The Local Net Zero Hubs were initially created to provide local authorities with the additional capacity and capability to transform their local energy strategies into investable and deliverable projects – and this remains a core part of our work.
Energy use in the North East and Yorkshire is projected to double in the coming years – making it critical that areas develop and deliver a pipeline of the energy generating projects they will need to economic power local growth, transport and housing – keeping costs down for businesses and households alike – as well as informing strategic investment in the energy system.
The Hub provides local authorities with free support to develop and deliver energy projects they might otherwise not have the staffing or specialist skills to pursue alone.
We provide dedicated staff hosted locally within each of our Mayoral Strategic Authorities and working across the region, identifying potential local projects and progressing them to the stage where they are ready for investment.
Local Area Energy Plans are data-driven assessments of future local energy needs, alongside recommendations for the most effective ways of meeting that demand. They’re often an important first step in developing pipelines and portfolios which can attract private investment into local energy projects.
Hub staff have played a central role in the development of Local Area Energy Plans in West Yorkshire, York and North Yorkshire, Hull and East Yorkshire and Tees Valley, as well as parts of South Yorkshire.
Managed nationally by the Local Net Zero Hub network, the Local Area Energy Accelerator is a programme of pilot projects designed to drive commercial investment into local energy projects following the completion of a Local Area Energy Plan. York and North Yorkshire is one of only three areas in the country to be part of this programme.
The Hub has played a crucial role in connecting local areas to sources private finance for local energy projects.
We regularly partner in major events like Green Finance UK, the 3Ci Investment Summit and the Clean Industrial Investment Summit which bring together private investors and local areas to better understand each other’s needs and ambitions.
We’ve also brokered a number of roundtables and meetings between local areas and financial institutions looking to invest in local energy projects.
We’ve been a vital connector, contributor and advocate for our local authorities for the National Energy System Operator as they develop the Regional Energy System Plan (RESP) which will shape the future of the regional energy transmission and distribution system and with Northern Powergrid as they work to reduce connection wait times and local grid congestion issues.
We’ve also plotted a path to a Hydrogen-fuelled region, delivering a regional Hydrogen Roadmap which sets out how hydrogen supply, distribution and demand in the North East and Yorkshire could evolve over the next 15 years.
The roadmap found that “hydrogen will play a key part” in meeting the region’s future energy needs and is “a credible pathway for decarbonisation” for industry in the region with a “potentially significant role to play” in powering road transport, shipping and aviation.
As part of our new mission from government, we will also be working with our partner authorities to build a regional picture of clean energy skills. This follows a recent project Retrofit Skills Analysis which set out the retrofit skills needs of the North East and Yorkshire and piloted new approaches for meeting it.
Here are some examples of recent energy projects we’ve supported.
