The Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE), working with subcontractors Sustainable Energy Ltd (SEL), is leading the development of a cross-borough energy masterplan for the Kensington and Chelsea Council and Hammersmith and Fulham Council.

Energy masterplans help provide an evidence base for planners to deliver low carbon energy, a vital part of our transition to net zero.

This energy masterplan adopts a whole system approach to decarbonising heat across the two boroughs. Through this project, we’ll produce a well-evidenced long-term strategy for the deployment of heat networks in the two boroughs.

Accelerating low carbon energy deployment is vital, and we’ll be looking at opportunities for heat network development in the near term too.

This work has the potential to be the first step towards the development of a full Local Area Energy Plan for the boroughs.

Rigorous evidence base

The project will develop a rigorous, high-resolution, techno-economic evidence base to identify zero carbon heat network opportunities across the two boroughs.

It will make strong use of CSE’S pioneering heat network optimisation tool, THERMOS, and SEL’s techno-economic models.

Strategic stakeholder engagement

To develop heat networks, it’s vital to engage local stakeholders so they understand why they are necessary and are encouraged to connect where possible. Our modelling work is integrated with a strategic, carefully structured and managed stakeholder engagement process. This makes best use of existing local knowledge and secures consent and commitment from key actors across the area.

Supporting this work, CSE has recently worked with the Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE) and SE² to deliver qualitative research with local building owners to understand their attitudes and willingness to be connected.

Focusing priorities

This project builds onto CSE’s heat zoning work looking in further detail at a local area. Once we’ve modelled the opportunity zones for the two boroughs, we’ll zoom in to a handful of the most promising zones for detailed analysis.

This will support the two boroughs to focus priorities and improve the chances of the masterplan to be implemented, starting from the most deliverable opportunities.

The project is part funded by the Greater London Authority through the London Energy Accelerator programme.