Project Overview

Key Activities

Presently, energy networks rely exclusively on engineered solutions to overcome challenges and problems (e.g. flooding, overheating, and visual impact). Nature4Networks seeks to explore the potential of using NbS as alternatives to engineered BAU approaches.

NbS approaches have not yet been trialed for use with GB energy networks and therefore represent an ambitious, innovate alternative which could provide effective, sustainable, and resilient solutions to safeguard assets and enhance network reliability and performance, whilst delivering various co-benefits.

While NbS is no longer an especially novel concept, with coastal protection, water treatment, and urban greening approaches widely deployed, the specific characteristics presented by electricity networks are unique and need to be accounted for and factored into planning and design of potential NbS options.

For example, the linear nature of overhead lines, coupled with their elevation, and relative sensitivity to physical disturbances, requires any potential NbS approach to function in a way unlike its application in other sectors. Furthermore, strict safety standards and requirements associated with electricity networks presents additional considerations and potential limitations for NbS approaches. Addressing these considerations and challenges represents the key areas of innovation.

In Discovery, the Nature4Networks Project scoped out a range of potential NbS approaches for use with specific network assets to overcome the challenges and problems they face – these have been captured in the Nature4Networks Catalogue. The NbS included represent a theoretical and conceptual appraisal of approaches which could be deployed to deliver specific benefits.

In Alpha we will drill down into the specifics of on-the-ground practicalities, limitations and constraints, third party considerations, and detailed costings for implementation, maintenance and management.

Expected Benefits

Financial – Investing in NbS could represent the most value-for-money option to mitigate issues faced by network operators as part of their day-to-day operations. These savings could then be passed on to end users and result in lower electricity bills.

Environmental – The construction of “grey” infrastructure is often carbon intensive, (e.g. concrete flood barriers). By contrast some NbS approaches may produce negative emissions through sequestration into biomass. Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions will be qualified for both NbS and traditional solutions. The project will also quantify other environmental externalities — e.g. relating to biodiversity or the amenity value of land.

Revenues – The project will explore and quantify revenue streams through which DNOs could attract additional returns in investing in NbS and share the upsides with customers (e.g. payments for ecosystem services such as carbon or biodiversity credits, or payments from neighbouring landowners).

Other benefits which may directly impact consumers (such as noise reduction and increased acceptability relative to conventional solutions) and de-risk asset roll-out will be identified and assessed.

Investigation into Use Case 1 – SuDS illustrated that the use of vegetated swales instead of BAU solutions like physical barriers to address flooding was particularly cost effective, in the order of £637k social Net Present Value. This represents ongoing reductions in network operating costs – as an illustrative example, we estimated that this translates into approximately £1.53 m/yr social NPV across GB if it’s applied to 10% of sites.

Investigations into Use Case 2 – Linear Woodland to address Visual Amenity showed similar cost to the BAU alternative of undergrounding, but with more environmental and social benefits (identified below).

In Alpha, we will carry out investigations on two additional use cases: UC3-Bioswale in place of Transformer Bunding, and UC4 – Use of Thorny Planting.

Progress

Highlights:

The Alpha Phase of the project focused on deeper analysis and design of 4 specific NbS approaches and their application to electricity networks. It also provided analysis of barriers and enablers for each approach to be accepted by our regulator and customers, in order to allow DNOs to be able to include these as credible investment options in future price controls.

The project investigated how engineering standards can be replicated for these solutions and factored these into the concepts and outline designs for the 4 use cases – this is all to ensure that each NbS approach is not just a theoretical exercise, but something that can be deployed as business as usual down the line, including the development of Key Performance Indicators to measure the performance and function of each NbS.

Finally, we have identified potential trial sites for all four solutions – the Beta Phase of the project will focus on physical demonstrators of these solutions, it’s crucial we evidence their effectiveness, and really document the steps needed to consent, design, deliver and maintain these solutions.

The project has received interest from multiple external stakeholders, including: the ENA, RSSB (Rais Safety and Standards Board), University of Manchester, Glasgow City Council, and most notably the United Nations Global Compact (Network UK).

Available Materials

All documents below are available via the Nature4Network SIF Project Page (Document Tab) hosted on ENA’s Smart Network Portal 10128804 | ENA Innovation Portal

N4N_Opportunities and Barriers Report
N4N_NbS in DNO Investment Methodology Assessment and Recommendations
N4N_Catalogue of Nature-based Solutions approaches for application to electricity network assets
N4N_Use Case and Recommendation Report
N4N_NbS Standards for DNO_Methodology
N4N_Use Case Straw Model Specifications
N4N_Trial Proposals for NbS Use Cases
N4N_Stakeholder Engagement Report

N4N_Willingness-to-pay for Linear Woodlands
N4N_Alpha Phase portfolio of proposed NbS designs

N4N_CBA_Linear Woodlands
N4N_CBA_SuDS for Substation Flooding
N4N_CBA_Bioswales for Oil Containment
N4N_CBA_Thorny Planting

Funding

Total Expected Cost: £554,648
Funding Received: £499,148
Actual Cost at project end: £558,616
Funding Used: £499,148

Start/End Dates

Start: 01-10-2024
End: 31-03-2025

Project Partners

Frontier Economics
GHD
Scottish Power Transmission