Peterborough Accelerated Net Zero (PANZ)

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Accelerating Net Zero in Peterborough

Peterborough City Council has received £2.75m from Innovate UK to spearhead the Peterborough Accelerated Net Zero (PANZ) initiative. As a key partner in this project, PECT, along with Cambridgeshire County Council, Nordic Energy, Energy Systems Catapult, and edenseven, is working with the Council to develop a comprehensive Net Zero delivery plan for Peterborough.

Project Stats

£2.75m

Funding awarded

1 of 7

Projects to win funding

1

Robust Net Zero Plan for Peterborough

Register your interest to our Community Energy Focus Groups

As part of this project, we are looking for residents living in rural areas of Peterborough to help us understand the motivators and barriers to net zero at a local level and what steps could help us become a net zero city.

We are particularly looking to understand residents’ views in Bainton, Barnack, Glinton, Maxey, Northborough, Thorney and Wittering.

If you are a resident of another area, please sign up to our newsletter at the bottom of this webpage to receive PANZ and wider PECT news.

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We collect this information to ensure that you are within the correct area for the focus group that we contact you about, and deliver information most relevant to you.

The PANZ project aims to create a comprehensive platform that integrates technical, social, demographic, and economic data to develop effective net zero plans. These plans will include customized financial strategies, engagement activities, and training to encourage adoption of net zero technologies. Building on Peterborough’s pioneering Local Area Energy Plan, the project will further tailor energy plans to the specific needs of the community.

The initiative will prioritise community input, ensuring residents’ concerns and motivations are addressed. By doing so, the project seeks to turn plans into reality, promoting carbon reductions, healthier living, cost savings, and growth in the green skills market. The collaboration of various partners highlights the essential role of local authorities in driving the UK’s transition to a net zero economy, bolstering Peterborough as a leader in achieving net zero goals.

Urgent action is needed to reach net zero as soon as possible and limit global temperature rise to 2 degrees centigrade above pre-industrial levels, to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. 
Cutting energy use at home, installing planet-friendly heating systems like heat pumps and switching to renewable energy are key steps towards Peterborough reaching net zero.
Net Zero is a state where the amount of carbon emissions released to the atmosphere, from burning fossil fuels like gas in our homes and businesses, is equal to the amount removed or captured.
Think about it like a bath – turn on the taps and you add more water, pull out the plug and water flows out. The amount of water in the bath depends on both the input from the taps and the output via the plughole. To keep the amount of water in the bath at the same level, we need to make sure that the input and output are balanced.
Reaching Net Zero applies the same principle, requiring us to balance the amount of carbon we emit with the amount we remove. When what we add is no more than what we take away, we reach Net Zero.
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What are each of the partners responsible for?

  • Peterborough City Council is at the helm of this project, actively engaging with local residents, businesses, and community groups to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard in the council’s decision-making process.
  • Cambridgeshire County Council is focusing on researching financial strategies to support the transition to net zero.
  • PECT is dedicated to driving community engagement and exploring sustainable heating solutions in rural areas.
  • Energy Systems Catapult, an independent research and technology organisation, is on a mission to fast-track innovation for a Net Zero future. Their expertise in consumer engagement and business model innovation is helping to shape rural heat pump and district heating initiatives within the project.
  • Nordic Energy is developing cutting-edge modelling and visualisation tools to identify and break down barriers to achieving net zero in Peterborough and across the UK.
  • edenseven is partnering with the council to monitor and manage district-wide emissions, using their custom-designed carbon accounting and management software to oversee a range of projects aimed at reducing emissions.