Network headroom, engineering upgrades and public acceptance (NEUPA): Connecting engineering for heat system change to consumers and citizens

该项目将提供英国第一张网络容量和净空空间的“地图”，并详细考虑英国不同地区的案例研究。它还将利用天气数据评估未来供热和降温需求可能发生的变化。在此基础上，该项目将评估供热系统脱碳对当地社区造成的潜在破坏的性质。它将与市民一起调查他们对供热系统变化的看法和预期。与当地能源分配网络(天然气、电力和供热)为低碳供暖和制冷输送能源的能力相关的信息差距很大。竞争的选择包括将天然气电网转换为氢气，使用热泵扩大电气化，以及区域供暖。一个关键的考虑因素是对本地网络容量的任何限制的性质，特别是提供满足高峰需求所需的能源的能力，在极端寒冷的时期，甚至在未来的热浪期间，高峰需求可能远远高于平均水平。缺乏数据，以及对热力系统变化可能带来的干扰的了解，是采取热力系统脱碳政策行动的严重障碍。气候变化委员会委托对2050年净零目标进行的研究得出的结论是，人们对配电网络能力的利用知之甚少。该项目旨在通过根据网络公司报告的信息以及通过对行业参与者的采访和调查来评估有关分销网络状况的已知情况，来克服这一信息差距。它将比较电力和天然气网络，并考虑区域供暖。消费者对系统变化和地方层面破坏的可接受性也是低碳热能的核心，但人们同样对此知之甚少，很少与街道或社区层面的工程细节联系起来。该项目将利用深思熟虑的社会科学研究，探索公民对当地环境变化和破坏的期望，这些变化和破坏可能与为家庭和企业提供低碳供暖(和制冷)服务的竞争替代方案有关。最近在热脱碳方面的工作在评估最终用途技术选择(即进入建筑物的物质)和供应能量矢量(利用了哪些能源)方面是强有力的。然而，在对基础设施需求和权衡的工程、经济和社会评估方面--特别是对为家庭和企业带来能源服务的配电网络基础设施--的评估很薄弱。该项目明确关注这最后一英里的基础设施，并将工程评估和约束建模与公众参与的社会科学见解和拟议的供暖解决方案及其相关破坏相结合(S)，以评估供热系统变化的影响和人们的看法。

The project will provide the UK's first 'map' of network capacity and headroom and consider case studies in different parts of the UK in detail. It will also assess how heat and cooling demand might change in future using weather data. Based on all this the project will evaluate the nature of potential disruption in local communities created by heat system decarbonisation. It will engage with citizens to investigate their perceptions and expectations of heat system change.There are significant information gaps associated with the capacity of local energy distribution networks (gas, electricity and heat) to deliver energy for low carbon heating and cooling. Competing options include converting the gas grid to hydrogen, expanding electrification using heat pumps, and district heating. A key consideration is the nature of any constraints on the capacity of local networks, in particular the ability to deliver energy needed to meet peak demands, which can be far higher than average during extreme cold spells and perhaps in future during heat waves. Lack of both data and understanding of what disruption might be associated with heat system change are serious impediments to policy action on heat system decarbonisation. Research commissioned by the Committee on Climate Change analysis of a net zero target for 2050 concludes that utilisation of distribution network capacity is poorly understood. The project sets out to overcome this gap in information by evaluating what is known about distribution network condition based upon information reported by network companies and through interviews and surveys involving industry participants. It will compare electricity and gas networks and also consider district heating. Consumer acceptability of system change and local level disruption is also central to low carbon heat, yet it is similarly poorly understood and seldom linked to engineering detail at street or neighbourhood level. The project will use deliberative social science research to explore the expectations of citizens to the changes and disruption to local environments that might be associated with competing alternatives for delivering low carbon heating (and cooling) services to homes and businesses. Recent work on heat decarbonisation is strong with respect to assessment of end use technology options (i.e. what goes into the buildings) and on supply energy vectors (which energy source is utilised). However, it is weak on engineering, economic and social assessment of infrastructure needs and trade-offs - particularly for the 'last mile' or distribution network infrastructures that bring energy services to homes and businesses. This project is explicitly focused on this 'last mile' of infrastructure and combines engineering evaluation and constraint modelling with social science insights from public engagement with proposed heating solutions and their associated disruption(s), to assess the impacts of heat system change and what people think about them.