Oldham LAEP case study
As part of the Greater Manchester Local Energy Market project, Innovate UK funded the production of a local area energy plan (LAEP) for the Oldham local authority area.
To produce the LAEP, key stakeholders, including Electricity North West and Cadent, were actively involved in providing data and challenging assumptions.
Target and Scope
Greater Manchester has launched its Five-Year Environment Plan, which includes a commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2038, and an accompanying science-based carbon budget.
The scope of emissions covered by the LAEP includes:
- Transport
- Energy required for EV car charging infrastructure
- Public transport, HGVs and international transport were not included
Buildings
- Building fabric efficiency of domestic and non-domestic properties
- Fuel use for heat, including heating options such as heat pumps, hydrogen and heat networks
Electricity
- Decarbonisation of the electricity network in line with national ambitions
- Identification of local low-carbon electricity potential
- Network upgrades to accommodate electrification
Low Carbon Gas
- Hydrogen considered for heat decarbonisation in both domestic and non-domestic buildings
Local Area
Oldham currently has a population of around 242,000 living in 102,000 dwellings. There are plans to build another 11,000 dwellings between 2022 and 2038.
The buildings are concentrated in the town to the west of the area, with suburbs, villages, farmland and moors to the east.
Within the LAEP, the local authority area was divided into zones which broadly relate to the primary electricity substation that buildings are connected to (using data provided by the electrical network ENWLElectricity North West).
In total, nine zones were created using this method (shown in the map below).
LAEP stage: 6. Implementation and Monitoring
Further information:
Lessons Learnt
The different components of cost – capital investment, operational and maintenance costs, and energy costs – need to be communicated clearly.
Costs will also be distributed across different groups in the community (e.g. homeowners, private investors, the council, etc.), which may not be easy to unpick from aggregate figures.
Modelling outcomes can change dramatically depending on assumptions made for cost and carbon content of hydrogen, which is highly uncertain at this stage. It’s critical to ensure assumptions are credible, transparent, based on best-available evidence, and that any conditions of these assumptions are clearly understood and agreed early in the process.
Predicting quantities of hydrogen available in the future was also challenging, with a conclusion reached that some areas of Greater Manchester may benefit from a supply of hydrogen at the same time that others do not, due to limited production.
Impact and Benefits
The plan has been identified as a key piece of evidence in the preparation of the Council’s forthcoming strategic Local Plan, alongside a Green Infrastructure Strategy.
The LAEP has also been a key document to inform the Oldham Energy Futures project – a deep community engagement project leading to Community Led Energy Plans, setting out residents’ vision for the future design of their neighbourhoods under the low carbon transition.
Top Tips and Hints
The technologies selected by a whole systems cost optimisation model are not always straightforward to explain. Quirks in housing characteristics, such as construction techniques used in particular areas, and the knock-on effect of one change on another, like the use of hydrogen’s effect on the deployment of fabric efficiency, can lead to surprising results.
Modelled technology deployment rates may need to be restrained to keep the modelled pathway within feasible real-world possibilities, given supply chain capacity and other practical constraints. For example, installing solar on every suitable roof in time for a near-term carbon target might involve deployment rates far above what has been achieved historically. A balance must be found between what’s feasible, and the reality that net zero will require unprecedented rates of deployment. On the other hand, it may be helpful to present the raw deployment rates to illustrate the practical implications of ambitious targets.
Highlights
Plan on a Page – A high-level view of the technologies prioritised in each zone of Oldham
Density of projected electric vehicle uptake
Potential locations for large-scale solar PV and hydro generation
Next Steps
The Oldham Green New Deal Strategy, Oldham’s climate change mitigation strategy, was adopted in March 2020 before the LAEP was completed. However, the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee has received the LAEP as part of an Oldham Green New Deal update report, and the LAEP will form a key part of the evidence base for Oldham’s strategic Local Plan which is currently in development.
The LAEP forms the high-level business case for discussions between Oldham Council and potential low carbon infrastructure investment and delivery commercial partners. The Council has carried out market engagement on this basis to establish interest for an Oldham Green New Deal Delivery Partnership.
Reporting Progress
Progress against delivery of the infrastructure set out in the LAEP will now be included as part of all Oldham Green New Deal update reports. Any future Oldham Green New Deal Delivery Partnership will use the LAEP to establish a performance management framework for the commercial investment and delivery partners.
