Tomorrow’s all-electric future today
Advice to directly address the climate emergency agenda is being provided by Motion and energy innovator SNRG. By planning integrated sustainable mobility and renewable energy options, the proposition will be delivered through the e-mobility, community and energy SNRG Hub, centrally located within new neighbourhoods.
SNRG Hub will provide a focus for cafés, co-working spaces, gyms, dark kitchens and other local facilities including those for later living. The intelligent micro-grid, ‘SNRG SmartGrid’, will connect homes and businesses, renewable generation including solar panels, and battery storage to lower peak network demand, thereby reducing energy costs to the neighbourhood as a whole.
SNRG also brings long-term funding for projects to enable full commitment to the all-electric transition. SNRG Hub will facilitate EV car clubs, e-bike and e-scooter services, and last mile delivery. Sustainable travel will be encouraged in all its forms, as public transport services including electric buses, Park & Ride and community taxis, also benefit from its own energy generation and optimisation.
Tackling cost, complexity and carbon
The benefits will accrue at the land, community and individual household levels. Housebuilders will be able to focus on construction, not the underlying technology, and local communities are able to have a stake in the assets and their governance.
Energy consumption, mobility and community services will be provided through a single, easy-to-use mobile app for residents. SNRG’s battery and optimisation technology moderates peak demand, maximising the use of renewables whilst providing lower energy bills for residents and lower grid connection costs for developers.
Motion Director Andrew Whittingham believes that bringing together energy, transport and community in a physical hub, with an app-based platform, is the obvious way forward. He says, “This concept meets the challenges at a practical level and is proving to be attractive to planning authorities wrestling with climate change.”
According to Richard Scott, SNRG’s Chief Design Officer and co-founder, “Many businesses have the know-how, but SNRG acts as an aggregator, harnessing several innovations and disciplines for the planning and construction of new developments.” He adds, “Up to now, the challenge has been fragmentation; our role is to leverage existing technologies and funding to bring all partners together around the table.”
An abridged version of this article first appeared in the Winter 2021-22 edition of Insight.
