptions we are now testing is that this data will help local authorities determine how to implement net zero strategies.
DFES is an annual outline of potential future energy pathways. It gives a multi-scenario view of the potential rates of energy efficiency, generation, heating, and transportation as our region transitions towards a decarbonised economy. DFES is built around the four scenarios defined in the National Grid Future Energy Scenarios: consumer evolution, community renewables, steady progression and two degrees.
Each scenario outlines the likelihood of meeting climate emergency-related targets and each model highlights some potentially interesting outcomes. The 'Community Renewables' scenario, highlighted in the statistics that kickstarted this article, assumes that people will adopt electric transport early and strong support for renewable energy generation.
We’re now calling on local authorities across Yorkshire, the North East and northern Lincolnshire to review the data behind DFES and share any new initiatives or projects that they are working on that will likely impact planning scenarios for the future energy network in the area.
Understanding what low carbon plans local authorities have will support us, as the electricity network operator, to efficiently plan the development of the network and facilitate regional decarbonisation.
We understand that each local authority will be implementing tailored low carbon strategies to account for nuances across the region. For example, authorities along the Northumberland coast may favour onshore wind, given its natural abundance, whereas the vast expanses of North Yorkshire may be more suited to large scale solar generation. Across the region we are expecting EV numbers to surge and so on-street fast charging will be vital in metropolitan hubs like Leeds and Newcastle, as off-street parking is rarely an option in cities. There, public transport will also contribute to the end goal.
We are therefore asking all local authorities with low carbon plans to review the DFES data and scenarios and to offer feedback on relevant new plans and developments. This could include significant EV charging proposals, mass heat pumps or energy storage installation. We’re also interested in hearing if your authority may have contrasting assumptions, and which scenario best matches your own expectations of what the future energy network may look like.
Thanks to ongoing stakeholder engagement, we’re aware of the multitude of exciting and innovative strategies already in place across our operational area. We now must ensure that the energy transition meets local authority needs as well as supporting regional and national decarbonisation. By collaborating with all stakeholders in our region, we can ensure that we deliver the data driven solutions to achieve the smoothest possible net zero transition.
We welcome your feedback:
• Complete the qualitative and quantitative feedback forms downloadable from here by 31 March 2020
• Join us at our dedicated feedback workshops: