Our story
The Warrington REWIRE project was a research project funded by Innovate UK, the UK government's innovation support service. It was part of the Prospering from the Energy Revolution Smart Local Energy Systems programme which ran from 2018 to 2023. The project aim was to demonstrate how Smart Local Energy Systems (SLES) can be developed in the future.
Smart Local Energy Systems should be an important part of cutting carbon in the future, but we need the tools to help create them now. The REWIRE project worked with Warrington Council and a consortium of 10 partners from across the energy sector to develop plans to decarbonise the borough of Warrington and identify the investments and business models that are required to make it happen.
The project developed a cutting edge 'digital twin' simulation of the Warrington built environment to support this process. The digital twin was an important tool to enable different scenarios to be tested and so help plan the optimisation of local energy infrastructure to save carbon at the least cost.
The project was formed by Pure Leapfrog, a merge of two charities dedicated to the support of community energy, and draws on its expertise in carbon, sustainable finance, energy systems, and natural capital that promote our wider goals of sustainability and decarbonisation.
Our advice
The main challenge for the project was accessing the data required to build our digital twin model and to reach and engage with the local community. Effective community engagement is key with innovative SLES projects that impact the entire locality.
Delivering Smart Local Energy Systems within the current regulatory framework is challenging. The project identified important areas of reform, such as giving a clear role to local institutions. There is a clear central role for local authorities in delivering SLES which can be maximised by integrating SLES into strategic thinking across the full range of a local authority’s activity.
Our Changeprint
Our Changeprint can be measured by energy and network savings; reduction in greenhouse gas emissions; continued development of the 'digital twin' for future borough-wide energy efficiency and retrofit planning; and improved understanding of Smart Local Energy Systems (SLES) enablers for potential future operating models and rollout.
