A total of £21m has been awarded awarded to ten smart energy projects across UK to trial new technology which could become a blueprint for greener localised energy generation.

If successful, the community pilot projects, which span from Liverpool and Coventry, to Southend and Milford Haven, could redefine local energy generation and help the fight against climate change.

The competition is part of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Prospering from the Energy Revolution challenge and will contribute to the goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth, Kwasi Kwarteng, said: “Every corner of the UK has a part to play as we eliminate our contribution to climate change entirely by 2050. This funding will deliver energy savings and reduce carbon emissions – a win-win for communities and the environment.”

The competition winners include:

Zero Carbon Rugeley - a detailed design of a smart local energy system for Rugeley Town and its local area, including the 2,300 houses being built in the former ENGIE Rugeley Power Station.

Peterborough Integrated Renewables Infrastructure (PIRI) – that will integrate electrification, mobility and heat provision.

REWIRE-NW - using 5G and data-centric intelligence, the project will drive the local energy systems towards lower costs and lower carbon outcomes.

Project REMeDY - based in Southend, will develop their Horizontally Integrated Vertical Energy Systems (HIVES) approach to produce a local energy system design covering the whole of the large town of Southend that is replicable across the UK.

Milford Haven Energy Kingdom - centred in Milford Haven, will focus on developing diverse, local seed markets to support the transition to hydrogen and renewables from fossil fuels. The funding will also allow their design to be developed to meet the heating and transportation needs of local communities, including local tourism to the area.

UKRI have also announced the winners of the Key Technology Components for Local Energy Systems competition, which share a further £4.5 million of funding with the aim to develop technology components that help improve the efficiency of local energy systems. These winners include technology that enables the charging of electric taxis and private electric vehicles at railway stations from the rail traction power supply.

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