COMMUNITY
Community of practice connecting local net zero champions
Seven demonstrator projects announced
As part of Innovate UK’s Net Zero Living programme, seven local authorities will each receive Innovate UK funding of between £2 million and £5 million to run practical demonstrator projects.
These projects will show how the non-technical barriers to implementing carbon-cutting measures can be overcome.
Two additional demonstrator projects will also be welcomed as active participants in the Net Zero Living programme. Led by the combined authorities of Greater Manchester and West Midlands, these were recently funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
In addition, a further 14 local authorities have been awarded up to £150,000 each to continue with their plans to tackle the barriers to decarbonisation.
Community platform launch
You’ll soon receive an invitation to access your new digital community platform. The platform connects you to insights, resources, and peers in Future Ready. You'll be able to engage in discussions with Futurenoughts about hot topics, challenges, and solutions. Guidance on how to use the platform will be provided at the online meetup on 14th December.
As part of Innovate UK’s Net Zero Living programme, seven local authorities will each receive Innovate UK funding of between £2 million and £5 million to run practical demonstrator projects.
These projects will show how the non-technical barriers to implementing carbon-cutting measures can be overcome.
Leicestershire
Project leader: Leicestershire County Council
Grant: £2,565,883
A project focusing on community energy, developing 14 projects using citizen engagement and innovative financing to meet the needs of the local community. It includes an advisory service to be rolled out across the county and aims to generate a pipeline of investible projects.
York
Project leader: City of York Council
Grant: £3,371,806
A project aiming to eliminate the barriers to retrofitting properties with carbon reduction measures. It will involve engagement with residents, creating ‘deep retrofit’ demonstrator homes, developing supply chain skills and ways to match approved suppliers and products to needs, and exploring innovative financing methods.
Orkney and Shetland
Project leader: Aquatera Ltd
Grant: £4,990,307
A project developing rural energy hubs across Orkney and Shetland to demonstrate products, services, facilities and business models with a specific focus on energy and transport. The hubs will be used to engage consumers, identify regulatory and grid constraints and drive behaviour change.
Rossendale
Project leader: Rossendale Valley Energy Ltd
Grant: £2,522,373
A project to develop a community-scale service model for delivering decarbonised ground source heat and power to terraced streets, which are constrained in terms of space. The model addresses citizen engagement and tests a financing format with no up-front costs.
Peterborough
Project leader: Peterborough City Council
Grant: £2,717,329
This project will translate the local authority’s strategic net zero and local area energy plans into deliverable packages of work. It will work on governance, funding routes, skills and capability needs and customer engagement, specifically around the rollout of heat pumps in rural areas.
Additional demonstrator projects
A project to develop a community-scale service model for delivering decarbonised ground source heat and power to terraced streets, which are constrained in terms of space. The model addresses citizen engagement and tests a financing format with no up-front costs.