'Projects' models the impact of changes to buildings, neighbourhoods and streets (in the case of EV Chargers!). Use it to assess the impact of:

Get indicative assessments of:

They do similar things! Both model potential futures.

'Projects' allows you to be very specific about the individual buildings and neighbourhoods where you want to make changes.

'Scenarios' consider the 'big picture'. The Scenarios tool uses large amounts of data to explore potential volumes of technologies over larger areas and longer time periods.

If you prefer video-based learning, here's a video which walks through the steps in this tutorial:

You can find Projects nested in the Map. There is also a quick link to Projects on the Home Page.

Optionally, use network capacity to screen potential locations. Use the slider to input the size of your connection. If you are deploying multiple assets in one area (e.g. a new build estate), put the total connection size.

The Spare Capacity slider provides an indication of where your connection could trigger a constraint. This does not prevent you from connecting to the network, but might result in time delays or additional cost - depending on the constraint size.

Click 'Create new project'. Add a name and description.

Note: A project is only visible to you unless you choose to share it with others.

Click on an asset to select it. Once you select an asset, the Guidance for that asset will appear on the right side panel. Here you will find information and data to help you refine your site selection.

Information for Domestic and Cable assets:

Domestic asset: Provides the ability to place a new domestic property onto the map, and subsequently add grouped energy assets (ie. rooftop photovoltaics, EV chargers, or heat pumps) to the property. Please note the domestic asset will assume an initial 23kW demand which you'll see reflected in your Project Summary.

Cable asset: Provides the ability to map out where new assets will be connected to the network. Draw a cable between an asset on the map and existing cables in the network (use the Network Topology dataset as a guide). Make sure to avoid obstructions such as buildings or waterways when drawing the cable.

To deploy an asset, click on the icon to select it, then click again on the map in the place you want it deployed. Asset deployment uses 'click and drop' rather than 'drag and drop'. Try it a few times to get used to it.

To set the asset size, use the slider to set the size of the asset selected.

Bulk Deploy your Assets (optional):

To deploy an asset on multiple buildings, try using the 'Building Selection' tool.

Our Renewable Potential datasets are integrated with the platform, so when you use the Building Selection tool to Bulk deploy an asset, e.g. Rooftop PV, you will see a pop up which provides you with the option to

1) Apply your own Settings (e.g. set the kW size individually for each PV using the slider in the left hand column) or;

2) You can 'Apply recommended settings'. This will deploy an asset to all buildings in the selected area where Overall Suitability is True and will even deploy the asset with the recommended size.

Edit & Delete:

Click edit to change the size of your connect and delete to remove an asset.

When you are happy with your set up, click 'Run Assessment'. (Don't worry, it's easy to come back and make changes later.)

This section of your assessment allows you to estimate the effect of your plans on the local electricity network. The load assessment uses the substation headroom data provided by SSEN (updated bi-annually) to suggest whether your project could exceed network capacity at either the primary, secondary, Bulk Supply Point or Grid Supply Point. This does not constitute a formal connection assessment.

Each substation affected will show the proportion of the capacity that is available (headroom %) before and after the planned deployment as Current and New Headroom. If the substation gets within 5% of capacity the substation area will be shown in amber. If it exceeds 5% over capacity, it will be shown in red.

After running an assessment, you'll see the 'Export' button appear. This allows you to download your project as a CSV file.

If this is a Project you plan to take forward, let your network operator(s) know by sharing it with them. You can do this easily within your project once you have run the assessment via the share tab and submitting the project assessment form.

Sharing insights about your plans with your Network Operator is a valuable step in decarbonisation planning as it allows network operators to plan ahead and ensure the grid has sufficient capacity to support local ambitions.

This does not replace a connection request and will not provide any further assessment of your project. But it does give your network operator a heads up which allows them to take account of your intentions in their investment planning.

If you'd rather not share it just yet, no problem. You can save and exit your project now.

Want to share your Project with other users? You can! See how here: Working Collaborative with Others