A project involving energy utilities, the Welsh Government and other stakeholders in Wales has launched a report looking at how the energy system in south Wales can achieve net zero.
Representatives from National Grid Electricity Transmission, National Grid Gas Transmission, Western Power Distribution, Wales & West Utilities and the Welsh Government, as well as experts from Cardiff University and energy and transport consultants, modelled future energy demands across the residential and commercial, industrial and transport sectors, and how this demand could be met.
The final Zero 2050 report follows nearly two years of analysis from over 18 organisations and follows individual reports into each of Zero 2050’s 11 workstreams.
It highlights a number of achievable pathways to a net zero energy system by 2050, alongside important actions which need to be taken now – such as increasing onshore wind and solar energy and improving the energy efficiency of buildings.
Based on the findings the project partners recommend 10 “no regrets” immediate actions which can help accelerate the energy transition in south Wales and enable a net zero energy system.
These include increasing onshore wind and solar capacity, incentivising commercial and industrial energy efficiency, piloting hydrogen production from both autothermal reforming and electrolysis and undertaking network studies to understand feasibility and cost of transitioning networks to use hydrogen.