SP Energy Networks' Local Authority Network Insight Tool (LANIT) has been honoured with the Best Innovation: Software and Services award at the prestigious Scottish Green Energy Awards. The tool was recognised for its transformative role in assisting councils and regional bodies with planning for the UK's accelerated energy transition.

LANIT provides local authorities and transport organisations with real-time visibility into crucial electricity network data, including network capacity, potential constraints, and indicative costs. This information is available before formal connection requests are submitted, fundamentally changing the planning process for low-carbon infrastructure.

By making complex grid data easily accessible, LANIT enables projects such as EV charging hubs, heat pump rollouts, and large-scale solar installations to be planned with greater confidence, significantly reducing unnecessary delays and associated costs.

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Proven Impact on Energy Planning

The demand for low-carbon technologies is rapidly increasing, placing pressure on existing electricity networks. LANIT bridges the information gap, empowering non-specialists with actionable data. The tool's impact over the last year has been substantial:

• It has supported energy planning for 40 local authorities, 12 regional bodies, and 3 transport providers in 2024/2025.

• It delivered over 2,000 optioneering studies, resulting in an estimated saving of £1.3 million by streamlining planning and cutting down on speculative connection applications.

• It enabled early-stage decarbonisation planning for 22 local authorities across the region.

Mark Goudie, Head of DSO Strategic Projects & Optimisation at SP Energy Networks, highlighted the tool's importance: "Local authorities are at the heart of the UK's energy transition. LANIT gives them the insight they need to support energy planning and enable the delivery of projects that underpins Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies (LHEES) and Local Area Energy Plans (LAEPs) that ultimately benefit communities and the environment."

The system combines live network data with advanced analysis to simulate the impact of new developments on the grid and suggest cost-effective alternatives. This capability is helping bodies like the Glasgow City Region, where the tool is being used to increase the number of publicly available EV chargers by identifying feasible locations based on network availability and costs, as noted by Regional Partnership Manager Paul Kilby.