The UK government is aiming for Britain to be able to generate enough clean energy to meet total annual demand by 2030. Renewable electricity is already making significant progress towards this target, reaching a record 54.5% of total electricity generation in the second quarter of 2025. However, building on this success and reaching the ambitious 2030 goal requires electricity companies to make informed decisions on renewable energy infrastructure planning.
Electricity companies need to be able to rapidly deploy new renewable assets like wind farms, solar installations, and hydroelectric infrastructure, all while ensuring these developments are feasible, cost-efficient, and seamlessly integrated into existing grid networks. This requires them to have a precise understanding of current infrastructure networks, existing asset locations, and site-specific characteristics.
The challenge of planning renewable energy infrastructure at scale
Traditional asset and network planning approaches may rely on incomplete datasets, making it difficult to find optimal locations for new renewable infrastructure. Legacy systems and fragmented data sources can make it challenging to build an accurate picture of existing assets and identify which sites offer the highest potential for new renewable deployment.
Renewable energy projects not only require sites with strong potential, but also suitable topography, land use characteristics, and proximity to grid infrastructure. Planning decisions made without trusted location data can lead to suboptimal site selection and increased development costs.
Understanding current infrastructure is especially critical. Electricity networks are made up of extensive collections of cables, substations, and transmission lines, with many running underground out of clear view. Without precise mapping of these assets, planning teams cannot accurately assess grid capacity or identify possible technical constraints.
Smarter planning with location data
Ordnance Survey (OS) data provides the authoritative geographic and infrastructure foundation that electricity companies need for renewable energy infrastructure planning.
The Land Use Theme offers classification of land types and uses, with topographic information contributing to decisions around suitability for renewable assets – for example, a large open space situated away from residential areas would be an ideal location for wind turbines. The Address Theme provides a complete view of all addresses and developments, supporting demand forecasting that will inform infrastructure planning. The Buildings Theme connects locations to physical characteristics, including building footprints and roof characteristics, helping identify suitable sites for rooftop solar panels, while the Water Theme includes features and networks like reservoirs and rivers that can have the potential for hydroelectric power generation.
Optimising grid connectivity and asset deployment
By integrating OS data with grid network maps, electricity companies can visualise current infrastructure and potential sites for new renewable assets, determining the most cost-effective connection routes to grid infrastructure. This data-informed approach can help reduce development costs and accelerate deployment timelines, ensuring new assets can integrate seamlessly into the grid.
Environmental and habitat concerns
Location data can help electricity companies to minimise the environmental impacts of their renewable infrastructure. OS Field Boundary data can provide details on the types of trees and vegetation in certain locations that could complicate development or disturb habitats. By understanding protected habitats and sensitive environmental areas, planners can avoid locations that would harm ecosystems and habitats.
Together with local authority boundaries and designated areas, these insights can be used to support the preparation of stronger planning applications that anticipate potential regulatory concerns. This proactive approach can help electricity companies to ensure they are both meeting their own environmental goals and focusing their resources on developing genuinely viable sites.
Future-proofing energy infrastructure
Location data can also be beneficial in supporting the development of future energy generation technology. Battery storage facilities, hydrogen production sites, and other emerging technologies all require specific conditions and grid connectivity to thrive.
By mapping current infrastructure and understanding site-specific characteristics, electricity companies can identify locations suitable for today's renewable assets and the technologies that will shape tomorrow's energy system. Using OS data, companies can identify land areas and grid connection points that will accommodate multiple technology types, ensuring infrastructure decisions can support future flexibility.
Moving towards a clean electricity future
Electricity companies that use accurate location data will be best positioned to contribute to meeting the 2030 clean energy target. With OS data and the support of an OS Partner, electricity companies can ensure infrastructure decisions are informed by comprehensive geographic intelligence, enabling more efficient planning and deployment of renewable assets.
Ready to accelerate your renewable electricity planning? Get in touch with the Ordnance Survey team today or click below, to discover how OS data can help your organisation make confident decisions about renewable asset location, grid integration, and infrastructure development.
