This 1-day face-to-face training course provides an introduction to the energy transition across all sectors. It examines how whole energy systems models work and interact with each other covering their benefits, limitations and wider considerations.
Learners will develop a solid understanding of the main supply technologies that are expected to support the transition to a low carbon and secure energy system alongside the impact of demand technologies on both the energy system and also on non-energy sectors.
Format
Length
Date
Location
Member
price
Non-Member
price
Face-to-face
1 day
30/11/26 - 30/11/26
London
Member price: £320.00 + VAT
£320.00 + VAT
Non-Member price: £400.00 + VAT
£400.00 + VAT
Face-to-face
1 day
01/03/27 - 01/03/27
London
Member price: £320.00 + VAT
£320.00 + VAT
Non-Member price: £400.00 + VAT
£400.00 + VAT
Length: 1 day
1 day
Date: N/A
N/A
Location: Anywhere
Anywhere
N/A
N/A
Agenda
Course outline:
- What do we mean by Whole Energy Systems and Thinking?
- Energy consumers – what do they want and (why) do we care?
- Interactive session: Consumers Archetypes
- Some basics on energy systems, markets, costs and networks
- Whole system modelling
- Technologies for net zero – the demand side
- Building heating
- Transport
- Industry
- Interactive session: Modelling Demand Pathways
- Technologies for net zero – the supply side
- Electricity production
- Green gases: hydrogen and biomethane
- Managing the system
- Interactive session: Modelling Supply Pathways
- Summary & Feedback
Prerequisites:
Participants should have a basic understanding of energy units and quantities and be familiar with basic concepts of efficiency, carbon emissions and energy vectors.
What will I learn?
Course objectives
- the key components across the future energy system and interactions with non-energy sectors
- the challenges of decarbonising different demand sectors and what technologies are most likely to dominate
- how demand technologies impact on the energy system, and beyond, and the challenges and opportunities they present
- the main supply technologies that will support a clean secure energy system and their key characteristics
- how the energy system can be managed in times of stress and low renewables output
- how whole energy systems models work; limitations and considerations
Who is this suitable for?
- The focused energy professional: Long established in a particular energy sector – e.g. gas, industrial end use, wind developer.
- Objective: to better understand how their work fits into the wider energy landscape and to be able to identify business and collaboration opportunities. Potentially identify a career move.
- The policy/regulation professional: A person working in policy or regulation who may have a non-technical background, but is familiar with energy basics.
- Objective: to improve understanding of how their policy/regulatory area might interact with other parts of the energy system to avoid unintended consequences and improve the quality of policy making.
- The early career engineer: A recent graduate who has an interest in forging a career in the energy sector.
- Objective: to gain a broad understanding of how future energy systems will operate and interact and what technologies and systems will be key. Enable the participant to identify areas of interest to pursue.
How good is it?
"Rachel led a highly interactive course which activated my curiosity and allowed me to have a greater impact in my own job. I enjoyed Rachel's hands on approach to sharing the opportunities and perils of modelling energy systems. I also felt that she engaged deeply with all my questions, which allowed me to better understand gas networks and how the physics underlying these networks inevitably influenced our policy choices."
Ludo Tolu - Deputy Director for Heat Networks and Biomethane Policy, DESNZ
"Rachel delivered an excellent Whole Energy System training course, combining deep expertise with a clear and engaging communication style. The course was exceptionally well thought-through, bringing together complex aspects of the energy system and its decarbonisation pathways in a coherent and compelling way. I came away with a much stronger sense of confidence that there are colleagues within the organisation—Rachel included—who truly understand both the complexity and how the different pieces fit together. I would highly recommend the course to others working in this area."
Angus Paxton, Head of Gas and Whole Energy Network Development, NESO
Tutor profile
Ms R A Lee FEI Chartered Energy Manager
Dr Rachel Lee is a Fellow of the Energy Institute (FEI) and Chartered Electrical Engineer. She started her career first operating, then designing and building, industrial combined heat and power plant. After a period working on electricity demand management and system reliability in the Australian public sector. Rachel returned to the UK to become programme director of a regional renewable energy support organisation. She then had short stints with a clean-tech investor and a biomass trader, before setting up her own consulting business in 2011 supporting the development of various renewable energy projects across biomass, wind solar and even tidal. In 2016 she started a PhD on the fair transition to decarbonised transport at Sheffield University whilst also developing and delivering a new master’s course module on the energy transition. On completion of her PhD she went to work for the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, eventually as Head of Heat Infrastructure Transformation. She then moved to the National Energy System Operator to manage advisory work and deliver whole energy insights. In 2025, Rachel returned to running her own business supporting project developers, working with industry trade bodies on net zero and delivering training. Rachel is also a director of a community wind project, which she was instrumental in establishing in 2015.