Japanese government report finds Net Zero Hubs to be “essential”
The North East and Yorkshire Net Zero Hub has been cited as an example of best practice in a report commissioned by the Japanese government to make recommendations for how it can best support local areas to develop clean energy projects.
The newly published report, from Pacific Consultants, details “an overview of policy trends related to regional decarbonization in European countries” and concludes that the UK’s national network of Local Net Zero Hubs, “play an important role in regional decarbonization in the UK.”
The five Hubs, directed and funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, support local areas with the development and delivery of clean energy projects and programmes.
The report states:
“It is essential to have some kind of organization that provides support to local governments, such as Net Zero Hubs, in terms of providing knowledge and skills, coordination among stakeholders, information sharing, and human networking,”
The report in particular highlights the role of Net Zero Hubs in supporting the development of Local Area Energy Plans, evidence and data driven assessments of local areas future energy needs containing recommendations of the most effective approaches for meeting them, stating:
“Considering these factors requires a great deal of expertise from the planners themselves and coordination with stakeholders, and it seems that there is a limit to what local government officials can do alone. Looking at (Local Area Energy Planning) with these perspectives in mind, I felt that the expertise of Net Zero Hub and its ability to coordinate between entities was truly demonstrated”.
A delegation from Pacific Consultants visited the North East and Yorkshire Net Zero Hub in the autumn of 2023, as part of the process of researching the report.
The report can be read in full here.
