One key aspect of these strategies is the integration of renewable energy sources, particularly solar power, into broader decarbonisation plans.
To enhance their understanding of solar energy’s role in local climate plans, Land Use Consultants (LUC), a leading planning consultancy, collaborated with Geospatial Insight.
The Challenge
LUC has been at the forefront of helping local councils formulate overarching climate action plans.
These councils, whether large or small, bear significant responsibility for mitigating climate risks and contributing to national decarbonisation goals.
However, the lack of a unified national framework has resulted in varied approaches, making it difficult to create consistent and effective strategies.
One of the main challenges faced by councils is the integration of renewable energy sources, such as solar power, into their climate strategies.
Councils need to identify the best locations for solar installations, model different uptake scenarios, and assess the impact on their overall decarbonisation efforts.
To support their clients effectively, LUC needed precise, reliable geospatial data to provide a comprehensive understanding of solar opportunities.
The Solution
To address this challenge, LUC turned to Geospatial Insight, leveraging our expertise in geospatial data and analysis.
LUC recognised that the information derived from LOCATE SOLAR was the ideal solution to support them and their clients integrate solar power more effectively into their climate strategies.
LOCATE SOLAR provides a comprehensive geospatial database that maps out potential solar opportunities across Britian.
By using these data outputs, LUC were able to model different solar energy scenarios based on historical growth rates and projected uptake. Over the past five years, solar energy adoption has grown by 5%, but the question remains: what could be achieved if this growth were accelerated?
Using the LOCATE SOLAR database enables LUC to explore various growth scenarios—mid-growth, high-growth—and calculate the corresponding environmental and financial savings.
Furthermore, LOCATE Solar is allowing LUC to explore the “art of the possible” in renewable energy generation, integrating seamlessly with their additional analysis on ground mount solar and wind energy potential to create a comprehensive vision of the potential for clean power.
This data-driven approach ensures that stakeholders can make truly informed decisions, optimising their investments in renewable energy and aligning their efforts with broader national decarbonisation targets.
Implementation and Impact
LUC has already utilised LOCATE SOLAR in several projects, including a completed project with Herefordshire County Council and ongoing work with Melton Mowbray .
In Herefordshire, the data from LOCATE SOLAR was integrated into an online portal, enabling the Council to build a community-focused platform that empowers residents to make informed decisions about their own energy consumption and environmental impact.
This initiative highlights the shared responsibility between local authorities and residents in achieving climate goals.
In Melton Mowbray, LUC is working incorporating our solar insights into a broader consultancy report, which will assess the current state of the Council’s climate strategy and provide a roadmap for achieving net zero emissions by 2035.
This report will serve as a critical tool for the Council, helping them to understand the steps needed to meet their ambitious climate targets.
LUC’s work with Geospatial Insight merges their extensive planning expertise and legislative insight with our best in class geospatial data, enabling the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based consultancy services that provide clients with tailored, effective solutions.
Conclusion
The collaboration between LUC and Geospatial Insight demonstrates the power of integrating advanced geospatial data into local climate strategies.
By leveraging LOCATE SOLAR, LUC is providing local authorities with the insights and tools they need to effectively incorporate solar energy into their decarbonisation plans.
As more councils across the UK recognise the critical role of renewable energy in meeting their climate goals, the LUC-Geospatial Insight collaboration will serve as a model for how data-driven solutions can support local authorities make informed, impactful decisions.
Together, we are helping to shape a more sustainable future, where local climate strategies are both ambitious and achievable, powered by precise data and expert planning.
