SpatialEnergySystemPlanning

The Spatial Energy System Planning (SSEP) project will be split into two main workstreams.

Methods for Strategic Spatial Energy System Planning

This project will develop practical methods for producing an SSEP that can make use of information on:

1. Options for the type and location of energy production, energy storage, and CO2 capture and storage
2. The location, size and flexibility of demand for energy
3. The environmental impacts of infrastructure development to assess the implications for electricity, natural gas, hydrogen and CO2 network infrastructure, and what represents a least cost and socially and environmentally acceptable plan for overall energy system development.

It will draw upon NEV-NetZero (see below), using a novel approach to allow rapid and transparent exploration of options and trade-offs.

Environmental Information for Energy System Planning

Under the previous phase of UKERC, NEV-NetZero was developed: a detailed spatially explicit model that examines location choices for renewables, bio-crops and associated infrastructure across the UK, with a focus on how environmental considerations change those location decisions. NEV-NetZero will be developed to enhance its useability for energy system planning.

Following guidance from key stakeholders including Crown Estate and renewables developers, NEV-NetZero will be extended to better capture the visual dis-amenity costs of wind farms, with other ecosystems services considered as appropriate, potentially including carbon and fisheries. To maximise stakeholder impact the ORIES (Offshore Renewable Impacts on Ecosystem Services) decision support tool, developed in UKERC4, will be integrated with the NEV-Net Zero model, and policy relevant GIS spatial layers will be added.

This will enable users to predict the effects of proposed offshore wind farms on marine habitats, biodiversity and ecosystem services, and inform decisions on Marine Net Gain. The research will be collaborative with other themes across UKERC, and the Public Engagement Observatory, and inform further work on citizen engagement.