UK Power Networks turning blue lights green

As the UK’s emergency services change to electric vehicles and estates, UK Power Networks is testing a new initiative designed to simplify and speed up the transition.

The ‘Blue Light’ project will help ambulance, police and fire and rescue services plan and deliver the low-carbon technologies they need, from electric vehicle (EV) charge points to energy-efficient upgrades for depots, while keeping critical operations running smoothly.

Emergency services typically operate across multiple sites, and with highly specialised fleets, tightly controlled budgets and reliability is critical. The process of managing multiple applications for new electricity connections, can also be complex for these essential services.

Blue Light is creating a first-of-its-kind digital tool that will show emergency services exactly where and when extra electricity is available, and how to use it most efficiently, making it quicker, cheaper and easier to plan and deliver low-carbon upgrades across their sites.

“Emergency services play an essential role in keeping our communities safe, and their transition to low-carbon technologies must be made as seamless and efficient as possible. Through the Blue Light project, we’re bringing together, for the first time, all the information needed to plan new electricity connections into one easy-to-use tool.

“This means emergency services can see exactly where electricity capacity is available, explore practical options to use it efficiently, and plan upgrades without lengthy, repeated processes”, said Luca Grella, UKPN’s Head of Innovation.

Luca Grella

Developed with input from emergency services workers, the tool will bring together information on each site’s future energy needs in one place, replacing the need to gather it from multiple sources, making it easier to plan suitable connections, minimise delays and better coordinate street works with other utilities.

By combining research, customer engagement, and advanced data modelling, Blue Light will give emergency services faster, clearer insight into their connection options, replacing the need for multiple applications and repeated discussions, helping to reduce costs and deliver connections more efficiently. The project is currently in its development phase, with a proof-of-concept tool co-designed with emergency service organisations.