We live, work, and travel in regions, cites, towns, and communities, but energy systems are still very centralised. UKRI’s Prospering from the Energy Revolution programme explored the potential of smart local energy systems and place-based approaches. Discover learnings and insights from the £104 million, five-year programme.
We live, work, and travel in regions, cites, towns, and communities, but energy systems are still very centralised. UKRI’s Prospering from the Energy Revolution programme explored the potential of smart local energy systems and place-based approaches. Discover learnings and insights from the £104 million, five-year programme.
From 2018 to 2023, Innovate UK and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) delivered a major innovation programme focused on smart local energy systems: Prospering from the Energy Revolution.
The programme was funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. Its aim: to work with businesses, communities and academics to explore intelligently joining up energy supply, storage and use at a local and regional level.
We live, work and travel in regions, cites, towns and communities. Yet our energy infrastructure is still very centralised – sending energy one way, from bulk supply points to the networks’ edges where we live and work.
This programme asked: what if we could bring together energy supply, storage and use to create energy-smart places, enabled by the latest technologies? Could we balance supply and demand locally, improve flexibility and resilience, save costs and carbon, and create new ways of living with energy?
With £104m of funding from UKRI, the programme funded over 80 projects around the UK, from feasibility studies to large-scale demonstrators.
The result: a rich bank of learning and evidence that will help everyone working to unlock the potential of place-based energy.
A smart local (or place-based) energy system brings together energy generation, storage, demand and infrastructure and connects them in a smart way, at a local or regional level. This allows for a more tailored, dynamic approach to the energy transition, recognising that different places and communities have different needs and ambitions.
Smart: energy supply, demand and storage assets, are connected using software, artificial intelligence and digital energy platforms.
Local: these systems are set up within a local area, such as a town, city or region. They are managed and delivered often by local authorities and other local organisations.
End of Preview
Designed to aid Local Authorities in developing robust, evidence-based plans to enable Net Zero.
Already have an account? Login
Guest preview of selected publicly available resourcesFull library of 1,000+ articlesCPD accredited e-learning coursesCase studiesDiscussion forum
