| Abstract |
Energy consultancy Baringa Partners were appointed to design and develop a software modelling tool to be used in the planning of cost-effective local energy systems. This software is called EnergyPath and will evolve to include a number of additional packages to inform planning, consumer insights and business metrics. Element Energy, Hitachi and University College London have worked with Baringa to develop the software with input from a range of local authorities, Western Power Distribution and Ramboll. EnergyPath will complement ETI’s national strategic energy system tool ESME which links heat, power, transport and the infrastructure that connects them. EnergyPath is a registered trade mark of the Energy Technologies Institute LLP.
Local area energy planning enables stakeholders, led by local government, to interrogate different energy futures for an area and to develop the most promising, cost effective options for decarbonisation. For network operators, it provides a foundation for justifying and planning
network upgrades. Local area energy planning develops a shared vision as a basis for targeting investment, encouraging innovation, securing value for money, gaining public understanding and support. A small, additional investment in planning future local energy systems, using a whole-system approach, can leverage far greater savings in the capital required to improve existing or build new
energy infrastructure. |
