ENERGY company ScottishPower has launched Zero Carbon Communities (ZCC) in Glasgow – the first detailed road map setting out the scale of the challenge in reaching the city’s Net Zero targets.

The campaign, launched nine months before Glasgow is set to host the UN’s COP26 conference, intends on helping to support communities in contributing towards the city’s ambitious 2030 target.

In addition to the launch, ScottishPower also announced a partnership with nextbike to sponsor Glasgow’s first fleet of e-bikes.

The firm will sponsor 63 e-bikes and 21 charging points across the city, enhancing the green transport on offer and further contributing to efforts to reach the target.

Keith Richardson, chief executive of ScottishPower, was joined at the launch by Transport Secretary Michael Matheson, Councillor Anna Richardson, and managing director of nextbike, Krysia Solheim.

Based on figures from forecasts that were commissioned by the company, and carried out by Capital Economics, the city’s transport and home heating requirements in order to meet the target have been revealed. According to the forecasts, Glasgow will need to install more than 175,000 charging points before 2030 to reach Net Zero, including nearly 17,000 chargers in non-residential areas, and will need to convert over 244,000 homes to electric energy.

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It has also revealed that the energy network will need “considerable” investment to support the changes, with an estimated £648 million required to achieve Net Zero.

As part of plans to modernise the city’s electrical network infrastructure, SP Energy Networks will be investing £20m between now and 2022 in order to increase network capacity and support regeneration initiatives.

Anderson said: “To reach Net Zero, we’ll all need to make changes as we move away from the fossil fuels that power our cars and heat our homes today.

“Upgrading heating systems and shifting to electric vehicles will require big changes, but they will have compelling social, economic and environmental benefits.

“Our sponsorship of Glasgow’s first fleet of e-bikes is a great example of how we can use electrical vehicles to reduce pollution.”