On the 2nd and 3rd of March, the IfM were pleased to host the ACCESS project partners in Cambridge. 

The IfM's knowledge transfer arm, IfM Education and Consultancy Services, is a knowledge partner in ‘Advancing Communities towards low-Carbon Energy Smart Systems - or 'ACCESS'.

ACCESS is a European project which is bringing together experts and governments around joint challenges to support the uptake of low carbon grid-related technologies in communities and ‘Smart Cities’.

The meeting held at the IfM provided the opportunity to provide updates on the preparation of four ground-breaking local energy system pilots towards net-zero carbon communities.

Highlights of the meeting included:

• All the partners reaffirmed the importance of collaborating with existing initiatives on smart local energy systems and smart grid pilots to build upon their lessons learned and best practices;
• The complexity of the local ecosystem in local energy initiatives requires a good understanding of stakeholders’ interests and priorities to ensure successful engagement and collaboration;
• A lack of public best practices and tools to support municipalities in piloting and energy planning confirms the importance of the ACCESS ambition to provide a universally applicable toolbox for replication and upscaling;
• Collaboration between ACCESS partners is going from strength to strength. The knowledge partners provide the expertise that is usually lacking for preparing pilots ready to be upscaled and well-aligned with the cities' ambitions.

Visit the ACCESS website for further information on the partner meeting and the project.