Welcome to Osney Island, the heart of Oxford and a community of a few hundred households ready to showcase their journey toward a sustainable net zero future. Embark on a virtual tour with us as we delve into the intricacies of the ‘grid edge’ – the point where electricity from the wider network connects to…

In our everyday lives, we rely on energy, yet we often have limited knowledge of how it enters our homes, powers our appliances, and how we pay for it. So how does energy get to our homes? Think of it as a giant water supply system: Power plants are like water treatment plants that generate…

As the ambitious and pioneering Project LEO drew to a close earlier this year, we have produced a report that looked at the Smart Fair Neighbourhood trials that took place over the term of Project LEO that outlined what was tested and achieved through each of the six local trials. The D3.10 Report is a…

When we picture a power station, what generally springs to mind is a massive structure full of complex technical equipment that produces electricity. The People’s Power Station 2.0 is a bit different, so we wanted to take the opportunity to explain what it is, why it’s invaluable to the work of Project LEO and Low…

Project LEO, a unique and ambitious four-year collaborative innovation programme, celebrated the end of the project and the launch of its final report.  Project LEO, which stands for Local Energy Oxfordshire, was a multi-million-pound initiative that aimed to trial how we can create a  greener, more flexible and fair electricity system not just in Oxfordshire…

Work is fast approaching completion at our first ever ground mount solar park at Ray Valley Solar. Most of the 35,000 solar panels, 1.3 km at the longest point, have been installed on site with an expected completion date of late April. Bringing Ray Valley Solar online will result in a five-fold increase in the…

At the launch of the latest Climate Report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) , the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said “Now it’s time to stop burning our planet and start investing in abundant renewable energy all around us.” The report is a stark reminder of the need to take urgent action…

The Rose Hill Smart and Fair Neighbourhood Trial has launched the next stage of its project with the Local Area Energy Mapping survey, known as ‘LEMAP’. The survey asks people questions about their home and energy use and is currently only available for people living in the Rose Hill project boundary (pictured below). If you…

Low Carbon Hub’s Smart Energy Systems Director Mairi Brookes recently appeared on the Smarter Grid Solutions podcast “Smart Grid Energy Transition”. Not only do we discover what launched Mairi’s career in energy and working towards climate solutions (for which we at the Hub are very grateful), we also hear her views on our extensive innovation…

We are very excited to announce the launch of Project LEO’s new website. A few months of work in the making, we are delighted to share with you the new site, which is easier to navigate, more user friendly and has a lot more information about the Project! Our goal with this new website is…

We’re delighted to announce that Oxford City Council has provided funding of nearly £3.4m towards the development of our first ever ground mount solar park at Ray Valley Solar, near Bicester.  Last week, at its Cabinet meeting, the Oxford City Council agreed to commit funding over a lifetime of 22.5 years to support the development of the…

Last month, Low Carbon Hub Operations Manager, Harry Orchard, carried out several Minimum Viable System (MVS) trials at Sandford Hydro as part of Project LEO. What is a Minimum Viable System trial? A Minimum Viable System is the minimum set of participants, technologies and practices required to test a new process, service, or asset. Referred…