Oxfordshire County Council has gained a nationwide award for its function in a undertaking that it says might revolutionise the way in which vitality is produced and used within the UK.
The council gained the award for the most effective local weather motion and decarbonisation initiative on the current Affiliation for Public Service Excellence (APSE) Service Awards 2023.
It was recognised for its vitality insights device and vitality flexibility trials, efficiently demonstrating the essential function native authorities can play in shifting away from using polluting fossil fuels. The work fashioned a part of the Native Power Oxfordshire scheme – also called Undertaking LEO.
Undertaking LEO, is described as an formidable, extensive reaching, collaborative vitality demonstrator scheme. It has offered a blueprint for a greener, extra versatile and fairer electrical energy system for the UK sooner or later.
The council led the event of a strategic vitality mapping platform developed with industrial associate Superior Infrastructure Know-how Ltd to assist native space vitality planning and offered property, together with buildings, to take part within the flexibility trials.
Undertaking Lead Inga Doherty, Oxfordshire County Council’s Local weather Coverage and Programme Group Chief, stated: “We have been delighted to choose up the APSE award for greatest local weather motion and decarbonisation initiative. The vitality mapping platform is already contributing to decarbonisation work throughout the county and can be used to develop a sturdy, nicely knowledgeable, native vitality plan for Oxfordshire.
“We additionally demonstrated how council property can contribute to a transition to a web zero vitality system. It’s improbable to guide on initiatives that assist us transfer over to cleaner vitality that bit sooner and to have our work recognised by APSE.”
Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cupboard Member for Local weather Change and Setting, stated the work “has documented the trail to a nationwide system that we’d like by the early 2030s.”
The vitality mapping platform was examined by Oxfordshire’s metropolis and district councils, and builds upon Superior Infrastructure’s LAEP+ (Native Space Power Planner Plus) platform, offering a spatial image of how and the place vitality is used throughout the county and informs the place modifications are wanted to allow the transition to web zero.
A wealth of information was offered by a collaboration with Power Programs Catapult – a not-for-profit centre of excellence that bridges the hole between trade, authorities, academia and analysis.
It has already been used to tell the rollout of electrical automobile charging infrastructure and determine areas appropriate for inclusion in retrofit programmes to make buildings extra vitality environment friendly.
It will likely be key to creating an area space vitality plan that identifies alternatives to cut back demand, maximise using the county’s present vitality infrastructure and scale up renewable era.
Mo Baines, APSE Chief Govt, stated: “We obtained over 300 submissions for the awards this yr, with every one demonstrating a transparent dedication to the objectives of steady enchancment and the supply of excellence in public companies.
“On behalf of everybody at APSE, I want to congratulate every considered one of our unimaginable finalists – you’re a credit score to the communities you serve.”
Lily Cairns Haylor, Head of Product and Co-founder at Superior Infrastructure stated: “In transitioning to a web zero vitality system, the LEO LAEP+ vitality insights device has demonstrated its exceptional worth in saving time and assets whereas pinpointing optimum areas and timing for the deployment of low-carbon applied sciences, together with EV cost factors. We’re extraordinarily proud to have partnered with Oxfordshire County Council on Undertaking LEO in our shared mission to decarbonise the native space.”
