Focus on Net Zero

The NeRV Opportunity

A real world setting that’s invaluable when it comes to developing and demonstrating new low carbon technologies

Individually, the properties present unique research facilities, each delivering data on the low carbon solutions best suited to different types of homes.

Collectively they offer a representative example of real-world settings at street level, where ‘in home’ and ‘network innovation’ can meet to generate one-of-a-kind insight.

Across the broader site, NeRV has micro-grid capability to drive whole system research projects and deliver fact-based data. The current research activity at NeRV includes grid scale battery energy storage systems, along with a solar farm to enable generation of green hydrogen to decarbonise the natural gas pre-heating process

The properties

Unique research facilities, built to replicate different construction eras, that are delivering the data on the low carbon solutions best suited to different types of home

The street

‘Futures Close’ – a representative example of real-world settings where ‘in home’ and ‘network innovation’ can meet to generate one-of-a-kind insight

The region

Grid scale battery energy storage systems, generation of green hydrogen to decarbonise the pre-heating of gas at Low Thornley and a solar farm to support research projects and power the NeRV facility

The space to develop new low carbon technologies

NeRV will explore a wide range of solutions tackling different domestic decarbonisation challenges.

It’s about understanding everything that impacts a household’s ability to decarbonise and ensuring the solution provided will deliver the best outcome for customers and communities. Developing and demonstrating new low carbon technologies at scale is essential, be they electricity, water, telecommunications or heat, and NeRV provides that space.

The research undertaken at NeRV will contribute to the understanding of customer behaviour, and acceptance which will be essential to deliver a decarbonised future.

  • Creation of a diverse range of customer personas through stakeholder engagement, to support multiple scenario testing with broad representation
  • Provide independent, trusted and validated qualified information and education to energy customers, particularly focusing on people in fuel poverty
  • Create actionable insight for customers appropriate for their homes and lifestyles
  • Create a national eco-system for upgrading energy customers’ homes where NeRV is the data centre.
  • To accelerate a fair and sustainable decarbonisation for everyone.

This real-world setting is invaluable, as the performance of technologies in actual homes can be different to that predicted in the lab. As well as the technical aspects of research and development of new technology, NeRV has the ability to support regional energy system planning, provide evidence to support policy, and inform net zero strategy at national level, at a critical time for the UK as it approaches 2050