Datasets released for net zero projects in Britain

The Energy Systems Catapult has launched a series of prepackaged datasets aimed to support the design and delivery of local net zero projects.

Under the name of ‘Net Zero Data’, the portfolio of datasets has been built to align with the needs of different types of low-carbon projects being investigated by network operators, local authorities or other technology installers.

Common project themes include the potential locations for renewables and storage or renewable heat, buildings suitable for net zero retrofits and land with potential for electric vehicle infrastructure.

The Energy Systems Catapult reports that the datasets have been developed drawing on 30 years of collective data modelling expertise and are intended to fill gaps in common open data sources.

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They have been applied, refined and tested in various real-world scenarios and projects, with an example cited of understanding the baseline of a local energy system prior to full local area energy planning.

The datasets cover the local authority regions GB-wide, with availability at the regional level using the Ordnance Survey standardised ‘unique property reference number’ and thus enabling overlaying and integration with the user’s own datasets.

The datasets can be visualised with any GIS platform or through a partnership with Advanced Infrastructure Technology via its LAEP+ digital twin based planning and modelling platform.

Further, the datasets are updated on an ongoing basis, in many cases reported as often as daily.

The Energy Systems Catapult states that the use of such datasets enables more rapid decision making to speed up the net zero transition without the need for lengthy delays for custom-made datasets to be compiled.

The datasets are available both by one-off purchase or subscription.