Our expertise

Since 2017, Regen has supported the Welsh government in its net zero ambitions, producing comprehensive evidence of Welsh energy trends to inform the development of clean energy targets. Our analysis team provides annual updates on how energy is generated and used in Wales, monitoring progress towards these targets and helping to evidence the economic, community and environmental benefits from the development of Welsh energy projects.

Recognising low-carbon heat as a major element of achieving net zero in Wales, we helped develop the Welsh government’s 2024 'Heat Strategy for Wales', which sets out a plan to achieve clean, affordable, reliable heat across the country.

We work closely with Scottish government, in particular exploring the current and future opportunities for community and local energy to directly support Scotland’s National Just Transition Outcomes and supporting the development of policy positions that protect the interests of consumers in Scotland in the future retail market. We are also expanding our energy network modelling and engagement to cover the whole of the UK and Ireland.

For over 20 years, we have worked with and supported the early-stage development of wave energy, tidal energy and offshore wind farms, focusing on unlocking the potential of marine energy to drive regional economic growth. Regen was a founding partner in the South West Marine Energy Park and was a key regional delivery partner supporting developers, The Crown Estate, regional partnerships and the UK government throughout the Leasing Round 3 programme.

More recently, our floating offshore wind study for the Heart of the South West assessed the feasibility of deploying floating wind technology in the region, identifying key opportunities for local supply chain companies. Offshore technologies will form the backbone of the UK’s future clean power system and our Go West! thought leadership paper explored the benefits of a more geographically diverse offshore wind fleet for both the energy system and consumers, with policy recommendations to deliver such a balanced fleet.

We have worked on several projects with SSEN, Innovate UK, West Midlands Combined Authority and NGED, and Energy Networks Association to investigate how Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs) could unlock regional net zero ambitions, how they might work with the distribution networks and how they could accelerate deployment of critical network infrastructure.

The RESP represents a significant shift to a more strategic and place-based approach for energy system planning and governance, and we have approached it from a number of perspectives to provide constructive input on the interactions between RESPs, local authorities, distribution networks, Ofgem and NESO.

Our work as part of the Planning Regional Infrastructure in a Digital Environment (PRIDE) project explores how new digital planning tools, governance and processes could be used in the function of the RESP. Based on these whole system insights, several of our ideas were taken up in Ofgem’s RESP policy framework consultation.

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Regen has been working directly with, or in support of, local authorities since our inception, with 10 local authorities within our membership. We support local authorities to develop investment plans and energy plans to achieve their own decarbonisation ambitions. We also work with the private sector and government to help ensure adequate and tailored support is given to local authorities.

As the technical assistance partner for policy and regulation in Innovate UK's £60m Net Zero Living programme, Regen is supporting 52 local authorities in overcoming non-technological barriers to net zero, including policies, finance, planning, data and engagement. This programme of work draws on our expertise in supporting local authorities, such as through policy papers highlighting the challenges facing the local planning system, outlining frameworks for national and local government to work together on delivering clean heat and exploring the role of shared ownership in supporting a just transition.

Regen has been a pioneer in the community energy sector, drawing upon our deep energy system expertise to help the community energy sector develop, grow and innovate. Regen partners with and supports the community energy sector, actively working to enable community energy projects by administering Northern Powergrid’s Net Zero Community Energy Fund and working with Devon Energy Collective to encourage communities to identify potential development areas.

Through innovative projects, like REACH which aims to explore whether novel and modular solutions could provide a way for rural communities to achieve their decarbonisation objectives, we are able to help push the community energy sector forward, creating wider community benefit.

We regularly convene the community energy sector, through the community energy forums that we run for NGED and Northern Powergrid, so that we can advocate for communities within our wider energy policy influencing, such as in our response to the government’s call for evidence on the barriers to community energy.

Regen works with our members, policy and regulatory bodies, charitable foundations and NGOs to help shape the policy agenda around renewable energy and net zero power.

We support the UK government in developing specific practical policies on strategic network planning, grid infrastructure, market reform, local and national planning, and ensuring a just transition. Through our influential thought leadership, ‘Building a GB electricity network ready for net zero’, developed in partnership with the MCS Charitable Foundation, we have worked with network operators and Ofgem to implement our recommendations for how to prepare Britain’s electricity network for net zero.

We recently worked with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Renewable & Sustainable Energy to develop a comprehensive resource to help MPs address common myths about onshore renewables – empowering readers with the facts needed to debunk misconceptions, advocate for renewable projects, and support a transition that benefits both local communities and the environment.

Our work on the integration of data and digital technologies to drive energy system transformation includes supporting a range of distribution network operators in writing innovation and digitalisation strategies, developing open data service offerings and trialling innovative arrangements to support local electricity generation and use.

Our extensive stakeholder engagement experience lends itself to our work in data innovation, for example through our work with UKRI on the Local Energy Data Innovation project, which involved engaging with stakeholders with a variety of interests in the local energy system to find out what problems they are facing that energy data could help solve.

We also worked with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Ofgem and Innovate UK to develop the UK’s first Energy Digitalisation Strategy.

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