RIDES - DEcarbonisation of Dispersed Industrial Sites

2025

Senior Researcher, ADE Research

The consortium was led by SSEN, with Guidehouse scoping a user-facing digital tool and ADE leading the research. We focused on building a structured set of rural industrial archetypes that turned scattered evidence into a usable planning language for networks, site owners and councils. The emphasis was on what could electrify first, where flexibility or storage helped, and where upgrades mattered most.

As lead researcher at ADE, I designed the methodology and ran the fieldwork. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 17 organisations across trade bodies, site operators, third-sector groups, government and academia. I developed the interview guide, led coding and analysis, and triangulated the findings with light-touch public data to test scale and seasonality.

We built each archetype around processes, thermal demand, operating hours, grid touchpoints and land-use context. I documented typical load shapes, seasonal patterns and the practical upgrade paths, including where timed connections, demand response and storage could relieve reinforcement at specific voltage levels.

We validated draft archetypes with a steering panel of selected ADE members. Their feedback sharpened the boundaries between archetypes, clarified edge cases and confirmed which assumptions were robust enough to carry into tool design. The result was a grounded set of profiles and a clear plan for Alpha that accelerated conversations between networks and industry.