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As cities respond to climate change, opportunities for new energy infrastructure, such as hydrogen networks, are emerging. To support the transition of energy networks in urban areas, we help clients to develop the strategy and target required investments that will deliver decarbonisation. And, as energy generation becomes more diverse, we help clients move from analogue to digital systems to manage real-time data and make smarter decisions about energy dispatch and use.
Considering end uses
In much of the world, people have become used to energy being continually available – and to giving relatively little consideration to how much they consume for their buildings, industrial processes, transport and other uses. So, how do we change attitudes to demand and usage?
To support the transition to net zero, we help clients future-proof projects, from identifying the right mix of energy solutions for local areas to decarbonise in an affordable and equitable way, to retrofitting buildings to drive down consumption, incorporate demand-responsive characteristics and to generate, store and manage their own energy. We do this in the context of delivering future growth and development, as well as future climate scenarios. Urban transport consumes significant quantities of energy. We’re working with cities including Los Angeles and Boston in the US and Manchester and London in the UK to help electrify surface transport. To do this, we look at the whole urban energy system – accounting for all future demands on the power network to optimise grid reinforcement, facilitate grid connections and implement charging infrastructure along routes.
Whole systems planning
A whole-system approach incorporates the interactions between different parts of the energy system, covering energy demand, generation, distribution and management.
Our innovative proprietary technology models heat, cooling, power, transport and industrial energy, providing a robust, technical evidence-base to inform delivery plans and advance the journey to net zero. By bringing together people and technology, Arup offers network and local level insights to help decision makers understand the complexities of interconnected energy systems, new technologies, market volatility, regulation and policy. We’re applying this approach in local areas across the UK to support them to deliver Local Area Energy Plans.
Focusing on resilience
Resilience is a key priority for urban energy. Our experience demonstrates that system resilience requires a balance between supply, demand and sustainability. Energy demand is no longer a passive end-point in a chain of energy supply - it is a dynamic, interactive part of an increasingly complex, interdependent and interactive whole system.
Extreme climatic events such as tornadoes, dry weather fires and flooding not only threaten our energy systems, but also pose downstream risks to the systems and societal cohesion on which secure energy provision depends. Cyber-attacks and ransomware are being targeted at energy systems every day. And as regulation and commercial models develop, they also have the potential to result in unintended resilience consequences.
We have a team of specialists who focus solely on urban energy resilience. We’ve worked with major cities around the world, including with partners such as the C40, to advise on the most locally relevant strategy for urban energy resilience.
Enabling prosumers
Our expertise supports energy operators, commercial organisations and cities with services that range from masterplanning to the electrical engineering design of microgrids. At this time of transition to net zero and continued expansion of cities, urban energy infrastructure is under increasing pressure and consumers are becoming prosumers as they seek to cut their energy use and their costs from data centres to tech companies. We work with a range of clients to explore what future solutions could look like such as off grid campuses using digital systems to manage energy usage, looking at effective storage solutions for renewable energy.
Whatever the urban energy solution or system, we focus above all else on one thing: creating a sustainable, resilient energy future for cities and their people.
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