Our energy infrastructure is typically very centralised – sending energy one way, from bulk supply points to the networks’ edges where we live and work – and it would take £110bn of new cables and pylons to distribute all the green electricity we will need through the national grid. Decentralised energy (DE) takes a different place-based approach, bringing together energy supply, storage and use within individual cities and towns. Its visionary approach creates big efficiencies, saves carbon and costs, and establishes an entirely new way for us to live with energy.
If you want to read or listen to a couple of inspiring examples about decentralised energy, look below. If you are already doing something similar, jump here if you want to do something bigger.
Inspiration read
One of the UK’s most powerful urban projects
Powering Oxford to a net zero future
Led by a consortium of partners, Energy Superhub Oxford (ESO) is an integrated approach to decarbonising power, transport and heat to help Oxford reach net zero by 2040. As a national demonstrator project, it showcases a powerful network of rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging, battery storage, low carbon heating and smart energy management technologies. The impact of ESO’s low carbon infrastructure will continue for decades and it provides a blueprint for other towns and cities across the UK to cut carbon emissions and improve air quality.
Public-private teamwork
ESO showcases the power of public-private sector collaboration too, with Oxford City Council, private energy system providers and the University of Oxford all working together. Facing challenges at different stages in the lifecycle of the project – when different skillsets from the project team was needed – the diverse consortium was a real strength. For example, the local council was incredibly important in enabling the effective deployment of smart, local energy systems. Partnering with experienced private operators and public institutions, these networked projects can be successful even where local authorities possess less experience and expertise with regards energy innovation.
Routes to replication
Many of the innovations pioneered by this project are already being replicated by the project partners elsewhere! EDF Renewables has committed almost £200m of investment funding to replicate the transmission-connected model at five other sites in the UK, while Invinity is deploying the same flow battery in other projects. Copying the successful Oxford model for supporting EVs, similar high-powered EV charging facilities for local authority and taxi fleets are also being sought alongside new EDF Renewables battery storage sites to accelerate the transition to electrified public and fleet charging.
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Inspiration listen
Do Something Bigger
What would inspire you to do something bigger for climate and nature? In this, the first episode of the Carbon Copy Podcast series, Do Something Bigger, we introduce our year-long campaign: 25…
Do something bigger
There are plenty of roles to play in implementing a decentralised energy system, bringing cheaper energy for consumers, building local prosperity and accelerating local areas’ journeys to net zero through progress in towns and regions around the country. Different models exist that can be replicated, from private networks like Energy Superhub Oxford to peer-to-peer energy to Smart Local Energy Systems to Virtual Power Plants. All of them require a high degree of collaboration, multi-level coordination and a pioneering spirit!
Share energy peer-to-peer (P2P)
Imagine generating excess renewable energy from your solar panels and sharing it seamlessly with neighbours in need, creating a more efficient community system than selling it back to the grid. Several P2P energy trading platforms already operate in the UK, where households with solar panels can sell their surplus electricity directly to those without solar panels (who buy this renewable energy at a lower cost). UrbanChain is the leading UK peer to peer energy provider, currently managing +200GWh of renewable energy exchange with +3.3TWh in their pipeline! Some of the UK’s biggest energy firms are also backing this localised system with their own trial projects: EDF Energy, Centrica, Pobl Group.
Create a town-wide Smart Local Energy System (SLES)
The concept of a Smart Local Energy System is to harness locally produced energy and put it to use within the local community, using smart information and local technologies in the control of that energy. There are lots of benefits for local areas in adopting a SLES, including lower carbon emissions and energy costs, boosting local employment and regeneration. Rugeley SLES is one of just a dozen such programmes in the UK, creating a scalable energy solution that can be replicated in other towns.
Build a Virtual Power Plant (VPP)
Consisting of a network of technologies, including batteries for homes and businesses, electric vehicles and possibly hydrogen fuel, a ‘virtual power plant’ balances the interactions between all these local energy assets to maximise the self-consumption of locally generated renewables. People and businesses register the assets they wish to make available to the VPP (e.g. a home battery system) in return for lower bills or additional revenue. ReFLEX is an amazing example that aims to make Orkney a ‘smart energy island’ – decarbonising heat, transport and electricity by digitally linking 100% renewable energy – and eliminate the need for fossil fuels entirely.
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Generate energy locally
Install low-carbon heating
Renewable Energy
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