The aim of the workshop is to run your electricity company in a way that keeps your customers’ lights on, maximises profit and minimises carbon emissions.
You will trade power with other teams over five rounds, simulating both seasonal variations in the system and the longer-term strategic challenge of achieving net zero. This requires you to develop a strategy for growing your portfolio in a competitive market, as well as responding to changing customer demand and policy shifts.
Delivered for hundreds of participants in person over the last ten years, the game is now available as an individual pay-to-play experience or an online workshop with your peers.
Power Trader is perfect for a broad range of audiences. Including individuals from the following organisations:
Utilities
Energy project and technology developers
Energy consultants
Policy makers or strategists engaged in electricity markets
Academics
Masters and PhD students
Research councils
Regulatory organisations
National grid and DNOs
Industry associations
Professional institutions
Transport planners: early/mid/late career
Transport policymakers
Transport research groups
Masters and undergraduate students
Transport technology developers
Transport consultants
Community groups
Anyone with an interest in transport
LEARNING THROUGH DOING: Direct immersion in the complexities of the transport system delivers a hands-on experience unlike any other training
UNDERSTANDING MULTIPLE SCENARIOS: Each team will develop a geographically and historically different city, each taking different decisions and sharing their outcomes, learning from one another
STRENGTHENED TEAM WORKING: Development of communication, negotiation, decision making and conflict resolution skills
A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE: This bespoke game has been crafted by our experts to create an unforgettable day of learning and fun!
Early career researchers
PhD students
Research consortia
Associations
Energy technology developers
Energy research consultants
LEARNING THROUGH DOING: Hands on experience of developing an impact-based approach, building understanding of how to turn research outputs into tangible outcomes
KNOWLEDGE OF HOW TO ENGAGE MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDERS: Understand the needs of different actors and how to deliver benefits
STRENGTHENED TEAM WORKING: Development of communication, presentation, decision making and strategic thinking skills
A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE: This bespoke game has been crafted by our experts to create an unforgettable day of learning and fun!
We ran our newest workshop ‘Decarb-a-Nation’ for a mixed group of staff from The Net Zero Hubs and Energy Systems Catapult. Discussions focused on Regional Energy Strategic Planning and Local Area Energy Plans. View in full page to see our short video: Decarb-a-Nation workshop – at Energy Systems Catapult 2025
We ran our Power Trader workshop with MSc students at City University with a focus on how energy trading works. “A good way of conceptualising energy trading and it’s challenges” Leo, City University
We ran our Power Trader workshop with MSc students at the University of Birmingham as part of Energy Systems Design Week. “The day flew by and provided some interesting insights.” Workshop participant, Birmingham
Heuristic Games ran a Transport Planner workshop for researchers at The Energy Research Accelerator (ERA) and The Centre for Postdoctoral Development in Infrastructure, Cities and Energy (C-DICE). Various challenges e.g. improving air quality and reaching net zero by 2050! “Most useful was being able to visualise how policy affects real life scenarios and vice versa.” Workshop…
Heuristic Games ran a Power Trader workshop as part of the launch of the Green Industrial Futures Centre for Doctoral Training. The centre brings together four of the UK’s leading universities and facilities in industrial decarbonisation: Heriot Watt University, Imperial College, University of Bath and The University of Sheffield Energy Institute.
We ran our facilitated Power Trader workshop for about 80 staff at Field Energy – as part of an alternative Christmas celebration for staff (hence the Christmas jumpers!) We explored issues such as the role of renewables in the UK energy system. “Really good overview of how the energy market works” Workshop participant
We attended Net Zero Futures 2024 discussing how and why we we should generate impact through our research. As well as taking part in a panel discussing impactful careers, we also demonstrated one of our Heuristic Games workshops: Power Trader. Thanks to C-DICE for hosting the event and follow us to find out more about…
HyDEX and C-DICE co-hosted the Hydrogen Researcher Festival in July at Loughborough University. Mike Colechin, one of Heuristic’s founders, delivered a drop-in Power Trader facilitated workshop as part of the lunchtime activities. We also ran a stand in the exhibition area and talked to many attendees about what we can offer. The aim of the…
We ran a Power Trader workshop for researchers at the University of Nottingham Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Hydrogen. Quote from one of the participating teams: “Most useful was learning how weather and global events shape the energy market.”
We ran Transport Planner at Birmingham University using it as a stakeholder engagement tool for a new project: Global Centre for Clean Energy and Equitable Transport Solutions. CLEETS Global Center Birmingham and Cardiff universities are the UK leads in this project. Participant feedback: “Most useful was the intersection of policy, behaviour and climate science.
We ran a demonstration workshop featuring our key facilitated serious games: Power Trader, Transport Planner and Impact for the MSc Sustainable Engineering: Energy course at Nottingham Trent University as an introduction to what we offer.
We delivered our Transport Planner workshop to research students at the Resilient Decarbonised Fuel Energy Systems CDT as part of their course. “Most useful was the information delivered and the engagement was brilliant!” Workshop participant
Andy Boston provides energy consulting services through Red Vector Ltd. Andy has more than 30 years experience in the energy industry starting with the nationalised CEGB, through privatisation firstly with PowerGen and thence E.ON, and finally with the Energy Research Partnership.
Over the past 20 years Andy has designed and run games for events of up to 150 people attended by students, lecturers, new staff, middle managers, strategists, traders, senior staff and board members. As well as organising business games his skills include modelling energy markets, developing decarbonisation scenarios and understanding issues around the integration of renewables on to the grid.
Dr Mike Colechin is Director of Cultivate Innovation Ltd …working with the organisations and individuals who are delivering innovative, low carbon energy solutions.
Prior to setting up Cultivate, Mike was the Energy Technologies Institute’s Partnership Manager, supporting organisations delivering low carbon energy innovation, informing government policy, and building investor and industry confidence in these new approaches.
Mike is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer with over 30 years’ experience in the transport and energy sectors, with time spent both as a Combustion Engineer and as a member of E.ON’s R&D Management Team.
Clare Sheffield provides advice to policy-makers and the transport industry on evidence-based, analytically driven transport strategy & planning. A social sciences graduate with 20 years experience, she has pioneered creative research and modelling techniques in the transport industry, specialising in road pricing, cycling and behaviour change, and air quality. Clare has delivered seminars at universities across the UK and bespoke training sessions to analysts and planners.
