UK councils tap open data to meet climate targets

A new initiative is making relevant datasets available in one place to help UK local authorities reach net zero goals faster.

UK Power Networks, which owns and maintains electricity networks across London, the South East and East of England, has brought together 100 datasets from several sources on its open data portal and says these will be continuously updated. The datasets were identified in partnership with local governments including Essex County Council and the Greater London Authority.

Lynne McDonald, Local Area Energy Planning Manager at UK Power Networks, said: “Stakeholders told us open data sits at the very centre of the transition to net zero and enables them to make the best choices for their local communities.

“Access to the right data, in the right format, is crucial to driving targets and open data like this is unrivalled in the industry. We hope to empower local authorities to take climate action now, giving them the data and digital tools they need to make informed decisions.”

The data covers a range of areas including energy generation, transport and mobility, heat and buildings, land use, and economic factors.

It can help councils better understand, for example, the best place to connect renewable energy generators as well as what type of energy generation will be most effective in their neighbourhoods, such as solar, wind or battery.

Theo Blackwell, London’s Chief Digital Officer, commented: “UK Power Networks’ enhanced Open Data Portal supports the Mayor’s push for better data to meet London’s net zero targets.

“Together with City Hall’s new Planning Datahub and coordinating utility works to ‘dig once’, planning departments can now actively plan for the environmental impacts and contributions of new developments.”

Data for net zero

Datasets including wind speeds, flood zones and socio-economic data, as well as electricity network maps and information showing where there is extra electrical capacity, are free to use. The majority of the information on the portal comes from partners, which UK Power Networks said is “highlighting the importance of working collaboratively and going beyond the energy industry”.

Some datasets are available upon registration or request and a handful are offered via paid subscription.

The inclusion of socio-economic data like employment rates, age and health conditions alongside energy information aims to enable local authorities to advance their planning in areas such as encouraging investment in facilities like electric vehicle charging points, improving air quality, and delivering cheaper and greener energy for homes and businesses.

Thomas Day, Head of Energy and Low Carbon Programme at Essex County Council, said: “Good data is essential to plan and target net zero programmes – whether for retrofit, renewable energy, electric vehicle infrastructure, or decarbonising heat. All of these are vitally important challenges not only for net zero but also for growth and levelling up.

“The initiative by UK Power Networks to bring data together in to one place and make it easier for local authorities to plan our work, engage with local communities and start to explore ‘whole area’ approaches in a more planned and strategic way is vital, to help us with unlocking the potential benefits of the transition to net zero for our residents and our business community.”

The data was released as part of the Open Energy Data programme in partnership with Regen, a not-for-profit which provides advice and market insights on sustainable energy delivery.

Tamsyn Lonsdale-Smith, Project Manager at Regen, said: “My hope is for the Local Area Energy Planning open data page to reach as many local authorities as possible who are just starting out on their data journey into local area energy planning.”