Report predicts more than 100,000 electric vehicles on roads of Harrogate by 2050

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The data released today is part of Northern Powergrid s annual Distribution Future Energy Scenarios (DFES) report which is central to its network and investment planning in terms.

The report predicts what Northern Powergrid already suspected - a future based on growing demand for low carbon technologies, with electric vehicles at the forefront of this uptake.

The company has been preparing the network for growing electricity demand as Britain's drivers switch to electric vehicles.

Last week the Distribution Network Operator (DNO) announced a £53m investment across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire which will, amongst other things, support unlocking the capacity needed to charge the growing number of EVs on the road.

Northern Powergrid has worked in close collaboration with partners from Element Energy, the Open Data Institute (ODI) Leeds and Data Mill North to collect, analyse and visualise the latest data.

The DFES report traditionally reflects the four national future energy scenarios (FES) that are defined by National Grid, using regional data to give a local interpretation of the national pathways to net zero.

This year, however, the regional data pointed to a fifth scenario unique to the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire. Northern Powergrid’s ‘Net Zero Early’ scenario demonstrates an acceleration of decarbonisation in the region and pioneers a pathway that could see net zero secured ahead of the national 2050 target.

In Harrogate, the DFES data indicates that there could be 123,000 electric vehicles on the roads by 2050, and 62,000 heat pumps warming houses and businesses.

Many of the insights that determined the locations for this investment were gathered from the DFES data and now the DNO for the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire is calling on its stakeholders across the region to engage with the data and share their thoughts to further enhance regional planning for decarbonisation.

Jim Cardwell, Northern Powergrid’s Head of Policy Development, says: “The value of this data cannot be underestimated. As a regional enabler of decarbonisation we need to know when and where to expect rapid uptake of low carbon technology and renewable energy to plan our network accordingly.

"Millions of homes and businesses over the next decade will be decarbonising and green policies like the petrol and diesel vehicle ban and heat pump rollout will accelerate this process.

“We need to make sure that the network is ready to facilitate a smooth transition to net zero for the people we serve and accurate DFES data will be a key planning tool. This is why we are asking anyone with low carbon plans to come forward and share this information.

The data also offers insights into a number of other low carbon technologies and renewable generation including heat pumps, rooftop solar PV and onshore wind – that will secure the region’s net zero energy future.

To explore the data on the ODI Leeds website – where you can view the predicted numbers of EVs, heat pumps, rooftop solar panels and other low carbon technologies between now and 2050 - visit:

www.https://odileeds.github.io/northern-powergrid/2020-DFES/

www.www.northernpowergrid.com/

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