Local energy systems development in India and United Kingdom: A comprehensive review of latest developments and way forward

Energy systems across the world are becoming localized, decarbonized, and digitalized. This is the era of local energy system integrating heat, power, and transport. Local energy system refers to arrangements that operate locally at a scale less than the traditional centralized model to maximize social, economic, environmental benefits for people or organization in a specific geographical area. Beyond decarbonization, local energy systems are expected to provide a wide range of other benefits such as alleviating fuel poverty, community income generation. The increase in the deployment of local energy systems has been the subject of intensive research and development in recent era. This article aims to review the recent local energy system developments in India and United Kingdom. Specifically, this will focus on local energy system taxonomy, landscape, challenges, pilot projects, policies, energy storage technologies in India and United Kingdom. Further, this work will also discuss how local energy system can be used for electrification of rural India. Thus, this work will put forward the latest developments of local energy system in a developed and developing country. This work will conclude by presenting the way forward for local energy system adoption and development in India and United Kingdom. It is expected that this work will help power and energy system researchers to track down the recent developments and landscape, and lessons of local energy system. This article is categorized under: Sustainable Energy > Other Renewables Climate and Environment > Net Zero Planning and Decarbonization Energy and Power Systems > Energy Infrastructure