The changing context
Although this provides a challenging backdrop for the development of a second Five Year Plan, changing national policy has clarified the region’s pathway to net zero in terms of energy. The Government’s mission to achieve Clean Power by 2030 sets an ambitious target to rapidly accelerate the rollout of clean electricity generation.
While the West Midlands will certainly see an increase in installations of renewables, the spatial constraints of our land-locked geography (most renewable energy generation opportunities will be in coastal regions that can take advantage of offshore wind resources) mean that we must focus on the opposite end of the energy system – energy demand – to maximise the regional opportunities.
Due to its high population density and historic energy-intensive industries, the West Midlands has for centuries been a large centre of energy demand. Our contribution to the Government’s Clean Power Mission will be less focused on energy supply but on managing energy demand. This will require a smarter, more flexible approach to energy system management, as detailed in our recent Regional Energy Strategy, since renewable power is generated from intermittent sources that do not necessarily match traditional patterns of energy consumption. If we can achieve this, we can ensure that clean power generated 37 across the UK is utilised in the most effective and efficient ways, preventing the need to curtail* renewables, and reducing the need to burn carbon-emitting fossil fuels.
*Curtailment is the practice of deliberately disconnecting renewable energy generation from the electricity network, even when it may be able to generate power, to ensure that supply and demand are balanced at all times.
Alongside this, the region is also at the vanguard of pioneering new net zero technologies. This includes in smart energy systems, but also in low-carbon vehicle production and CleanTech – with major companies such as Cadent, National Grid, EoN and key firm such as Hitachi Energy and Octopus located here.