Smart energy systems

Smart energy solutions are the key to unlocking and leveraging opportunities to do more with our energy assets, improve resilience and reduce cost. This includes the integration of the latest technologies in microgrids, smart buildings, electric vehicle (EV) charging and storage.

Our expertise includes smart building consulting, heat, power, transport and digital engineering including the latest in spatial digital twin-based design and techno-economic digital modelling and simulation, such as with our CommuniHeat project in East Sussex.

As energy systems transition in response to national and local policies on decarbonisation, emissions and resilience; an integrated approach is required. In recent years our energy consultants have been able to leverage the benefits of evolving technologies, such as enhanced digital sensors, energy data analytics and cloud-based control and management platforms for integrated energy systems.

This leveraging can include a vast array of bespoke applications, such as for example, aligning energy demand for a site to correlate with the peaks in supply provided by on-site solar PV generation.

Guiding you through smart energy integration

Buro Happold has a fully integrated multidisciplinary network of experts to guide your project in the right direction, from utilities to smart building and sustainability specialists. We bring decades of experience of working on complex, multi-stakeholder projects, to provide valuable insight into how and why smart energy technologies can benefit your systems and communities.

Our experts work with clients to build full feasibility, design and assurance services through all stages of smart energy development. Our current clients include urban developers, local authorities, network utilities, renewable generators and community energy companies.

We are entering a period where communities will have an increasing reliance on electricity as the key source of low-carbon heating, particularly with the adoption of heat pumps over traditional gas boilers, and the continued rise of electric vehicles and the required acceleration of a charging network to power them.

Using smart energy technologies to build resilience

As well as providing sophisticated digital management of energy systems, the integration of new technologies can improve their energy resilience, by integrating back-ups to make stronger and more robust systems. 

Our experts help clients to rationalise their approach to energy, making sense of data through the latest techno-economic modelling to optimise or even commercialise energy generation.