National Grid Electricity Distribution, Advanced Infrastructure, West Midlands Combined Authority, Regen and National Grid ESO have secured £3.7 million in Strategic Innovation Funding for its ground-breaking PRIDE project, which aims to accelerate regional energy planning to achieve net zero. 

The project’s objective is to develop technical, social, economic, and political approaches to collaborative whole systems decarbonisation planning across energy, transport and building stock. PRIDE enables local authorities, energy networks and regional stakeholders to collaborate effectively by combining governance structures with a cutting-edge digital ecosystem based on Advanced Infrastructure’s LAEP+ platform. Through this new found collaboration and transparency, local authorities will be empowered to make informed, strategic decisions that accelerate the delivery of net zero targets.

The project is a collaborative effort led by National Grid Electricity Distribution, in partnership with West Midlands Combined Authority, Advanced Infrastructure Technology Ltd, Regen, and National Grid ESO. Together, they aim to transform how regional energy strategies are developed and implemented.

In 2023, Project PRIDE was given the green light in the round two Alpha Phase, during which project partner Advanced Infrastructure delivered a digital twin, building upon its existing Local Area Energy Planner Plus (LAEP+) platform. Following a successful Alpha, £3.7million has been awarded for a BETA phase commencing in Winter 2024.

The digital twin supports planning by Net Zero Neighbourhoods and local authorities using network data such as capacity, building stock models and 40+ regional datasets to provide local authorities with the data needed to create decarbonisation plans, such as Local Area Energy Plans and projects across transport, heating and housing. 

These plans provide critical insights into anticipated future demand and generation loads which help National Grid plan and deliver network investment where and when it’s needed most.

As part of the BETA phase project, the consortium will align modelling methods, decision making criteria and assumptions, as well as developing solutions that automate data pipelines in order to support the aggregation and disaggregation of plans at the right level of detail for Net Zero Neighbourhoods, Local Authorities, DNOs, and the ESO’s future Regional Energy Strategic Planner (RESP).

PRIDE has the potential to accelerate plans and connection requests by leveraging digital tools to assess the viability of projects and support Local Area Energy Planning by streamlining processes – and ultimately – reducing cost. The data-driven approach PRIDE offers will enable more effective strategic investment by aligning it with future demand, resulting in efficient, impactful use of capital.

The tool will bring tangible results to local authorities, simplifying their processes and fostering an environment where local decarbonisation scenarios are easily made and better informed. It will supercharge the installation of EV charging infrastructure while enabling LAEP monitoring and reporting, which could unlock finance for further sustainable energy initiatives.

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Advanced Infrastructure CEO and Co-Founder Christopher Jackson said:

“LAEP+ is a software tool that empowers local authorities to make informed and faster decisions on their path to net zero. NGED's support in rolling out this tool to local authorities allows us to support the public sector in developing the skills and capabilities to deliver net zero. 

“The BETA phase of the PRIDE project is a pivotal moment in demonstrating the value of digital innovation in the local area energy planning process across the West Midlands; and by leveraging digital twins and granular data built upon Advanced Infrastructure's LAEP+ platform.”‍

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Paul Morris, Head of Future Capacity at National Grid Electricity Distribution, said:

“National Grid Electricity Distribution is committed to driving innovation and collaboration to accelerate the transition to a sustainable energy future. 

“The funding awards from the Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund recognise the huge potential in both of these projects, and will enable us to further develop and deploy these cutting-edge solutions that contribute to achieving net zero and improving customer experience.”

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The project is funded through the Strategic Innovation Fund, an Ofgem programme managed in partnership with Innovate UK.

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