Together with Wales & West Utilities (WWU), we created the Energy Systems Toolkit and an accompanying set of resources to help local organisations with net zero planning.
The client background
WWU, a UK gas network operator and regularly engage with a wide range of stakeholders in their area around future energy planning. They had identified a need to support local organisations, such as local authorities and community groups, with net zero planning given the complexity of this issue and whole energy systems planning.
What the client needed and their key question(s)
The aim of the project was to create a set of resources to help local organisations with net zero planning. Scoping out what resources would be most useful was part of the project.
We undertook the project in three stages in collaboration with WWU:
- A needs analysis to scope out what resources would be useful for this stakeholder group and to avoid duplicating existing resources.
- Developing a toolkit, making best use of existing resources.
- Testing and refining the toolkit to ensure it was fit-for-purpose for the intended audience and purpose.
Our solution
We created a comprehensive toolkit that included:
- An Excel tool, building on WWU’s Pathfinder Tool, that enables the user to consider different energy scenarios. It uses simple demand, supply and storage scenarios to identify localised carbon and fuel bill impacts. This allows the user to “play” with different energy mix scenarios and understand the impact of these.
- A PDF toolkit containing a wide range of information and guidance. This includes technology descriptions, a beginner’s guide to net zero, case studies and considerations for whole system energy planning.
We interviewed a range of local organisations prior to developing the toolkit to understand their challenges and needs around net zero planning. We tested the toolkit with a range of organisations and received very positive feedback on its accessibility, content and relevance. Small iterations were made to improve the toolkit further.
The toolkit is available on WWU’s website and can be accessed by eligible organisations by contacting WWU.
Our impact
LCP Delta’s breadth of expertise across the energy transition, modelling capabilities and experience in creating inspiring and engaging materials made us ideally placed to carry out this project. We had worked with WWU on a previous version of their Pathfinder model, enabling us to adapt it to a local organisation user. We supported WWU to launch the toolkit through a webinar and other promotional activities.
