The Greater Manchester Local Energy Market (GM LEM) project forms a key part of the city region's plans for decarbonisation, set out in the '5 Year Environment Plan for Greater Manchester' and complemented by the Greater Manchester's Smart Energy Plan, together these enable GM Mayor Andy Burnham's target for a zero carbon emissions city region by 2038 announced at the Mayor's Green Summit in March 2019\.

Building on Phase 1, the Greater Manchester Local Energy Market (GM LEM) project is an ambitious integrated, whole system energy vision that addresses how energy is generated, traded, transported, supplied and used across the city region. Co-ordinated by the devolved Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) it brings together a diverse array of partners from the private, public and Third sectors including, commercial and legal advisors, service design consultants, financial and regulatory specialists and the energy, technology and systems resources of Hitachi-Europe, Bruntwood, Bristol Energy, WSP, DAIKIN, Northwards Housing and leading technology provider SME Upside Energy.

The project vision combines two key themes; a place-based approach to geospatial energy system planning, harmonising the demands of the energy transition with traditional local authority-led approach to planning and enables us to understand current energy assets and networks and to plan how they may change over time; and the development of a unique new local energy market aggregation platform, integrating new smart technologies across heat, power and transport and linking into local distribution and national transmission platforms.

A user-centred design methodology puts customers at the heart of our approach, incorporating commercial property clients, early adopter owner occupiers, social housing tenants and the public sector. A Service Design approach creates an understanding of customer needs and consumption patterns and develops new value sharing propositions.

Recognising the daunting economic, environmental and societal challenges the energy transition presents, the project involves citizens, the public and private sector and seeks to protect the most vulnerable in society from the impact of rising energy bills or poor-quality homes.

GM LEM builds on the previously funded 'Prospering from the Energy Revolution' stage 1 feasibility study to accelerate from current market conditions to a Peer-to-Peer trading scenario suitable for the challenges of the mid-2020s.

A new local market will reduce carbon emissions and consumer bills, providing market confidence and leading to increased local investment with the accelerated deployment of renewable energy and storage assets.