The West Midlands Smart Energy Systems Cluster was off to a flying start last week as we hosted the inaugural Advisory Board meeting in our Birmingham offices. ⚡️

If your school is working on a Climate Action Plan - or needs to start - don’t miss our free webinar on 12 November. We’ll break down what decarbonisation really means for schools and how to take practical, low-cost steps that can have a big impact.

Innovation only matters if it works in the real world. We caught up with Nathaniel Bottrell, Senior Advisor – Whole Systems & Networks, to explore how the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) turns ideas into impact.

Half term was full of inspiration at Energy Systems Catapult. ❤️ Staff members’ daughters joined us for a confidence session as part of our ongoing social value work. They made new friends, shared ideas, practiced speaking in front of others, and left brimming with confidence.

What could you achieve with a complete view of your energy data? 🔍 Imagine seeing energy use, emissions, and costs all in one place, and using those insights to plan your next project with confidence.

The moment is finally here! 🚨 The Energy Systems Catapult Retrofit Accelerator is now open! Are you developing cutting-edge solutions that drive energy efficiency, optimisation, and decarbonisation in domestic or non-domestic retrofit?

Calling all Local Authorities! 📣 Here’s your chance to shape the future of Local Area Energy Planning (LAEP) and Regional Energy Strategic Planning (RESP).

How do we keep the lights on when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine? That’s the peak gap, and closing it is crucial to achieving Net Zero.

We’ve been named Employer Partner of the Year 2025 at the EY Foundation Impact Awards! 🎉 The award recognises our commitment to supporting young people through mentoring, volunteering, and work experience, helping them explore careers in energy and Net Zero.

Schools are key players in the journey to Net Zero – is your site ready? The Department for Education is calling on all schools in England to have a Climate Action Plan by 2025. Not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered.

Could the UK’s industrial heat system run on low‑carbon energy? 🤔 In this first blog published by the Energy Systems Nexus project, Jack Stephenson, Senior Modelling Analyst at Energy Systems Catapult, explores the UK’s co‑generation potential.

Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) could transform how we reach Net Zero. ⚡️ Our latest analysis for Mission Innovation explores 16 LDES technologies across 11 countries, revealing where deployment is most viable, and why.

In complex energy systems, collaboration isn’t just helpful, it’s essential. The right partnership turns complex challenges into clear solutions.

We’re supporting the Transport + Energy Forum 2025, a must-attend event for those shaping a cleaner, smarter future. Come along for: 👉 Insightful panel discussions 👉 Fireside chats and in-conversation sessions 👉 A roundtable tackling local authority challenges

Stop guessing. Start planning smarter. 💡 Too many Net Zero plans rely on incomplete, outdated, or siloed data. Net Zero Data changes that.

Exciting news: Deepak Sadhwani, Analyst – Buildings, has been named one of the RIBA Journal Rising Stars🌟 From architect to building physicist, he's redefining how we design for Net Zero, creating data-driven tools that blend energy, cost, carbon and comfort to make sustainable homes a reality.

Six hours. One mission. Infinite possibilities. ⚡ If you’re curious about energy and AI, this is your chance to make a real impact. Join us on 15 November for the Diverse AI Hackathon at our Birmingham office. Together, we’ll design AI solutions that power a smarter, fairer energy future.

Just one week to go... ⏳ Your chance to shape the future of home retrofit is nearly here. Have you got the idea that could change everything? Watch this space. 👀

Mixed signals are slowing UK industry’s journey to Net Zero. 📉 In her latest blog, Emily Ford, Senior Energy Policy Advisor – Carbon Policy, digs into new analysis from Energy Systems Catapult and Stonehaven that reveals just how uneven the UK’s carbon price signals really are.

Is your school ready for a Climate Action Plan? 🚨 By 2025, the Department for Education expects every school in England to have one! Join our FREE webinar at 4 PM on 12 November, to discover practical steps for decarbonisation, including:

Are your Net Zero decisions being made in the dark? Most organisations have access to data, but not always the right data.

In complex energy systems, the difference between a good idea and real impact isn’t theory or funding, it’s seeing how everything connects. The Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) is creating pathways that turn breakthrough ideas into real-world results.

Keeping pace with energy policy can feel like a full-time job, and this month’s updates could define the next phase of the UK’s clean energy transition so you don’t want to miss them.

Meet Ventive, they’ve built a smart system that integrates low-carbon heating and cooling, electrical and thermal energy storage, and hot- and cold-water systems. The business came to Energy Systems Catapult to tackle the challenge of mixed market readiness and develop a route to scale.

The decarbonisation of UK farms depends on smarter energy networks. Join Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks’ Future Agriculture Resilience Mapping (FARM) webinar at 10 AM on 22 October , and discover insights that could shape the future of food production.

As lawmakers debate changes to planning rules that could require the use of Local Area Energy Planning (LAEPs) to support national and regional energy strategies, our latest blog explores why coordinated approaches matter for the future of data centres.

What will it really take to put the UK’s HGVs on the road to clean power? 🚛 Join us on 27 November in our Birmingham offices for eFREIGHT 2030: Powering the HGV transition.

Not long to go now… ⏳ An opportunity to shape the future of home retrofit is around the corner. Do you have the idea that could make a difference? Get ready. Big things are coming.

The Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) is creating pathways from breakthrough ideas to real-world impact. We caught up with Nathaniel Bottrell, Senior Advisor – Whole Systems & Networks, to chat about how collaboration is helping turn innovation into real change across the energy system.

Got an innovation for home retrofit? Keep an eye out, something is coming. 👀 Big ideas deserve big opportunities. And this one might be yours. Stay tuned…

Ofgem’s latest consultation on cost allocation and recovery explores how system costs should be allocated and recovered across the energy market.

How do people really decide to adopt low carbon heating? That’s the question explored in our Researchers in Residence project with the University of Bristol’s Paul Howard-Jones, bringing together psychology, education, and neuroscience to understand energy choices beyond cost.

For almost three decades, the UK energy sector has chased the promise of open data, yet we’re still stuck in pilot mode. In her guest blog, Dr Ola Michalec, Lecturer at the University of Bristol, explores why progress has stalled, and what it will take to move forward.

Last month, we welcomed the Smart Data Research UK (SDR UK) Hub to our Birmingham offices to meet with our Smart Energy Data Service (SENSE) team for a jam-packed session of innovation and collaboration! 💡

On 24 September we hosted our annual Catapult Culture Day Celebration! 🌍🥳 A chance to celebrate the diversity that makes Energy Systems Catapult such a brilliant place to work.

As we evolve our energy system to be cleaner, it also needs to be fit enough for the daily demands we place on it. ⚡️ It can’t fall over when a storm blows in. It’s got to keep running when thousands of EVs plug in at once.

SMPnet developed Omega, a smart platform that manages local energy networks in real time, optimising power flows, reducing costs and enabling more renewable energy. The challenge? The SME had great technology but wasn’t sure where to focus: grid software, microgrids, or both.

And just like that… summer is over. ❄️ The nights are drawing in, coats are coming out and homes are getting chillier. Now’s the time for health professionals to help keep your vulnerable patients warm and healthy.

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) has quite the task ahead: building strategic plans for the UK’s future energy system. 🛠️ These plans have significant implications for large energy users. But industry oftens feels left out of the network planning process.

In complex energy systems, the difference between a good idea and a transformative project isn’t just theory or funding. It’s being able to see how everything fits together. The Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) is creating pathways from breakthrough ideas to real-world impact.

Clusters have the power to transform regions. When research, industry, innovators and investors come together, they open up new opportunities for economic growth and accelerate the transition to Net Zero.

Decarbonising homes isn’t just about technology. It’s about people, places and the connections we make along the way.

This week, we hosted the Estates Sustainability Innovation Session with @england.nhs.uk. 💡 It was a fantastic opportunity to bring together innovators, NHS Trusts and partners to share ideas, tools and solutions for smarter energy management and decarbonisation.

Patient care or carbon reduction? 🏥 For NHS estates teams, it often feels like an impossible choice. But it doesn’t have to be.

A smart and flexible energy system is crucial to achieving Net Zero. But what happens if some consumers get left behind? Our Inclusive Smart Solutions (ISS) programme explored this challenge.

Meet the innovators shaping the future of energy. 💡 As part of the Google for Startups Accelerator: AI for Energy, 29 startups across North America and Europe are using AI to tackle challenges withfrom smarter grids and batteries to EV charging and climate forecasting.

As our energy system becomes more decentralised, how do we keep it resilient and adaptable? ⚡ Peter Graham put pen to paper in the latest piece from our Innovating to Net Zero Insights Series, exploring why designing for a ‘system of systems’ is key to a sustainable and resilient energy future.

Overwhelmed by energy policy updates? Ben Shafran, Head of Business Model & Policy Innovation, has you covered with his latest edition of Watts the Story.

Join us on Tuesday 23 September at 2PM for the UK Power Networks SIF Show & Tell Webinar, where we’ll be presenting the Conductor project with @ridingsunbeams.bsky.social and EneRail.

Are you experienced in systems mapping? We want your input. Join us on the 14 of October for a collaborative online session exploring how systems maps can support innovation in energy flexibility.