Accelerating progress for a decentralised energy system

The Sustainable Towns and Cities 2019 conference took place in London on 18 September, organised by the Environment Analyst. Bringing together local authorities, architects, house builders, contractors, consultants and the research community, the event once again provided the opportunity to discuss the latest front-line solutions for sustainable housing, development and infrastructure with those charged with planning and building the UK’s towns and cities of the future.

Accelar’s Managing Director Chris Fry described the myriad of opportunities associated with the transition to a decentralised energy system and how to accelerate progress. The starting point for his talk was to acknowledge that shifting away from fossil fuels and developing a more diverse and connected energy system were now established ideas. He described how the context is genuinely different now in terms of public awareness, policy (e.g. for decarbonisation, industrial development and infrastructure), governance and investment, creating the conditions for a decentralised energy system to flourish.

Chris shared a series of practical examples of trailblazing projects from across the UK. These included district heating networks utilising a range of energy sources and rooftop solar PV retrofits for offices and industrial buildings that are now commercially viable without Government subsidy and can be fully funded by third party private investors. Looking ahead, he identified three key issues for this transition:

1) Decarbonisation of the majority of domestic heating (e.g. using electric heat pumps or hydrogen boilers) which is on the critical path for reaching net zero;

2) Getting smart with energy date and the emerging business models associated with this; and

3) Pushing the boundaries to integrate numerous innovations into the energy system, including where to go for help (e.g. the regional Energy Hubs and numerous testing centres identified in the Energy Systems Catapult’s guide).

For a copy of his slides or for more information please get in touch via cfry@accelar.co.uk