Utility Week

18 | JULY 2021 | UTILITY WEEK Policy & Regulation Countdown to COP Local heroes While central government has set a target of net zero by 2050, achieving it will depend on local knowledge. David Blackman finds that energy planning can be patchy at the local level. I f this pandemic has taught us anything it is that, very oen, Whitehall doesn't know best. From the botched initial top down rollout of test and trace to the vacci- nation programme, central government has had to swallow humble pie and admit that some tasks are better le locally managed. Richard Halsey, capabilities director at the Energy Systems Catapult (ESC) centre of excellence, believes the challenges raised by decarbonisation and the pandemic are "not dissimilar". He says: "It requires strong direction from central government and a clear strategy and an outline of the direction of travel… Under- neath that it requires mechanisms that trans- late that into practical implementation. "We need strong, clear leadership at a national level but as a country it will depend on local input to see things happen." Different areas will present very var- ied energy challenges and opportunities, depending on factors like the state of the building stock and power networks. Areas largely made up of Victorian ter- raced housing, for example, will probably have bigger energy efficiency challenges than new-build estates. And in such neigh- bourhoods, more households will be reliant on public charging points because lack of driveways means fewer electric vehicles can be plugged into the domestic mains supply. Localities will also have very different resources that they can tap into. Polly Billington, chief executive of the UK100 umbrella group of local council lead- ers, described to a recent select commit- tee hearing how Stoke council uses spare warmth from industry for its heat network. Other areas have been able to draw heat from underground sources like disused mines. Each area, therefore, will have very spe- cific characteristics, particularly when it comes to decarbonising heat. One thing is clear: the man or woman in Whitehall won't have sufficient on-the- ground experience to know the right mix of solutions in both Helston and Hexham. Councils are "absolutely the best partners" national government has for achieving net zero, says Billington. "It cannot be done without local design and delivery." Policies and investment decisions should be "place-based" on the needs of particular areas or localities, according to the ESC. Local government is collectively on board with the drive to cut emissions. More than 300 authorities have declared a "climate emergency", and a third have developed strategies or have action plans in place to deliver net zero between 2030 and 2050. However, councils lack many of the basic levers required to turn these loy aspirations into practical policy. Authorities don't even have to consult energy networks when pro- jects are being developed, unlike water and telecoms providers. Some authorities stand out, but too oen networks find out about projects at "the 11th hour", says Randolph Brazier, director, inno- vation and electricity systems at the Energy Networks Association. This means in turn that councils are gen- erally lacking in expertise about the sector. "A lot of local authorities don't have that much resource or experience inhouse: we're looking at how we can help," says Brazier. Some distribution network operators are trying to fill gaps, Brazier says, giving as an example Scottish Power's Project Pace. This has embedded staff in local authorities for short periods to help plan and coordinate activity, such as helping to identify the best locations to install charge points. However, forging links with local authori- ties is a "genuine challenge", says Charles Wood, head of new energy services and heat at Energy UK. To help authorities navigate what for many is the strange new world of energy, the ESC has developed a concept called local area energy planning (LAEP). The idea is to enable councils to tailor whole-system energy transitions strategies around their local needs and priorities. "The intention is that it should be a cata- lyst for better dialogue based on evidence," says Halsey. Knowing the level of off-street parking in a neighbourhood will be an important factor when considering future electricity network upgrades, for example. Wood was alerted to the value of this grassroots approach when carrying out work on deployment of fast chargers. A coordi- nated approach can result in EV chargers being installed where capacity exists rather than a nearby location, which could involve a big network upgrade, he says. A less integrated approach can lead to chargers being installed in poorly located spots because the connection charges are lower than in town centres, Billington pointed out at the select committee. Local planning Better data about the state of energy net- works would also help cities when they carry out big development projects or draw up their statutory local land use plans, says Wood. This kind of information would feed into local transport planning too as the growing uptake of EVs increases the inter- connections between the two systems. But while the concept has been piloted in Bridgend and Greater Manchester, where it has given a fresh push to the rollout of heat networks, energy planning is piecemeal. A "single, agreed definition or approach for local area energy approaches" doesn't yet exist, according to Citizens Advice research. And while councils have a lot of legal

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