Enabling smart local energy systems
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 £104m, five-year programme.
About the 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.
What is a smart local energy system?
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.
Why does a place-based approach to smart energy systems matter?
The Prospering from the Energy Revolution programme challenged the status quo, funding innovative trials and research on systems that can bring together energy supply, storage and use locally or regionally.
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Smart local energy projects
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Overview
Projects
The Prospering from the Energy Revolution programme invested in four large-scale demonstrator projects around the UK. With substantial funding, they aimed to show in reality how integrated intelligent local systems can deliver power, heat and mobility to users in new and better ways.
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Overview
Projects
These 10 projects developed detailed designs for local energy systems focusing on areas the size of towns, cities and regions. From Northern Ireland to Southend and from Liverpool to Peterborough, they covered a range of settings, including urban and rural, domestic and industrial, commercial and mixed energy systems. The projects aimed to develop models with the potential for replication across the UK in the 2020s.
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Overview
Projects
The programme invested in 11 projects to develop concept designs for smart local energy systems. These varied in scope, scale and degree of long-term strategy. Whilst some covered small areas of major conurbations, others were much larger.
- BankEnergi – Providing local energy systems for the London South Bank community
- LEMDEx – Local Energy Market in Devon and Exeter
- An Energy Revolution for the market town of Caldicot
- Greater Manchester Local Energy Market
- The Development of a Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) Micro-grid Management Platform
- GreenSCIES – Green Smart Community Integrated Energy Systems
- Whole Energy System: Levenmouth Integrated Demonstration (WESLID) – Concept and Design Study
- Bristol Energy Smart System Transformation
- Intelligent Bridgend Energy System Designs
- E-port Energy
- Energy Autonomous Community (Isle of Wight)
- A feasibility & development study into local energy frameworks & end user engagement
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Overview
Projects
These 15 varied projects researched and developed key technology components that could become effective elements of smart local energy systems.
- Maximising Grid Services from Electric Vehicles (M-GSEV)
- Port Energy Systems Optimisation (PESO)
- Hypervolt – Smart local energy systems
- Thermochemical seasonal solar energy storage for building applications (SeasonalStorage)
- Rail-Charge
- Domestic Infrastructure and Network Optimisation (DINO)
- BankEnergi – end to end software for energy trading
- ADVENT – Advanced Data-driven Virtual Electricity Network Tracking
- URBAN-X, Urban Local energy trading exchange
- Guru Engage
- v-powerChain: a distributed and intelligent virtual power plant for micro- to medium-scale renewables
- Open Protocol Cloud Metering for Heat Networks
- EV Fleet-Centred Local Energy System
- Heat networks as flexible grid assets
- Smart HOme Control for ENergy System Integration (SHOCENSI)
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Overview
Projects
In 2018 Innovate UK funded 19 short ‘fast start’ energy projects looking at elements of energy systems, which then became part of the Prospering from the Energy Revolution programme.
- GENSSIS (Gravitational Energy Storage & Synchronous Inertial Stability) Phase 2
- Multi- Sites, Actors, Vectors, Energy Services (Multi-SAVES)
- HyStERIAA- Hydrogen Storage to Energise Robotics In Air Applications
- HALLO – High and Low Light Opv
- CryoHex – Ultra-efficient cryogenic heat exchangers for liquid air energy storage
- Thermal Energy Storage System (TESS)
- Low Cost Energy Vectors for a Microwave Induced Plasma Gasification Sytem
- Waste Ammonia to Hydrogen Production using Electrochemical and Ecological Processes (WAHEEP)
- Smart microgrids in Tanzania
- Development of a Protoype MOF Coated Heat Exchanger for Heat Pump Applications
- Solar Energy Inverter Maximizer
- Developing a Buildings and Energy Data Platform
- Frankenstack
- Zero Waste Hybrid Biomass micro-CHP
- Low Cost Li-Ion Battery Storage from Recycled Cells for Distributed Power Generation Using Renewable Resources
- N-SYNTH
- Cheaper Waste Heat Recovery Through Improved Screw Rotor Technology
- Advanced Combustion System: Low Emission, Fuel Efficient & Flexible Low Carbon Pwr
- A software platform that enables smart charging of electric vehicles
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Overview
Projects
Data is the single biggest enabler of a decarbonised, decentralised and digitised energy future. But before it can be used, it has to be accessible. In 2019 Innovate UK, working with BEIS and Ofgem, launched the £2 million Modernising Energy Data Access competition – to find the best ideas to test and deliver ways to make these digital services operate with each other effectively. The competition aimed to generate a ground-breaking solution which would tackle the difficulties of data access, enabling energy data to be open-sourced for the benefit of society. To ensure a rapid and ‘agile’ but rigorous process, the funding competition had three separate phases.
The Energy Systems Catapult hosts a lot of useful information about the energy data projects, including presentations from the project teams.
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Overview
Projects
Access to data is not enough; innovative applications using that data will be needed to maximise the benefits of smart local energy systems. In 2020, UKRI launched the Modernising Energy Data Applications competition, sponsored by BEIS and Ofgem, for feasibility studies on such data applications. Projects had to demonstrate benefits to users, offer scalable commercial opportunities, and use the Open Energy data architecture developed under the previous MEDA competition.
The Energy Systems Catapult hosts a lot of useful information about the energy data projects, including presentations from the project teams.
- Electric vehicle infrastructure investor app
- Net-zero operation map
- Supporting fuel poor households through data integration and AI
- Future energy and transport tool
- Smart metering leak detection
- LAEP+
- AI generative design tool for low-cost district heating networks
- AI-powered digital twin for the power system
- Geospatial solution for EV chargepoint infrastructure
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Overview
Projects
In 2022 the programme awarded funding to six projects working on new open software, hardware and data solutions to help accelerate the UK’s transition to a net zero energy system.
They include new open technology solutions for applications such as:
- solar power forecasting and management
- heat exchanger design
- communication systems for offshore wind farms
- heating, ventilation and air conditioning control in buildings.
- State-of-the-art solar PV generation forecast for individual PV systems
- Open Energy Efficiency Savings (Open EnEffS)
- Open Source Plumbing Controller
- 5G Open RAN IAB radio stack Development via open source solutions
- Household and Community Solar Assessment Calculator
- AI Driven Open Source Framework for Next Generation Heat Exchangers
Research and support
EnergyREV
The programme funded EnergyREV, a consortium of over 60 academics from 22 universities, which generated a mass of research on aspects of smart local energy systems, to provide new tools and insights and inform change.
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Energy Revolution Integration Service
ERIS, provided for the programme by the Energy Systems Catapult, analyses the benefits of smart local energy projects and systems, supports local area energy planning, and has developed the Net Zero Go toolkit for local authorities.
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What we have learnt
What next for smart local energy systems?
RESOURCE
Net Zero Go
Practical support to help more councils deliver clean energy projects that can help meet the UK's net zero targets.
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SECTOR
Net Zero
Innovate UK Business Connect is delivering a range of Net Zero solutions that will have an impact on the large-scale change the planet needs.
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SECTOR
Place
Innovate UK Business Connect is committed to delivering place-based activities that make a difference to innovators across the UK.
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SECTOR
Energy
Our Energy Team is at the centre of Innovate UK Business Connect’s work contributing to delivering the UK’s ambitious Net Zero targets.
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NETWORK
Net Zero Places
Innovate UK Business Connect supports local authorities to achieve their net zero ambitions by collaborating and adopting innovation.
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Get in touch
If you have any feedback on the programme or have a question for the team, please get in touch.