The Hub periodically conducts and commissions research projects aimed at meeting the knowledge gaps holding back the development of local and community clean heat and energy projects.
The following research projects have been completed by the Hub.
This study concluded that the size of the regional retrofit workforce will have to increase by 6.2% a year to meet demand for domestic energy efficiency upgrades and, following extensive engagement with stakeholders, identified the following obstacles to achieving this growth:
Following the completion of the analysis, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero allocated the Hub a small amount of funding to deliver two pilots aimed at testing local approaches to addressing these issues.
A model which takes data on current projected energy demand and planned asset development to show a picture of how hydrogen supply, distribution and demand could evolve in the North East and Yorkshire over the next 15 years.
The independent research states “hydrogen will play a key part” meeting the region’s future energy needs and is a “a credible pathway for decarbonisation” for industry in the region with a “potentially significant role to play” in powering road transport, shipping and aviation.
Research setting out how local authorities can put a price on carbon emissions and better integrate climate change in their everyday decision-making and service delivery.
The research puts a financial value on the carbon emissions of local authority investments and service delivery in terms of the potential impact of climate change on their communities and future costs of decarbonisation – making it easier to make a case for Net Zero investments.
Independent evaluation – based on over 500 interviews – of five years of domestic retrofit delivery from the Hub, aimed at informing future delivery and setting out what good retrofit looks like.
Guidance titled Starting the Conversation developed by engagement specialists Involve on behalf of the Local Net Zero Hubs to support local authority officers to build the skills and confidence needed to lead meaningful conversations with communities about clean energy.
Research setting out the skills and data local areas need to maximise the impact of their local energy planning – and the digital tools which could help them.
The Hub commissioned the Energy Systems Catapult to produce a study into how Spatial and Temporal Modelling (STeM) can be deployed to help local authorities get the most out of their Local Area Energy Planning by developing a dynamic data-driven approach which adapts to changing realities of places.
