A NEW partnership seeks to design the largest smart city regeneration project in the UK.
The £2m Peterborough Integrated Renewables Infrastructure project scheme, which is being led by Peterborough Council, will cut energy bills and provide green heat, electricity and transport for residents.
Combining a next generation heat network, electricity network and electric vehicle infrastructure under one holistic scheme, the two-year project has been granted funding to begin the design of a local, smart energy system.
Councillor Marco Cereste, cabinet member for the environment at Peterborough City Council, commented on the scheme: “This exciting announcement will give Peterborough the opportunity to use its own green, locally produced electricity and heat to benefit residents.
“It’s a landmark step in our aim to be carbon-neutral by 2030 and will be the most exciting and innovative clean, green energy project the city and indeed the country has ever seen.”
Other partners in the project include SSE, Element Energy, Cranfield University, Smarter Grid Solutions and Sweco UK.
Nathan Sanders, Managing Director of SSE Enterprise Distributed Energy, commented on the partnership: “Peterborough Integrated Renewables Infrastructure project is an exciting project for us to be investing in.
“We hope it will demonstrate the potential of smart cities to drive local decarbonisation in a commercially viable manner.
“It takes a ‘whole systems approach’ to energy one step further by integrating all socio-technical elements into one solution that can help councils hit their net zero targets.
“We are proud to work with leading partners and an enlightened council leadership to enhance the lives of UK citizens.”
The Peterborough Integrated Renewables Infrastructure project brings together energy generation, demand and storage, unlocking efficiencies not deliverable under our existing, traditional energy systems.
It is envisaged to be especially effective in areas where the electricity network is constrained as well serving as a blueprint for other urban locations across the UK.
Peterborough Integrated Renewables Infrastructure project will be part funded by UK Research and Innovation Prospering from the Energy Revolution challenge and unlock major social and economic value for the Peterborough area from 2022.
Rob Saunders, Challenge Director, Prospering from the Energy Revolution at UK Research and Innovation, said: “This innovative project provides new approaches to delivering our net zero commitments by delivering cleaner, cheaper energy services while creating more prosperous and resilient communities.
“But as well as their benefits to consumers, this project, as part of the Clean Growth Industrial Strategy Grand Challenge, place UK industry at the forefront of the global shift to clean energy systems and economies.”
Significant private sector investment has been secured for and by members of the partnership who each have existing decarbonisation expertise.
The project is one of five to win funding to create a pipeline of innovative and investable local energy system designs that will be ready to roll out across the UK in the 2020s.
Peterborough is one of the fastest growing cities in the UK while also being committed to reducing its carbon emissions.
Its Peterborough Integrated Renewables Infrastructure project aims to deliver a significant drop in CO2 emissions by 2030, while cutting energy bills by up to a quarter.
Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth, Kwasi Kwarteng, added: “Every corner of the UK has a part to play as we eliminate our contribution to climate change entirely by 2050.
“This innovative project in Peterborough will deliver energy savings and reduce carbon emissions – a win-win for communities and the environment.”
