In April 2019, the UK Green Building Council completely redefined Zero Carbon to account for both embedded and operational carbon in building projects. How has this definition converged with the existing Town Planning definition, which benchmarks against notional targets?

This session explains what zero carbon means in practice and considers how to achieve it in different sectors, land uses and asset portfolios.

You have committed to Zero Carbon, but how do you expand your portfolio of renewable generation and energy storage assets for better return and improved diversity? We look at how to bring together the right team within your organisation drawings on existing skills.

This session will then define:

• value and revenue streams
• business opportunities and risks
•  structures for ownership and operation
• procurement processes

 

What are the opportunities – both direct and indirect - for local government and the public sector to invest in renewable energy generation and storage? Focusing on the reduction of  operational carbon emissions in new and existing assets, we explain how Power and Heat Purchase Agreements and Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin work, and how community and local energy vehicles can attract private sector investment.

Once all efforts to improve fabric and utilise renewable energy sources have been exhausted, carbon offsetting provides the final tool to realise net zero buildings. In this session we will:

• look at standards to verify and validate the carbon emission reductions achieved by offsetting projects
• discuss the outcomes of the Carbon Offsetting Industry consultation
• provide clarity on sustainable ways to offset carbon and demonstrate with case studies

Over 90% of the hydrogen currently produced in the UK is fossil-fuel based and low-cost clean or ‘green’ hydrogen will require a huge step-change in Carbon Capture and Storage’ (CCS), or a significant excess of renewable energy.

• Is hydrogen the solution to decarbonise our existing 27m homes and workplaces
• Can it be deployed in time to realise our legally binding 2050 net zero target
• Does it have a role in new build?
• Is it the silver bullet?
• What role do local authorities have in supporting the development of this fuel source?

Many public sector estates own renewable energy assets, and many more organisations own or trade either renewable energy and/or storage capacity through smart interfaces.

With the right commercial structure these assets can be operated as ‘Virtual power stations’ selling low-carbon energy to local homes and businesses and addressing fuel poverty.

This session will provide case studies of this in operation whilst identifying the process through which they were achieved.

Decarbonising the energy system needs local leadership, engagement and initiative‐taking.

• Should planning policy rely on local investment to deliver Zero Carbon development?
• How can we balance local needs with the energy resources available?
• How can groups of local authorities provide plan for large-scale transitions such as gas conversion to hydrogen?