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Flutter Shutter – Innovation in Retrofit

Our Story

Established by 3 sisters: Rechelle Davis, Nadine Griffin and Rhianne Griffin, Flutter Shutter has been in operation within the energy sector since 2012. The business prides itself on having a range of key skills important in creating a flourishing energy efficiency initiative designed to cut carbon emissions as well as ease the financial burden on customers. Richelle is characterised as the ‘speaker’ of the company, Nadine as the brains behind the structure and organisational aspects and Rhianne as the creative force and energy to increase the appeal of their products on the younger generations.

As women in a predominantly male STEM industry, the sisters have faced many challenges over the years, from being domestic and commercial energy assessors and being taken seriously within the industry to winning contracts up and down the UK and carrying out assessments for social housing providers. However, as this story demonstrates, they have overcome the odds and proved to be successful in the industry.

 

The Challenge

Current statistics show that 82% of total waste from PVC windows currently goes directly to landfill. Many residents are encouraged to take up PVC as part of the installation of triple glazing into their homes. These issues are exacerbated where the windows cannot be replaced or are high rise buildings which would require the installation of scaffolding pre-installation. Flutter Shutter is offered as a product to alleviate such headaches.

Although triple glazing is seen as part of the solution, Flutter Shutter identified it as an area within energy efficiency within homes which could be improved. The concept identified and the product developed has been done so with the intention of being installed without the need to rip out windows and with the certainty that it will increase the EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) of the building.

“(Flutter Shutter) is the only internal shutter system in the world that doubles up as a fully independent window system and officially increases EPC ratings.”  Director of Flutter Shutter, Nadine Griffin.

The process has proved long, and the company have had to wait 9 years for patent having finally had one issued in January 2023.

 

The Solution

Key solutions in creating a product which is easy to install, but also highly practical for the user meant finding solutions in key areas.

Designing a product which can be installed within a day in an average domestic home. The uniqueness of the product meant that it has undergone 9 years of vigorous testing by Liverpool John Mours University (LJMU) and the Buildings Research Establishment (BRE). Although the journey has been long and arduous, the company has seen an acceleration over the past 3 years having joined up with Centrica as a partner and funder which has been praised as a game changer in their development:

“the knowledge and expertise they have within the business and their staff who we have been able to have access to, wouldn’t have been possible without their backing, and so for that we are extremely grateful and proud to be partnered with them.”

As a route to market, Flutter Shutter are currently going through an application process with Ofgem to become approved under ECO4 with British Gas as the sponsor. Ensuring that opportunities to include the product as part of essential funding streams for fuel poor households is an avenue that any aspiring innovative retrofit measure entrepreneurs must maximise as part of their business plan.

Additionally, Flutter Shutter have worked closely to test and pilot the product. LJMU have tested the product in their exemplar houses on site at their Byrom Street Campus in Liverpool. LJMU also carried out a full working pilot scheme with us during 2021 – 2022, where we installed Flutter Shutter™ into 5 properties that belong to Livv Housing Group. The pilot scheme run for 9 months, and we installed sensors in two rooms within the property 3 months prior to installation and then installed Flutter Shutter™ in every room apart from one for the remaining 6 months. This allowed us to compare the heat loss in the properties prior to and post installation of Flutter Shutter™, which showed a retention in heat loss post installation. It is hoped that the company can begin to deliver the product to 15,660 properties per year.

Having the correct support from academia that have suitable programmes to ensure that no stone is unturned in discovering whether an idea is viable or not is essential to the success of products in this sector. There is so much red tape and every step to mitigate any future issues is part of the solution. It goes without saying that financial backing is a must with an innovative product and equally as important is finding the right funder/investors for your business.

Read more HERE.

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Bee Net Zero: Greater Manchester’s Rooftop Revolution

Our Story

The Bee Net Zero partnership is a cross-sector partnership bringing together networks, organisations and support programmes from across Greater Manchester. The region has set an ambitious, science-based target to be net zero by 2038. With business activity accounting for roughly a third of the region’s carbon emissions, the group understands the necessity for collaboration with other businesses to reach this target.

One of the key areas of focus for the partnership has been solar. As part of the mission to make Greater Manchester the easiest place to become a net zero business, the partnership has pushed for an uptake in the take-up of solar PV installations by encouraging businesses to join them on the ‘Rooftop Revolution’.

 

The Challenge

Historically, the main hurdle facing the transition to solar PV for businesses in Greater Manchester, and more widely across the UK, has been the financial aspect to acquiring and installing the technology onsite. Businesses in Greater Manchester were sceptical of the future financial and environmental benefits due to the lack of a trusted voice within the regional business community to demystify and state the facts about solar.

With the payback time for solar PV at a record low with a payback time between 5 and 6 years due to the 40%-80% saved in electricity, the rise in energy bills was seen as an opportunity to take advantage of businesses turning to on-site renewable energy sources as a means of reducing their reliance on the grid and unreliable energy prices. Depending on the size of the business, it could prove to be a lifeline.

 

The Solution

The Rooftop Revolution campaign aims to simplify the switch to solar by helping businesses to connect with local suppliers, understand the business case, learn about potential barriers, and gain the confidence to invest in solar.

By bringing together the advice from trusted partners from across Greater Manchester including Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Green Economy, Electricity Northwest, Manchester Climate Change Agency, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Manchester Business Board (LEP), the partnership hopes to become a trusted voice in the transition to solar and provide businesses of all shapes and sizes across Greater Manchester with the guidance they need to adopt green tech.

Bee Net Zero’s solar landing page provides resources and information on everything businesses need to know about installing solar, including information on finance, suppliers, and case studies from businesses that have recently made the switch.

This includes a guide created by Bee Net Zero partner Green Economy to help businesses understand how solar can be a part of their net zero action plan, especially considering its ability to cut CO2 emissions by between 3 to 5 tonnes per year. It aims to demystify some of the technical aspects of installing solar while matching businesses with the right installer and helping them how to overcome common barriers.

Steve Connor, Green Lead for Greater Manchester Business Board (LEP), said:

“For businesses considering installing solar on their premises – the time is now. It has enormous potential to help businesses save thousands on their energy bills while bringing down carbon emissions. Greater Manchester gets much more sunlight than people realise, and this offers businesses a low-cost, low-carbon source of electricity which can help them save money and become more sustainable from the day of installation.

The benefits are now too good to ignore – join the Rooftop Revolution and contact Bee Net Zero to explore how we can help.”

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UrbanScape

Our Story

In 2021, when I was 14, I set up Mulgrave Street Action Group (MSAG) as a community interest with some help from other people. MSAG is led a group of directors, including myself, and we also benefit from lots of ongoing input from the local community.

The aim of starting MSAG was to reduce fly tipping in my local area by building a community garden on a fly tipping hotspot. After two years of campaigning, some funding from Liverpool City Region Community Environment Fund, several public consultations and lots of pushing, UrbanScape was named and launched on the 6th April 2023!

Along the way, we have worked on a plethora of projects, including bringing planters to the postcode, hiring skips for fly tipping management and providing free food-growing plants for people.

 

The Challenge

Our main challenge was being let down by five different contractors for a variety of reasons including underdelivering, overcharging and being unable to fill out paperwork. This resulted in MSAG taking the reins themselves and project managing. Don’t give up!

Another challenge that we overcame was finding funding. This was a struggle for a long period of time until LCR (Liverpool City Region) opened their fund and we successfully won a portion. Having a committed team, a plan and lots of support from the community helped get us over the line with our LCR funding bid.

UrbanScape is something that could be replicated in another area for lots of reasons. It has shown that it has a great positive impact on the community, including increasing socialising, reducing isolation, improving air quality, increasing biodiversity and reducing fly tipping (which was our original aim!).

 

Our Solution

UrbanScape is a multipurpose outdoor community garden which provides a place for the community to be mindful, appreciate nature and get outdoors. From this new space, we will be delivering a variety of projects very shortly, which will further increase the value to the community here in L8. Our work will help increase biodiversity and reduce fly tipping in the local communities. A knock on effect of this will allow people to socialise more and reduce isolation in the community.

Forest School

Forest School

Our Story

Forest School is an innovative, self-led learning approach suitable for all ages in a woodland setting, supported by a trained Forest School Leader. Within a school setting, children might take part in regular two-hour, weekly sessions over the course of a minimum of six weeks. The sessions, which include activities such as building dens, cooking over fires, knot-tying and making art with natural materials, help to combat children’s increasing isolation from the natural world, arising from greatly reduced freedom to roam and society’s increased fear of risk.

Classes are taught outdoors in a wooded area, either within the school grounds or at a local woodland, and help children build their confidence, improve their teamwork and practical skills, and learn about natural environments.

The Mersey Forest helps schools and other organisations to access, create and adapt woodland spaces for their Forest School sessions, and provides advice and support to fledging Forest School programmes – some of which are based in woodlands which The Mersey Forest helped to plant over the past 25 years!

We’ve already worked with over half of Merseyside and North Cheshire’s schools to introduce the benefits of natural play to children’s education through school grounds improvements and Forest School. We’re now helping teachers and practitioners to gain the Open College Network teaching qualification in Forest School, so that they can teach Forest School sessions on a regular basis.

 

The Challenge

Forest School isn’t just about delivering the national curriculum at a primary school level, however. It has a range of applications and can be used to teach all age’s. ‘Training the trainers’ is key to success, and we encourage teachers and other practitioners to gain qualifications in Forest School.

Seek advice on the choice of a site where you would like to set up a Forest School woodland, so there are no issues in accessing or managing the site, and make sure you have the necessary landowner agreements and other formal documents in place. Set up cluster groups and support networks – so that advice and support is never far away.

 

Our Solution

Our success is measured on the number of schools enrolled, how many children participate, and the geographic coverage of the schools involved.

ABS

Advanced Bacterial Sciences

Our Story

We are a group of individuals including scientists, ecological experts and entrepreneurs that have been at the forefront of climate neutral research, development, and investment for over 20 years. Coming together as Advanced Bacterial Sciences (ABS) involved the magic of the right people coming together at the right time, all willing to build something new and innovative bringing microbiota solutions to waste and water management.

We understood the existential threat from the combined impact of three interlocking crises – climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. By understanding this situation, realising the opportunity, and responding to a gap in the market we were able to develop a range of highly effective products that target and successfully treat very specific problems.

 

The Challenge

The potential of microbial solutions to change the world is undeniable, making it an extremely exciting space to be in. Ventures looking to develop products such as ABS bacterial products that can contribute to the circular economy need to have a clear idea, a well-defined plan and adequate funding from committed investors. In order to develop biological solutions long-term investment is required for research as creativity is fuel for continued innovation in this area.

What are your goals? What is your purpose? Make decisions based on whether they are aligned with your purpose or will bring your closer to achieving your goals. Naturally we need to respond to changes when necessary but it is important to remain focused on these goals and not become distracted by the inevitable noise of launching a business or developing new products.

You need to understand the challenges that your customers experience. With this information you can identify the need and develop a truly effective product.

Do not underestimate the importance of collaboration. ABS is at the forefront of researching and developing innovative microbiota solutions for waste and water management that will benefit people and the planet. The opportunity is huge however, the pool of experts is still relatively small. To complement our team, we are engaging an international network of scientific collaborators. We will encourage joint ventures with strategic partners so we can accelerate scientific learning to expedite relevant products and solutions. We will actively look for opportunities to work with local authorities, industrial and commercial groups and NGOs as well as with policy makers and the regulators.

It is important to understand what success looks like for your company or initiative. For ABS not only do we want to develop effective products and create lasting value for our shareholders but success for us is channeling natural efficiency and inspiring benign environmental impact. We have developed our business plan and measure our success by how our products support the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

 

Our Solution

Our products break down organic waste and absorb inorganic substances with little or no by-products other than water and minimal CO2.

Bacterial solutions have been used for centuries, they are natural, versatile, resilient and can be found everywhere. Water companies rely on bacteria to process tonnes of waste daily. Microbiota are the most prevalent lifeform on our planet and can survive in the most inhospitable of environments. Their sheer number and diversity mean that they are the most ecologically sound, sustainable solution to many of our planetary challenges.

What ABS plans to do is to tap into processes that would occur anyway through the work of bacteria and similar microorganisms, giving us natural alternatives for waste management, in turn reducing our carbon and wider environmental footprint. Driven by a dynamic approach based on a unique fusion of biology, chemistry and engineering, enables rapid growth at the leading edge of scientific knowledge and application, access to profitable markets through next-generation products tailored to specific problems.

Product development is carried out by an in-house interdisciplinary research team, based at the world-leading Centre for Environmental Science at Lancaster University, supported by an international network of scientific collaborators. Advanced, natural science-based approach distinguishes it from the competition. The ABS vision is to become a global influencer in the application of microorganism ecology for pollution remediation, plant, animal, human and environmental health.

ABS is achieving that by focusing on increasing the scientific team to 50 scientists by the end of 2022 and by concentrating in research and continuous improvement of novel bacterial formulations for in situ application based on ecological theory, chemical and engineering innovations that can be adapted to the needs of the customers, supporting a service model that will enable ABS to be a trusted partner and collaborator to all its stakeholders. The Global Market Opportunity for ABS has been assessed at greater than $2 trillion.

Overall, this helps reduce carbon emissions, increases the lifespan of our assets and reduce maintenance costs, whilst also reducing the environmental impact of our interventions.
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Warrington Community Municipal Bonds

Our Story

Councils that have declared a climate emergency may then struggle to fund the measures needed to cut emissions in their area. Warrington Borough Council has piloted the use of community municipal bonds, a fundraising tool for local authorities, to fund renewable energy projects. Community municipal bonds allow councils to raise money directly from residents.

Bonds are issued by a council to members of the public, who can invest as little as £5 and get regular return payments on this investment. This is done via an online crowdfunding platform. Once enough has been invested, the council can give back to communities by using these funds to deliver low carbon infrastructure and projects.

Warrington Borough Council announced their pilot bond scheme in May 2020. The bond was issued three months later, available to Warrington residents and others across the UK. It involved a collaboration with ethical investment company Abundance, who administered the bond on behalf of the council. The bond was closed in November 2020, reaching its £1m target three days before the set deadline.

More than 500 investors contributed to the bond, with an average overall investment of £1,921. The bond was structured as a 5-year investment with a 1.2% return rate, making it competitive with high street savings and investment opportunities. Return payments are made to investors every six months, with the option for these interest payments to be donated back to the council – 11% of Warrington investors did so with their first payment.

Spending possibilities for community municipal bonds include making homes more energy efficient, installing charging points for electric vehicles, or rewilding and tree-planting projects. Bonds can be used to engage and protect vulnerable communities or boost green skills and jobs – they are flexible and can be moulded to specific council objectives.

 

Useful learnings

A strong business case for council and residents:
The bonds are a win-win for councils and residents. For the council, they are an easy way to diversify funding sources and cut reliance on less stable traditional borrowing channels such as the Public Works Loan Board. The debt presented to the council is similar to the Public Works Loan Board borrowing rates. As the bonds are offered and managed online, they are efficient and logistically simple for council to run.

For residents, the bonds are a low-risk investment, because risk is tied to the strength of the council, not to the success of the project. Investors do not assume the risk if a given initiative fails or is delayed. The robustness of councils compared to high street banks makes this a relatively risk-free way for residents to mobilise their money.

Build consensus early on:
Setting up and implementing the bond ran smoothly with few hurdles. Early on, there was some doubt from opposition councillors. Warrington is a Labour-held council with a healthy Liberal Democrat and Conservative opposition. The wisdom of launching a bond when the council was focused on fighting the Covid-19 pandemic was questioned. However, once the financial details were fully explained, councillors became supportive; the Liberal Democrats in particular have been very supportive of Warrington Labour’s green agenda. Warrington’s example proves that a community municipal bond can be a tool for a just, fair and green recovery. Moreover, even during the hardship of the pandemic the target of £1m was comfortably reached, testifying to the importance local people give to taking on the climate emergency.

Emphasise the local benefits:
The council is considering more bonds to finance future projects. But it would like more local buy-in and to grow the number of residents contributing. Abundance handled the communications for the first bond, but more council involvement in communication and media strategy could push the local green benefits of the bond, ideally getting more people on-board at an earlier stage.

Be aware of any financial risk to the council:
Funding struggles are one reason why these bonds may appeal to stretched local authorities. But for investors, risk is tied to the continued existence and financial strength of the council. Any councils at risk of a Section 114 notice being issued due to failure to balance budgets – a legal order that restricts their spending – will be unable to implement a community municipal bond. Abundance credit checks councils to ensure that investors aren’t lending to authorities at risk.

For financially sound councils there is still risk to consider. If there are serious project complications or setbacks, they will carry the risk as opposed to investors.

Replicability:
The success of the pilot in Warrington led the Green Finance Institute and Abundance to launch a national campaign in July 2021 to help local authorities set up community municipal bonds. The Institute is targeting all 404 local authorities in the UK. In September 2021 five councils signed the Local Climate Bond Pledge, committing to issuing a bond by Summer 2023.

Authorities might feel they lack the knowledge and experience to launch a similar bond, but the concept is simple and straightforward.

Expertise and Vision:
The council boasts previous experience in solar farms, with two already in operation at Hull and York. The council therefore has strong institutional expertise in and passion for innovating on green issues, making it well-placed to become a pilot case for the use of community municipal bonds. It also had experience in raising a city bond, five years prior, to fund regeneration of the town centre.

Accessibility:
With a minimum investment of £5, these bonds are very socially inclusive (although smaller investment equals smaller returns). They also offer an alternative channel to democratic public forums like climate assemblies, which some residents may feel reluctant to participate in. Such bond schemes allow a wider range of people to contribute to local climate action. Community municipal bonds are also very transparent, as residents can see the result of their investment, whether a solar farm or new electric buses.

 

Our Solution

Emissions impact:
Warrington Borough Council has used the funds raised to develop a solar farm and a battery storage facility in Cirencester. Construction on the solar farm began in March 2021 and is due to finish in May 2022. The council anticipates that this solar farm will produce electricity above its annual energy consumption. Surplus will be sold to generate revenue, which will be used to advance the council’s Green Energy Strategy.

The Cirencester farm has been a key pillar of Warrington’s bid to the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme, which will dispense £120m to support the introduction of zero-emissions buses. If the bid is successful, the council intends to replace its entire bus fleet with electric vehicles and to power this new fleet via the Cirencester farm.

Social impacts:
The revenue from the solar farm will reduce fuel poverty by contributing towards the council’s own fuel poverty charity, the Warrington Community Energy Trust. This will in turn save the taxpayer money and further support the council’s delivery of public services.

The scheme has raised the council’s profile and improved its reputation among members of the public – investors reported that the scheme gave them a more favourable view of the authority. Through their investment, more residents are now engaged in efforts to address the climate crisis. The council has therefore cultivated a pool of residents more likely to participate in its other net zero projects, and who may also be relied upon as future investors. On this foundation, there is potential for Warrington to issue more bonds that provide a regular stream of income over the next five to ten years.

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Net Zero Cheshire

Our story

Climate change is everyone’s business. It is also our business. EA Technology’s mission is “to promote the development of resilient, accessible, low-cost energy networks globally, accelerating the transition to energy decarbonisation”. We educate and facilitate the introduction of low carbon technologies. We work collaboratively with Regulators, organisations and partners to manage the effects of climate change. We make it our business to deliver innovative solutions to operators of power networks globally. We help accelerate progress towards clean growth, adaptation and resilience of energy networks.

We have pledged decarbonisation of our 1950’s headquarters building and continue to invest in this with the aim of making it net zero with features including EV charging points, solar PV panels on the roof, a low-carbon heating system, LED lighting and an energy storage facility. We are openly sharing our decarbonisation journey, documenting it as a blueprint, paving the way for others to adopt as they look embark on their decarbonisation journey and retrofit their own legacy buildings.

Our building decarbonisation plan has faced challenges, some of which were completely unpredictable. A pandemic that has made us pause and rethink how we use our building and reassess our priorities for it including a blockage in the Suez Canal that delayed the arrival of our new battery system . . . to name but a few.

But we are learning many other lessons applicable to any organisation that is considering implementing a scheme like this. We have already shared a case study on the project website about our experience converting to LED lighting. We have now updated our EV charging infrastructure, with ten 22kW chargepoints in use; a case study documenting our learning from this will shortly be going on the website.

The 372kWh lithium-ion battery storage system is now in place, the low-carbon heat system is now installed and the PV panels will be generating around 50kW zero carbon electricity in time for the sunny weather in 2022. A building control system will balance the needs of all these systems to ensure we prioritise low-carbon generation.

We look forward to being able to demonstrate these new technology and share our experience and learning via virtual and in-person tours in summer 2022.

Useful Learnings 

Our experience of decarbonising our 1950s HQ building hasn’t been straightforward. We will be sharing all of our learning from this journey on our project website. We also look forward to welcoming anyone interested on tours of our HQ building in Cheshire in the summer – both virtual and in person – when we will be able to talk more about the work we have done to the building.

The most fundamental advice that we could provide any organisation thinking about following our footsteps is firstly to collect as much data as possible. How much energy does the building use? Does that change by day and night, or weekday or weekend? How is that split by different processes and loads like heating and lighting? What is the operational ‘base load’ for essential equipment?

Secondly, think about how your building use may change over time. It may be as fundamental as whether you will still be in the same building in 10 years. This is something that the pandemic made very obvious to us when it accelerated subtle changes in the way we us our HQ building, speeding up a process that now sees some colleagues working at home more frequently. While changing working patterns alter how we use internal space, it also means smart controls of heating and lighting can be more rewarding if some rooms aren’t going to be used every day. Changing working patterns may also have implications for how frequently EV charge points are potentially used.

The final piece of advice we would like to give here is to prioritise energy efficiency above any other measure. Reducing the amount of energy that your building uses is a first step in any decarbonisation plan and greatly increases the effectiveness of the more obvious technologies. One of the first measures we implemented was to install LED lighting around our building. This has reduced the amount of electricity we use to light the building, but also changed the ambiance of the building. We installed some smart controls at the same time that turn off lights when rooms are unoccupied, but with hindsight we should have installed more.

For most buildings, upgrading the insulation and thermal efficiency is also a ‘must’; other technologies such as heat pumps can be unsuitable, or operate very inefficiently if the insulation is not sufficient. This should be done before any low carbon heating sources are installed as the cost-benefit for other equipment often relies on the insulation. Once these measures have been taken, a low carbon heating source such as a heat pump may be appropriate, however it should be specified to the building after it is updated so that it operates most efficiently.

We have gathered a great deal of information and are learning as we progress along our journey to net zero. As we complete bits of our transformation, case studies are being added to our website.

Read more here.
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Encirc

Our story

We are looking to reduce our carbon emissions towards net zero with a focus on reducing energy and investing in improved technologies. Recently, we have trialled in one of our plants converting a furnace to run on biofuels, while also increasing the recycled content of our glass bottles to 100%.

For the full story, please watch the video!

Useful Learnings 

Businesses have a key role in shaping the future. It is a business benefit to have a clear sustainability agenda as young people want to work for companies who are investing in, and have a clear strategy to address, environmental concerns. Innovation is necessary to accelerate the process to net zero targets.

Read more here.

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Bretton Hall Community Solar Farm

Our story

Ynni Newydd Cyf (New Energy Ltd) is a community group working to develop a large community solar farm, crossing the English-Welsh boarder between Cheshire and Flintshire. The 49ha site is currently used for sheep farming, which will continue after the solar farm’s construction.

The group undertaking such a large project shows the ambition of communities to rise to the challenge of Net Zero and meet the energy demands of their community with local generation. The group brings a wealth of experience and have successfully delivered other renewable energy projects.

Originally the solar farm was going to be developed by a commercial developer, but they pulled out when the ‘Feed in Tariff’ renewable energy subsidy was removed by the Government. The community took on the project as their key objective was carbon emission reduction, rather than profits. The scheme was considered to be marginal, but doable and necessary. However, the energy crisis has meant that the revenue from the sales of electricity should now be able to bring healthier profits to the Community Benefit Society, which is a not-for profit organisation and any surpluses go to the Community Benefit Fund for local projects.

Useful learnings

The solar scheme received a grant from the Rural Community Energy Fund (RCEF) to assist the project to prepare and submit the scheme for planning permission, and received support from the Welsh Development Bank.

The group have successfully raised development funding, secured a land lease, grid connection and undertook extensive community consultation and engagement – a key part of the community solar farm’s objectives.

As the site is in both Wales and England, the group needed to submit 2 separate planning applications. The planning decisions will be taken in England by Cheshire West and Chester City Council. In Wales, the project is being treated as a Development of National Significance and will be adjudicated by the Welsh Planning Inspectorate with input from Flintshire County Council.

Gaining planning permission will be a major success. Once achieved, the significant capital costs to build the solar farm will be raised by a Community Share Issue, where members of the public will be invited to invest in the project and will receive a 3% rate of interest on their community investment.

Following this, the solar farm will be built in 2023 and will begin generating 24,500MWh of renewable electricity each year. This is enough to supply around 7,500 households, saving around 6,370 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year. The scheme will displace fossil fuel electricity generation for over 30 years, helping the UK to meet its legally binding target of net zero carbon by 2050. Locally generated electricity will support the grid to decarbonise, as people move to electrify heating and transport, and it will also help to protect consumers from rising energy prices.

This large scale, community owned, renewable energy asset will generate revenue through sales of the electricity. All profits will return to the Community Benefit Society and will be allocated to projects to regenerate the local area, meaning the benefits will stay local for the lifetime of the solar farm.

Read more here.

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Congleton Hydro Project

Our story

Congleton Hydro is one of the first community-based generation schemes within Cheshire East, the project will produce enough clean, green energy to power the equivalent of 60 homes. The scheme will utilise the waterpower from the River Dane by installing a 65kW turbine. This installation will include a 2.5m diameter, 8m long Archimedes screw which will drive the 75kW electrical generator. Once generated, the power will be transported through a 1000m cable to the Siemens factory, it is hoped that this project will provide the necessary vehicle for other environmentally conscious local companies and institutions to get involved.

The Dane Valley Community Energy (DVCE) is a not-for-profit organisation, consisting of professional, skilled and environmentally conscious volunteers. DVCE will install and operate the hydro-electric generation plant on the River Dane, at Havannah Weir. The weir, which has been in place for more than 250 years will now be used to generate energy from rainwater providing a renewable, greener form of energy generation. The project has successfully secured funding using a community shared ownership scheme organised by Share En-ergy.

Useful Learnings 
The scheme produces 275kWh carbon-free electricity generation per year, which reduces Cheshire East’s output of CO2 emissions and reliance on fossil fuels for energy generation.

The project has a projected surplus of approximately £5,000 per year which will be used to fund other local community projects.

The Hydro-electric generation plant maintains Congleton’s industrial heritage and provides the opportunity to raise awareness of environmental issues and offer an exceptional educational resource for local schools.

A Rural Community Energy Fund government grant in 2020 supported the provision of evidence to approve the scheme.

Read more here.
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Reducing carbon emissions with The Tatton Group

Our story

The Tatton Group is working to implement sustainable farming across their whole 6,000 acres and they are fully embracing nature based solutions as well as looking at their productivity. As an organisation they can make the change from agriculture being the major emitter to it being a major solution.

For the full story, please watch the video!

Our advice

Don’t wait for policy to change, act today!

Read more here.

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Using hydrogen-powered refuse collection vehicles to cut carbon and develop our understanding of hydrogen fuel

Our Story

Hydrogen Refuse Vehicles: Tackling Emissions from Waste Collection

Cheshire East Council has set a target to become carbon neutral for its own operations by 2025. Project Vanguard was designed as a 3-year demonstration project with the principle aim to reduce carbon emissions within the waste collection services across Cheshire and Warrington.

Thus far the project aims to fulfill the following objectives;
– Reduce carbon emissions from waste collection to help meet Cheshire East’s 2025 carbon neutrality target.
– Build capacity and understanding in the use, management and storage of hydrogen within the project partners.
– Support green jobs and growth through upskilling workers, and safeguarding employment in vehicle and gas technologies.
– Raise awareness of hydrogen and the climate emergency amongst the general public and school children (the two hydrogen Refuse Collection Vehicles were named ‘Chewie and Chomper’ through a school’s competition).
– Facilitate improvements in air quality using hydrogen, as part of our Air Quality Strategy, and reducing fuel transport to the site.

The facility was launched in October 2021.

The project has successfully installed an electrolyser linked to a solar photovoltaic array, hydrogen refueler, and hybrid (H2 ICE) conversion of three vehicles (two Refuse Collection Vehicles owned by Cheshire East and a Storengy 4×4).

The project is complete and the site is now fully operational.

The project has been a collaborative effort as Cheshire East Council teamed up with Storengy Ltd, ANSA Environmental Services alongside support from the Cheshire & Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership.

Useful Learnings 

We found that prior research into similar projects such as those in Scotland and Westminster using grey hydrogen helped to develop a basic understanding of how this may work and the potential saving which could be made.

We worked very closely with Storengy to understand the practicalities of operating the project before it was built to establish if the project was deliverable.

Engagement with key stakeholders was important – especially for liaising with our local environment hub, and ANSA environmental whom as a result were aware of our goals and understood the relevance of the project. We also created publicly assessable FAQ’s to ensure information was shared openly.

We also achieved the support form local leaders and councillors early in the process.

In terms of looking back at the project, we learnt that to get things done takes a lot of time and therefore patience. We also learnt the value of having a strong, hardworking team to keep pulling the project together.

The importance of stakeholders was firmly established, we had the support of senior management and our legal team therefore that helped push the project along despite many delays due to COVID-19.

We found that prior research into similar projects such as those in Scotland and Westminster using grey hydrogen helped to develop a basic understanding of how this may work and the potential saving which could be made.

We worked very closely with Storengy to understand the practicalities of operating the project before it was built to establish if the project was deliverable.

Engagement with key stakeholders was important – especially for liaising with our local environment hub, and ANSA environmental whom as a result were aware of our goals and understood the relevance of the project. We also created publicly assessable FAQ’s to ensure information was shared openly.

We also achieved the support form local leaders and councillors early in the process.

In terms of looking back at the project, we learnt that to get things done takes a lot of time and therefore patience. We also learnt the value of having a strong, hardworking team to keep pulling the project together.

The importance of stakeholders was firmly established, we had the support of senior management and our legal team therefore that helped push the project along despite many delays due to COVID-19.

Read more here.

Cheshire East

Engaging our communities to improve their carbon footprint

Our Story

Cheshire East Council is on a mission to engage and empower its communities to improve the carbon footprint of their activities and understand the scale of the challenge we face.

Our story is best told through our individual initiatives:

Town and parish council hub
To encourage further collaboration between the councils and to facilitate the sharing of ideas and expertise we have also developed our climate hub. This is an online collaboration platform for use by members of our town and parish councils or their related sustainability groups. In addition to providing easy access to a toolkit of ideas for reducing carbon, the hub functions as a social platform to allow sharing of news articles, examples of best practice and requests for help and assistance.

School competitions
We recognise that bringing young people into the climate conversation has never been more important.
Our competition to ‘Name the hydrogen bin trucks’, run in partnership with Storengy UK and Ansa Environmental Services, received a huge amount of interest from primary school children across the borough. The winning names, selected by a judging panel including our members and project partners, were Ch2ewie and Ch2omper.
In another competition, launched with Storengy UK, we asked primary school children to submit creative ideas for tackling climate change – and received an amazing response. The winning school received a prize of a solar panel package for their school worth up to £10,000, with prizes of solar panel robot kits being delivered to the well-deserved runners-up.

Reaseheath conference
To provide the most comprehensive community engagement, the council recognises the need to make contact with many different sectors. Partnering with Sustainability Nantwich and Reaseheath College, with support from the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership, we hosted a virtual conference in October 2021.

The primary purpose of the conference was to engage different sectors with the climate conversation, particularly agriculture and retail.
Having secured a strong keynote speaker, the conference sought to inform but more importantly be informed by the sector representatives. As a council, we need to understand the constraints and difficulties, but also the potential of each sector within our borough – encouraging a collaborative approach to carbon reduction and sustainability.
Useful Learnings 

We found that early engagement with the town and parish councils was fundamental. Overall, this improved the uptake of the engagement and interest in the hub.

We also made sure we targeted the widest range of stakeholders through our community engagement activities, coupled with a clear plan for follow up with attendees.

Currently we have several initiatives underway to engage and empower the community to improve the carbon footprint of their activities and understand the scale of the challenge we face. As a result we have seen an increased engagement from the community, as well as increased collaboration. Through initiatives such as our Town and parish council toolkit and hub we have created open conversations around our climate emergency. We have also encouraged further collaboration between the councils, ourselves and the wider public to facilitate the sharing of ideas and expertise.

Cheshire East Council’s metrics

Number of initiatives, such as competitions.
Number of people engaged.
Read more here.
Heat-Networks-CS-1-(image)-size-768

Cheshire East Heat Networks

Our Story

Cheshire East Council is working to develop heat networks in various forms to give the borough the best base to transition away from gas as a primary heat source in public, industrial and domestic buildings.

We have presented three key examples of proposed and operational heat works which include the Crewe Heat Network, Alderley Park Heat Network, and Garden Village Heat Network.

The Crewe Heat Network is currently within the procurement and pre-construction services phase, it is intended to connect four buildings owned by Cheshire East Council and potentially other publicly used buildings. Powered by a combination of a gas-fired combined heat and power engine and an air source heat pump the network will initially provide carbon savings circa 350tCO2e per annum, however as the technologies and their economics improve the replacement energy sources are expected to reduce the carbon intensity of the network towards an eventual zero over time. Due to the difficulties experienced in the retrofit of existing buildings, including two listed buildings, this project has required significant grant funding to be economically viable.

The Alderley Park Heat Network was developed to optimise one already in existence to reduce waste heat and carbon emissions. While the heat source remains natural gas powering combined heat and power units, the network will show a carbon reduction of over 200 tCO2e per annum over forty years and provide the science park with a significant financial saving.

The North Cheshire Garden Village Heat Network will service the settlement, powered by ground source heat pumps located in a central energy centre and can provide all the space heating and hot water for the site. This network is expected to provide a carbon saving as well as a financial saving to residents with an added benefit of reducing the electricity capacity required for the settlement compared to individual air source heat pumps on each property.

Useful Learnings 

During the research stage of the project, we learnt a significant amount from other likeminded authorities to learn how they approached their respective projects, what tips they may have or anything they might have done differently in hindsight.

We also ensured that we had sufficient information from other examples of projects.

Engagement with experts in the field was key, we engaged with our Scandinavia colleagues to better understand the future trajectory for heat and develop a greater understanding of the market.

We ensured we had a fully developed, clear strategy and aim for what we wanted to achieve, as well as future proofing plan for how to maintain the resource long term.

Key points
– Clear vision
– Engagement with all key stakeholders
– Embedding the concept into plans very early on, establishing a clear narrative around regeneration plans and create links between the concept and wider projects.

Cheshire East Council’s metrics

Tonnes of CO2e saved per year.

Read more here.

1 and 3 Osborne Place

Home Group: Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 1

Our Story

Home Group is a Housing Association, social enterprise, and charity with a turnover of £420m and one of the UK’s largest providers of high-quality housing and integrated housing, health and social care. Founded in 1935, Home Group has grown into an organisation which houses over 120,000 people in 55,000 homes across England and Scotland.

Home Group are committed to doing the right thing for their customers, communities, and the planet. In doing so, Home Group are acting on decarbonising four key areas: new and existing homes, offices and operations. This case study explores Home Group’s existing homes and supply chains.

 

The Challenge

The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) project is the first of its kind to be completed by Home Group. Home Group looked at targeting 90 of their lowest performing off-gas properties in rural Cumbria to complete a whole house retrofit following a fabric first, low carbon technology approach. With the nature of this project, there has been many challenges and learnings faced along the way.

Before the project took place, resident engagement was a challenge. Reasons for this included access to lower cost fuels, not wanting the upheaval of works, not wanting change, concerns about air source heat pumps and little understanding of what these projects would involve and how it would benefit customers. Additionally, there have been many challenges surrounding large scale retrofit works being carried out in Cumbria including local supply chain to complete PAS2030/35 works and ability to target rural, pepper potted housing stock.

 

The Solution

Working in partnership with Home Group, Pro-Cast, a contractor with values built on honesty, safety and responsibility. With previous experience in delivering full house retrofit projects in rural locations across Scotland, Pro-Cast has been paramount to the success of the project through their wealth of knowledge delivering a high standard of works across all properties. At a time where there is so much worry with the cost of living and energy crisis, being able to deliver homes of high quality, low running costs and fit for the future is something to really be proud of. This mutual view of both Home Group and Pro-Cast has allowed us to work closely together to achieve an end result of residents who are proud of where they live and are in better financial situation.

One happy resident noted that their energy bills have decreased from £7 a day to 70p a day.

One reason for the success of this project has been the resident engagement strategy. This included resident engagement days, show homes and contracts onsite, surveys, information booklets, meetings with contractors, manufactures and energy advisers. As a result, there has been excellent customer buy-in with the Home Group and Pro-Cast on track to deliver retrofit to 100% of homes funding was applied for.

The SHDF Wave 1 project has also exceeded funding requirements. One bungalow has gone from an EPC of 58D to 94A seeing a total estimated energy use decrease from 10,888kWh/yr to 5,564kWh/yr. This reduction (nearly half) does not take into consideration the further energy savings the resident will expect to see through the solar panels and battery. This is providing warmer, better internal air quality and affordable to run homes and a better quality of life.

Due to exceeding PAS2035 requirements, both the Retrofit Coordinator and Home Group have been awarded ‘Retrofit Coordinator of the Year 2023’ through the retrofit academy and ‘North East Landlord of the Year 2023’ through the Energy Efficiency Awards.

This project has not just focused on completing the works to achieve funding and government statistical targets, it has really focused on education and bringing the residents on the journey to net zero. SHDF Wave 1 is a fantastic example of what good practice is and what you can achieve from a group of likeminded people wanting to achieve something better for local communities and the industry.

Read more here.

charge-my-street-ev-charging-network-image-zap-map

Charge My Street

Our Story

Launched in 2018, Charge My Street is a pioneering initiative aimed at promoting electric vehicle (EV) adoption by expanding the charging infrastructure in residential areas and community settings.

We are community benefit society with a team of part time staff and 70 volunteers which installs and operates over 150 community EV chargepoints, raising money through community shares & public funding. Our vision is for every home to be within a 5-minute walk of a chargepoint, giving residents without off-street parking the opportunity to switch to an electric vehicle, lowing CO2e & improving air quality across the North West of England, and beyond.

 

The Challenge

The key challenges and barriers to success of a street charging infrastructure depends on several factors. Here are some key challenges that we have encountered:

  • Location and Coverage: The placement of charging stations is crucial as it is essential to have a well-distributed network of charging stations. Streets with high traffic volumes, both residential and commercial, are ideal candidates.
  • Charging Speed and Capacity: The charging infrastructure should support various charging speeds to cater to different types of EVs and user needs. Networks must also be able to handle multiple vehicles charging simultaneously, especially in areas with high EV adoption.
  • Reliability and Availability: Reliability is crucial for a successful street charging system.
  • User-Friendly Experience: Providing a seamless experience encourages more people to adopt EVs and use the street charging infrastructure.
  • Pricing and Payment: The pricing structure should be transparent, reasonable, and competitive with other charging options.
  • Integration with Other Services: Integration with navigation systems, mobile apps, and other services can enhance the overall experience.
  • Scalability and Future-Proofing: A successful street charging infrastructure should have the ability to scale up as EV adoption increases.
  • Collaboration and Partnerships: Collaboration among various stakeholders, including local governments, utility companies, private businesses, and EV manufacturers, can help ensure the success of street charging.

 

Our Solution

Charge My Street works to ensure that the above challenges constantly frame the context in which we create our solutions. However, there is no such thing as a standard installation within this industry and all locations have their quirks, it is therefore important to work proactively with local stakeholders to achieve a successful installation. We focus on establishing community-based charging networks. By partnering with local communities, residents, and businesses, the initiative aims to install EV charging points in strategic locations that are easily accessible to residents and visitors. These charging points are strategically placed in residential streets, community centres, workplaces, and other public areas.

Moreover, Charge My Street emphasises the use of renewable energy sources to power the charging infrastructure. This commitment to sustainability sets the initiative apart by promoting clean energy usage throughout the EV charging process. By leveraging renewable sources such as solar and wind power, Charge My Street reduces the environmental impact associated with electric vehicle charging, making it an even more eco-friendly choice for transportation.

To fund these initiatives, Charge My Street employs a combination of government grants, private investments, and community fundraising. The financial model ensures that the charging infrastructure is economically viable and sustainable in the long term. By involving local communities and businesses in the fundraising process, the initiative fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility, making it a truly community-driven endeavour.

Charge My Street also prioritizes user experience and convenience. It provides an intuitive and user-friendly mobile application, Fuuse, that allows EV drivers to check availability, monitor charging progress, and make payments seamlessly. This digital platform ensures a hassle-free charging experience, empowering EV users with real-time information and control over their charging needs.

The implementation of our solution has meant that to date, Charge My Street has contributed to 110,509 tonnes of CO2 saving, spanning 2,426 drivers that use the service.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

FOLLOW OUR TWITTER HERE.

 

Norwood 3

Plus Dane Housing: Norwood & Gordon Court

Our Story

We are a housing association with a strong social purpose. We employ almost 600 people and have more than 13,500 homes across Merseyside and Cheshire, and are passionate about the positive impact that we can have on the communities our customers live in. 

The Challenge

The way we do things in the housing sector is changing rapidly to meet looming decarbonisation targets across the industry. There is a major focus now on making our homes as energy efficient as they can be – for the environment and our customers dealing with the cost-of-living crisis.

The work at Norwood and Gordon Court is our first major retrofit project, involving the installation of a ground source heat pump and major refurbishment of existing apartment blocks – which we had identified as among our least energy efficient homes.

It is a pilot project that has great potential to shape the way we work in future as we head towards becoming a carbon neutral organisation.

As such, it was an unknown for us, and required extensive planning and preparation.

It was a big ask of our customers in these schemes to effectively live on a building site for six months. We are grateful for their patience and understanding as we underwent such a major transformation of their homes, and hope they see the benefits now the work is done. Customer engagement needs to be a priority in these situations – they need to be involved from the start and be part of the decision-making process, as well as being kept informed of progress or any setbacks.

Our Solution

We were successful in securing £2m of grant funding through the first wave of Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, supported by Mayor Steve Rotheram and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

The work involved boring two 140m holes underground, to install a ground source heat pump to provide heating and hot water to more than 40 flats. In addition, the blocks have undergone a refurbishment of communal areas, and the most noticeable change is the installing of external insulation, which has seen the three buildings in the complex transformed with a white render that has covered the brick work. Cavity insulation, new windows and new patio doors in some ground floor flats are among the other retrofit works carried out at the scheme to improve energy efficiency throughout the buildings.

The flats previously relied on inefficient and costly storage heaters, which have been completely replaced with the new system. Almost all of the residents agreed to have the new system installed in their homes, and those who did not will still be able to connect to it in future.

Barry Callow, director of repairs, said: “We identified Norwood Court and Gordon Court as some of our poorest performing homes with regards to energy efficiency, so they were ideal for undertaking this pilot scheme. Storage heaters are not only inefficient but expensive for customers to run, and we are delighted to have been able to offer a sustainable alternative in the form of a ground source heat pump.

“Sustainability is a massive priority for the housing sector, and we are pleased that is also the first major project that sees us moving away from gas central heating to offer low carbon technology in our homes going forward.”
We worked with designers and retrofit specialists Constructive Thinking and contractors SBS on the project.

Want to find out more?

To find out more about Plus Dane Housing, follow the link below:

www.plusdane.co.uk

Bury LAEP

Greater Manchester Local Energy Market

Our Story

The Greater Manchester Local Energy Market is an innovative project led by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) with 11 partners from community, technology, energy suppliers and network operators.

It will create a more efficient and cost-effective energy market for residents and businesses, exploring opportunities including the production of green hydrogen and use of heat networks to reduce carbon emissions and increase network capacity.

Local Area Energy Plans provide an informed view – from the perspective of residents, businesses and network operators – of where Greater Manchester needs to: generate renewable energy; retrofit buildings; place Electric Vehicle charging hubs; and the impact this whole system approach may have on electricity network/grid operators.

The Local Energy Market is the first project in the country that will provide local area energy plans for ten Local Authority areas, supporting the energy needs of 1.2m homes and 2.7m residents. The project’s ability to provide such an informed position supports people in all walks of life to make informed decisions.

 

The Challenge

In order to support the development of the GM LEM programme, extensive research schemes were required due to the vast scale of the overarching aim. This included a domestic stock modelling across our 1.2 million homes and a review of over 2,000+ local authority buildings. It required close working relationships with our network operators Cadent and Electricity North West to carry out the work.

 

Reuse360 Hub Baby Items

The Reuse360 Hub

Our Story

The Reuse360 Hub is a circular economy initiative developed by the Waste Service at Lancashire County Council, designed to divert good quality furniture and household items out of the waste stream, and instead into the homes of people who need help. Items are collected from one of Lancashire’s Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs), where they are then cleaned and prepared for reuse at the Reuse360 Hub by members of staff and volunteers.

 

The Challenge

In the Lancashire-12 area, 13.3% of the total population are income deprived, with 16.7% of children aged 0-15 living in income deprived families. Some of the people who make up these statistics are clients of the Reuse360 Hub, along with others facing difficulties, such as those fleeing domestic violence, refugees, or young people leaving care.

 

Our Solution

The Reuse360 Hub is able to alleviate some of the financial challenges these individuals and families face by providing reusable items that would otherwise have been destined for landfill or recycling, for free.

Access to the Hub is granted on a referral basis, with the referrals typically being made by social workers, but also other professionals too, such as school teachers within Lancashire. Items can be selected from the Hub via the Reuse360 Hub website, and then distributed either by click&collect or delivery service which is run in partnership with Lancashire’s Child and Youth Justice Service. The Reuse360 Hub also offers pop-up events where the Reuse360 Hub goes on tour!

Redistributing reusable items of course has much needed environmental benefits too – playing a small but important role in increasing Lancashire’s recycling, reuse and composting rate of 45.7% (2019/20) to the target rate of 65% by 2035. Compared to making and buying new, reusing existing items already in the economy reduces the need for new natural resources, reduces pollution and energy consumption, and reduces the amount of greenhouse gases being released – a core goal of the Reuse360 Hub.

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

Motrac 1

Motrac Research Engineering

Our Story

Motrac offer services that are tailored to push the boundaries of research and engineering, helping individuals and organisations find new and exciting solutions to the toughest challenges.

The Opportunity 

We want to democratise emissions monitoring and make it accessible and simple to understand through continued customer support and data analysis services. When companies understand their emissions they then have critical information to move towards emissions reduction, process optimisation and building evidence to help with further funding or validation.

Motrac Research Engineering also aim to provide services and products to companies in a variety of sectors, especially with technical R&D, product development and proof of concept. Service offerings include field trials, R&D projects, data processing, report writing and engineering consultancy and much more.

For further information click here.

Urban Pioneer Logo

Greater Manchester Urban Pioneer

Our Story

In 2016, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) created four pioneer projects to inform the development and implementation of the 25 Year Environment Plan. Greater Manchester was selected as the ‘Urban Pioneer’ which pulled together a number of partnerships and headline activities into a comprehensive and targeted programme of activity, sharing the learning and helping everyone make better decisions to protect and improve the environment.

A key priority at the start of the Urban Pioneer was the development of a set of natural capital accounts. These aim to measure the benefits provided by the city region’s natural assets to its businesses, public services and to those that call Greater Manchester home. We have done this so we know what we currently have and can monitor those natural assets over time, seeking improvement.

The Opportunity 

As part of delivering a place based approach, Greater Manchester partners made a commitment to embed a biodiversity net gain approach to the planning system across Greater Manchester and explore and demonstrate how this will deliver wider natural capital net gains and benefits to people’s health, wellbeing, prosperity and growth.

Through the Natural Course (EU Life funded programme) Greater Manchester pioneered the creation of the first Natural Capital Investment Plan (NCIP) for a UK city region to identify new opportunities to secure sustainable investment in its natural capital assets. A Greater Manchester Environment Fund is now being developed which will provide a mechanism to develop and implement these opportunities and unlock new and existing investment sources.

Through trialling the delivery of the Business in the Community Water Resilient Cities demonstrator Sustainable Urban Drainage project, the ground breaking IGNITION emerged which is looking to develop innovative financing solutions for investment in Greater Manchester’s natural environment. This investment will help to build the city region’s ability to adapt to the increasingly extreme impacts of climate change.

The need to develop and test a communications and engagement model that brought together sectors, organisations and the public to deliver more for the environment was a key priority of the Urban Pioneer. This included the creation of an online digital platform Nature Greater Manchester as well as supporting initiatives such as My Wild City and My Back Yard to engage with residents to increase understanding and access to the natural environment in their local community.

For further information click here.

Renew Hub 2

Renew Hub and shops

Our Story

Renew is an ambitious and unique project which aims to create value from waste to benefit Greater Manchester. It’s a joint initiative between R4GM & SUEZ UK. We take items donated at Recycling Centres across Greater Manchester, then we repair and renew them at our Renew Hub, ready to be resold to a new home.

The Challenge 

The single biggest threat to decarbonisation is consumption.

What if as a society we wasted less, reused more, and gave items a second lease of life leading to less manufacturing of new products and a more circular economy? That is what we’re bringing on an industrial scale to Greater Manchester.

The Opportunity 

We’ve opened three Renew shops in Greater Manchester. These shops sell pre-loved household items at an affordable price and are located at three of our recycling centres.

The shops stock a wide variety of homeware, garden furniture, toys, sports equipment, books and more. Items have been donated by residents and cleaned and repaired before being handpicked by staff for the shops in Eccles, Oldham and Altrincham.

The aim of the Renew shops is to reduce waste, reuse unwanted items and increase recycling rates. Many of the items donated by residents would have otherwise gone to waste.

The possibilities are endless and focus around delivering real social, economical and environmental value for Greater Manchester.

The shops and Hub have so far resulted in the creation of 10 new green skilled jobs, with more to come.

Every year the money raised in the 3 shops goes towards two good causes: £100,000 for the GM Mayors fund and a minimum of £220,000 for the R4GM Community fund which aims to increase engagement and lead to behavioural change within communities.

This is a partnership between SUEZ, who manage the waste contracts on behalf of Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and the Combined Authority.

For further information click here.

img94joktmu74623

Petrus Incredible Edible Rochdale

Our Story

PIER is run by local homelessness charity Petrus Community. We initially started as a pilot project in 2014 making hanging baskets for the community. Since then the project has grown and now includes a community garden, open to all, but specialising in social and therapeutic horticulture and bringing people together from all backgrounds through a common love of nature, horticulture and food.

The Challenge 

The space itself was once a wasteland, devoid of colour, vibrancy or purpose. We desperately needed a place where people could come, feel safe, supported, meeting socially, learn and enjoy the outdoor environment.

The Opportunity

The project has resulted in many opportunities that in some cases have changed people’s lives. From something as simple as a place to meet others and become less isolated, learn to grow food or about biodiversity and nature, it is also a place where people can engage in high profile activities and opportunities that may have previously felt unachievable but as a community they can achieve those goals.

Our two show gardens at RHS Tatton Park have been particularly notable. In 2019 The Petrus team won a silver medal and the People’s Choice award for their ‘Petrus Paradise’ Garden which highlighted the therapeutic impact of horticulture on those experiencing homelessness and in 2021 the team won a bronze medal and the People’s Choice Award for a second time for their garden which explored rain garden techniques, water diversion and planting schemes that can be used to reduce water run off or that can cope with flash flooding.

PIER is a lead partner in the Rochdale Social Prescribing Network where we aim to widen our impact with an overall goal of supporting community-based gardening to be available via prescription linked with all GP surgeries across the borough.

Our current offer through the network has seen an expansion in collaborative working to enable a wider range of green care activity to be delivered from low and high level walks and combining art with the natural environment. By creating a co-produced offer from the outset,we hope to support members of the community to shape a service that will create healthier, mutually supportive, sustainable communities.

For further information click here.

Catalyst 1

Catalyst: Net Zero interactive exhibit

Our Story

The exhibit was developed at the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre which features a range of interactive exhibits that bring subjects to life from Science, Maths, Engineering and Technology to the Humanities and Geography.

The exhibit is a three-level, fun-filled game which teaches all ages about the ways in which we can help tackle climate challenge and deliver a net zero future. It takes players on a journey from reliance on fossil fuels and gas to a greener future in 2050 where hydrogen is used to power industry, fuel our cars and heat our homes. The game is based on the North West and some of the projects anticipated to be delivered in the region over the coming years, including carbon capture and storage beneath Liverpool Bay as part of HyNet North West.

 

The Challenge

One of the challenges we found with the exhibit was although it was technically accurate, we had to make sure it was accessible, fun and engaging for young people. To manage this, a developer who had extensive experience of creating similar exhibits was brought in to help deliver the project. A steering group of North West Hydrogen Alliance members was set up to provide technical and expert input and sign off the exhibit at various stages.

During the research phase, other exhibits were reviewed within the museum to ensure lessons were learned for the new exhibit. Various options were identified with the chosen option using the existing ‘Compound Creator’ exhibit. This also meant that the existing screen could be re-used, reducing the need, and carbon impact, of the new technology.

 

Our Solution

The game is displayed on a large touch screen which shows how existing industrial processes, transport and homes release CO2. As the user progresses through the decades to 2050 they can introduce low carbon forms of energy generation, such as hydrogen and renewables, which reduce the CO2 impact. The aim of the game is to reach net zero by 2050 by reducing the amount of CO2 released.

During the game, pop-ups set various challenges and can be used to showcase North West projects which demonstrate to the user how the region is working towards a net zero future. This North West context is important in educating the user on what’s happening in the region to reach net zero, with the aim to inspire people to find out more and perhaps even look into a career in net zero.

The net zero exhibit was sponsored by the North West Hydrogen Alliance (NWHA) – a collection of over 30 businesses that are driving the establishment of a hydrogen economy in the North West. Their goal is to raise the profile of the role hydrogen can play in meeting net zero targets. The NWHA worked closely with the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre and Museum Trust Ltd (Catalyst), a registered charity, in the development of the exhibit.

The exhibit was launched at a stakeholder event with speakers including Cllr Gill Wood, Deputy Portfolio Holder for Climate Emergency & Renewable Energy at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. The event was attended by Year 6 pupils at Lunt’s Heath Primary School in Widnes who were the first to test run the exhibit. A press release was issued with the launch covered in local and trade media.

 

Want to find out more?

To find out more about the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre exhibit, follow the link below:

Catalyst Science Discovery Centre – A unique interactive museum for all ages.

Worsley roundabout reduced mowing

Reducing Mowing for Biodiversity

Our Story

Salford City Council’s Green Spaces team have started an exciting project to increase biodiversity and tackle climate change by reducing mowing of grassland in the city.

As part of Salford City Council’s commitment to tackling climate change and increasing biodiversity, some grassland previously amenity cut will now be managed for nature. This means the grasses and wildflowers can be encouraged to grow and will only be cut once in autumn.

Grassland not used for sport or recreation identified in 25 parks will be reduced to one mow a year. The grass will be encouraged to grow long for pollinators to enjoy. Plant species will be recorded and compared to evaluate environmental impact of leaving grass to grow.

 

Our Solution

Leaving grass to grow will double the biodiversity of species that grow within it and use it. Insects that pollinate our flowers and food crops (including butterflies and bees) alongside mammals and birds have been seen to flourish in similar reduced mowing regimes throughout the country.

Cutting the grass less often will reduce our environmental impact from less machinery running and increasing the carbon storage potential of our grasslands as grass absorbs carbon dioxide when it grows the same way trees do. When grass is cut and dies that carbon is released back into the atmosphere through the organic matter decomposing.

In summary, leaving longer gaps between mowing can lead to reduced costs, an increase in bio-diversity, a natural carbon capture system, and a dramatic improvement on the environment for pollinators.

 

Want to find out more?

If you’d like to find out more about the Green City Programme, follow the link below:

https://www.salford.gov.uk/planning-building-and-regeneration/salfords-natural-environment/green-city-programme/

Irlam & Cadishead Leisure Centre PV Panel Installation

Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme

Our Story

Salford City Council has been awarded £7.5m government funding through part of the wider Greater Manchester Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to deliver a programme of decarbonisation of 37 heating and solar panel installation works on 31 council owned buildings.

The programme includes installations of Air Source Heat Pumps on 12 sites in the city including leisure facilities, park buildings, children’s homes and the town hall. We are also installing Solar PV Panels at 21 buildings which will generate 466,970kWh of energy a year and 540.63kWp of energy generation towards the GM 45MW target.

The installation of the Air Source Heat Pumps will decarbonise the heating for the sites from gas or oil at 12 sites, to being heated by electricity from renewable sources, therefore decarbonising the heat. Additionally, 4 Battery Energy Systems have been installed across different sites.

 

The Challenge

Decarbonising our public estate will not only reduce our emissions as an organisation but also set an example and promote these technologies to residents and businesses in the city that we are leading the way in decarbonisation. However, we face come challenges along the way.

Firstly, a complex bid submissions process meant there was a short turnaround to apply for funding. The proactive approach by Salford’s Energy team, already having a defined pipeline of buildings we could include, was beneficial and helped us overcome this challenge.

Another challenge we faced was the challenging timescales for project delivery. While this is an ongoing challenge, the Salford programme of installations is well underway and forecast to be completed on time. Working closely with colleagues in other departments such as planning and procurement has helped us overcome this challenge as we were ready to hit the ground running as soon as the funding was secured.

 

The Solution

The success of our project can be measured in a number of different ways. From a financial perspective, the work on energy efficiency and renewable energy generation on site will bring down energy bills for our residents.

These sort of projects help show that we are leading the way in producing clean energy to meet the wider GM targets. While this looks good on us as an organisation, it allows other businesses and organisations to follow suit, which will help make a larger impact. Solving the climate crisis requires everyone to work together, therefore paving the way for others to follow is crucial.

Additionally, our projects have allowed us to create a resilient portfolio of Council buildings, shielding us from the volatile energy market.

GMEF Main Logo_White

Greater Manchester Environment Fund (GMEF)

Our Story

Greater Manchester (GM) faces major environmental challenges that threaten the future health and prosperity of the city-region, with dangerous levels of air pollution, degradation of priority habitats and increasing risks from climate change.

In response, GM launched a 5-Year Environment Plan with an ambitious vision for a clean, carbon-neutral, climate resilient city region with a thriving natural environment and demanded urgent action to achieve this.

Recognising traditional grant and public funding alone will be insufficient to deliver the Mayor’s ambitions, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is pioneering a new approach to these challenges and safeguarding GM’s natural environment.

A partnership between GMCA, Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Finance Earth has developed the Greater Manchester Environment Fund as an independent vehicle to support GM’s ambitions for the restoration and improvement of its natural environment.

 

Our Solution

The GMEF operates solely as an independent charitable vehicle to help deliver a number of key projects and policies. One of which is to align existing restricted and unrestricted public funding streams for strategic use to benefit the environment as well as mobilise public, private, and philanthropic capital to catalyse further investment into the environment.  It also delivers rant funding, capacity building, seed funding and repayable investment for strategic environmental projects and funds.

Building self-sustaining, local environmental-impact investment that’s recognised as best practice is another key pillar for the GMEF as well as delivering consistent and transparent governance framework for funders and delivery bodies to set local priorities, access funds and deliver accountable results.

Our oganisation is managed by an independent charitable body, hosted by Lancashire Wildlife Trust, with representation from public, private and philanthropic sectors.

So far, we’ve secured a number of key funding sources worth a combined £2.1 million. This includes from Defra’s Green Recovery Challenge fund aim to boost environmental recovery, SUEZ community fund, and from Natural Environment Investment Readiness.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

SCATTER baseline

SCATTER Emissions Measurement and Modelling Tool

Our Story

The SCATTER tool was developed by Anthesis as a result of a need from local authorities to easily calculate their GHG emissions baseline and understand possible emissions reduction scenarios as a starting point to their climate emergency response. Local authorities were spending considerable time and money to calculate their baseline emissions and the tool originally sought to reduce the time and effort in this process whilst reporting to internationally agreed standard methods.

The tool was originally piloted with Greater Manchester Combined Authority and later rolled out to all local authorities in the UK. The original version of the tool was developed in collaboration with the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, an arm of the University of Manchester, who conducted analysis on the UK’s Paris-aligned carbon budget to scale this down to the local authority level.

The tool is now being used by over 300 local authorities in the UK and has fed into over 30 local authorities’ climate strategies and action plans. Anthesis and Nottingham City Council have consulted regularly with these users to understand how they have found the experience and what additional areas could be built upon in further iterations of the tool.

 

The Challenge

Developing this sort of tool means there are challenges throughout the end-to-end process. Before we even started, it was crucial for us to gather a pool of industry experts that could provide consultation support and help shape the final product. This ensured the tool was useful to to others and robust in its methodology.

Consultation, important at the start, was just as important along the way. Feedback from users was incredibly helpful in identifying issues early on and correcting them before completion. This process allowed us to stage the functionality process; acting on the feedback ensured we could move onto the next stage knowing that sufficient time was spent improving the product.

Having this constant dialogue with local authorities was useful for them in keeping them updated with what’s happening but also for us as it created a small network of supportive authorities, developing strong relationships with them.

However there’s always something that looking back on, we could have improved. There is a strong need for support to local authorities in helping them better quantify the scale of the Net Zero challenge. Also, web based tools can provide an easy and accessible way to support local authorities, but guidance materials and support are essential to ensure the findings are embedded in local authority strategies.

 

Our Solution

The tool has been through several iterations and is now an online tool, free to access by any local authority in the UK. Anthesis received funding from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to further develop the tool in close collaboration with Nottingham City Council who have provided a local authority perspective and acted as a consultative partner.

The online tool provides two main uses; firstly, a greenhouse gas inventory for area-wide emissions for all local, unitary and county authorities. This enables users to understand their largest emissions sources, download a full emissions inventory for analysis and report directly to international frameworks such as CDP and the Global Covenant of Mayors.

And secondly, a future emissions modelling tool called Pathways which allows users to see how implementing certain emissions reductions measures may impact their area’s trajectory. This functionality allows users to save different emissions scenarios and compare them to support their climate action planning and strategy development. This also helps engage stakeholders such as council officers, residents and businesses with understanding the scale and speed of change needed to meet the net zero ambition many councils have.

In many local authorities, the vision prompted by our work has enabled them to engage other organisations to take action. For example, within Greater Manchester, it prompted a number of social housing providers to better understand the carbon performance of their stock, upon understanding the level of retrofit measures that SCATTER suggested were needed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

Volunteers Abdul and Jo fixing QR codes to the Marker Posts

Princes Park Tree Marker Post Project

Our Story

Friends of Princes Park (FOPP) is a project funded by the Liverpool City Region Community Environment fund based in the heart of Liverpool 8; a diverse by deprived inner-city area.

FOPP is a group of park user and local people who work in partnership with the council to maintain and improve the park for the benefit of people and wildlife. Over the last 15 years we have planted more than 4,000 trees, and we have increasingly focused on improving biodiversity in the park and encouraging people to better understand it.

We have also made efforts to pass on information about the work we’ve done as easily as possible to stakeholders, especially to young people and school children. We want to encourage young people to better understand the trees and appreciate their value.

Over the last 6 months, FOPP volunteers, nearly all of whom are local residents, have installed oak marker posts by each of the 150 specimen trees, providing accessible information about each tree. We have also produced a tree map which is now displayed on our newly refurbished notice board with more announcements coming soon.

 

The Challenge

The key thing we considered with this project was to produce easy to access and easy to understand information boards that were engaging and informative. However many external factors came into play which presented obstacles in the project’s development.

We have always been keen to let people know the identity of the trees we have planted. In the past we tried producing a black & white map with a key. However, it caused problems for people who struggled to read maps, which limited the scope of our reach.

We also tried attaching QR codes to individual specimen trees. The QR code for each tree was unique and linked specifically to information about that tree on our website. The codes were printed, laminated and stapled to the relevant tree however they weren’t robust to withstand the typical British weather and general wear and tear.

Following that, we found a much more durable solution, which led to our project to install engraved marker posts. We couldn’t easily engrave a QR code into a wooden post, so instead we gave each tree a three-digit reference number engraved onto each post, alongside the QR code.

We then attached a printed notice to each code explaining how to find out more information about that tree, by scanning the QR code (if you have a smart phone) or by noting the tree’s number and identifying it using the map and key displayed on each of the noticeboards in the park.

We realise that some people don’t find it easy to navigate their way round our website – so we are in the process of putting together a step-by-step guide on how to get from the QR code on the marker post to detailed information about that tree.

 

Our Solution

Princes Park is well used by many different communities and during the Covid pandemic has been used by local people to exercise, rest, picnic and enjoy the wildlife.

Our project has received positive feedback from local schools about our next move, which is to make a guide for schools as to how they can use the tree markers for educational purposes, for example by learning about different species or playing guessing games with the trees and then looking up the information.

The headteacher at Belvedere Academy, which is situated just next to the park, spoke of how the pupils have become more climate aware and encouraged them to take more ownership on the difference they can make to the world following the implementation of the tree markers.

Unity Youth Club in Toxteth, recently came on a walk to look at the trees and the various educational elements we’ve added to them. Julie Smith, a youth worker with the club, mentioned how the children increased their awareness of how important the trees are for the park.

In addition to producing the education pack for schools we will be increasing the information on our website about the wildlife associated with the trees and organising a series of walks to look at the trees and wildlife in the park.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

SpindlesTownSquareShoppingCentre

Oldham Minewater District Heating

Our Story

For many years, Oldham’s councillors have had an interest in the town’s industrial heritage and whether it could be used to provide clean energy for the town into the future. Councillors had heard about minewater heating schemes elsewhere in Europe, and asked us (Oldham Council) to look into whether such a scheme could be developed in Oldham.

Minewater district heating works by extracting energy from the floodwater in disused coal mines, which is heated by geothermal processes, and upgrading it using heat pumps to supply a district heat network using insulated pipes conveying hot water around a town centre. Public, commercial and residential buildings can all be supplied with heat from such a system.

The Challenge 

Like many towns in Northern England, Oldham has an extensive network of disused coal mines underneath the town centre, dating back to the Industrial Revolution. If the principle of minewater heat can be shown to work in Oldham, it could open up the potential for this clean energy technology to supply town centres anywhere where this industrial heritage exists.

Our Solution

Working together with the UK government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, we commissioned specialist consultants and the UK Coal Authority to carry out feasibility work looking at the potential for a minewater heat network. The feasibility study showed that a 4MW minewater heat network could be feasible, supplying large town centre buildings such as Spindles Shopping Centre, Oldham Leisure Centre, and a wide range of other commercial and residential buildings including homes on the nearby St Mary’s social housing estate, owned by First Choice Homes Oldham.

FCHO already own a district heat network at St Mary’s, and the feasibility work showed that this could be linked up with a new minewater heat network to serve the whole of Oldham town centre plus the St Mary’s social homes. This potential wide-scale heat network could be expanded even further in the future. The existing First Choice Homes energy centre at St Mary’s houses 3.5MW of biomass boilers which could also be used to provide additional heat for the low carbon heat network.

In partnership with First Choice Homes we are now looking to work together on the next stage of technical and economic feasibility to see if they can make the new low carbon heat network a reality. Key to this will be the drilling of test minewater boreholes, which will be the next big step towards the realisation of a low carbon Oldham Town Centre.

For further information, please click here.

IGNITION Living Lab Living Walls with family

IGNITION project – Nature-based Solutions to the Climate Emergency

Our Story

Imagine a greener Greater Manchester. A place that works with nature and where the urban landscape is filled with rain gardens, street trees and green roofs, walls and spaces.

Our ground-breaking project, IGNITION aims to do just this by developing innovative financing solutions for investment in Greater Manchester’s green infrastructure. Having started the project back in 2019, the £4 million, EU-funded project is well on its way to providing the tools needed to increase the use of nature-based solutions (NBS) in Greater Manchester.

Nature-based Solutions (NBS), such as rain gardens, street trees, green roofs and walls and parks and green spaces, provide natural ways to cope with the extreme effects of climate change such as flooding events and overheating in urban areas. They can also help to tackle socio-environmental challenges relating to air quality, biodiversity and human health and wellbeing.

The Challenge 

The multiple benefits of NBS are increasingly well documented, but currently rely heavily on statutory or philanthropic funding for implementation. The IGNITION partnership set out to build confidence in the benefits of NBS and understand how these could be translated into financial savings or returns. The ultimate aim of the project is to attract investment to deliver NBS projects at the scale needed to ensure the climate resilience of our city region.

Our Solution

The IGNITION project, backed by the EU’s Urban Innovation Actions (UIA) initiative, brings together 12 partners from local government, universities, NGOs and business.

The IGNITION project will, provide an assessment of the amount of greenspace already within Greater Manchester (GM) to provide a baseline against which to measure an increase in urban greenspace, whilst conducting research into the multiple benefits of different types of NBS to inform the development of potential innovative financing models.

In addition to developing a feasibility study that identifies reductions in wastewater charging through the installation of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) and we will establish a Living Lab at the University of Salford that would be the first of its kind to study the functionality of combined systems of NBS.

For further information, click here.

Drilling compound GSHP

Homes as Energy Systems

Our Story

Domestic properties are currently viewed as ‘dumb’ loads on the electricity network as they play little part in the wider electrical energy system other than as a point of consumption.

This classification of homes is outdated and does not reflect the increasing complexity of the electricity network with increasing amounts of small scale renewable generation (150MW solar PV in GM), larger scale intermittent, yet forecastable, renewable generation (such as wind), increasing demand for electricity from the electrification of heat and electric vehicles, constraints of the existing electrical network (at the national transmission and local distribution level) and the reduction in large scale electricity generation capacity.

The Challenge

Given the aggregated and cumulative impact of domestic dwellings on this system, homes need to play a bigger role in the future maintenance and management of the wider electricity system.

Our Solution

The ‘Homes as energy systems’ (HaES) project brings two complementary themes into one holistic, systemic, project and couples ‘energy’ (embedded generation, aggregated grid services, electrification of heat, storage, load shifting) and ‘energy efficiency’ (demand reduction, monitoring and education)

When combined and viewed holistically, these two themes ensure that domestic dwellings with reduced energy demand actively contribute to a dynamic energy system and fulfil a ‘component’ role, benefiting the system as a whole, as opposed to being a load that simply needs managing.

To this end, HaES is:

1. Enabling properties to actively contribute to energy systems through installation of technologies to reduce energy demand, embed generation, offer grid balancing services, electrify heating and store energy.

2. Underlining the capability of aggregated, domestic sized energy storage and controllable load (heat pumps) to contribute to the management of the local and national electrical network through grid balancing and other network services.

3. Supporting development of innovative heating and energy tariffs and financial models for domestic energy demand reduction, on site generation and energy storage.

4. Rebalancing regional energy flows – reduced demand with buffered renewable energy capacity which more closely matches the GM potential renewable energy output.

5. Educating end users to save energy through better use of heating systems, energy generation and storage technologies and user behaviour.

Over 1,000 properties will receive one or more of the following technologies, whole house retrofit, heat pumps, PV & battery, EWI, Control technology – virtual power plant aggregation and control of heat pumps and batteries or energy monitoring.

The project involves Procure Plus, Manchester City Council (and Northwards Housing), Stockport MBC (& Stockport Homes), University of Salford, KrakenFlex and RetrofitWorks. GMCA have supported via Project Board in a strategic advisory capacity.

For further information, click here.

GM LEM

Greater Manchester Local Energy Market

Our Story

The Greater Manchester Local Energy Market is an innovative project led by Greater Manchester Combined Authority with 11 partners from community, technology, energy suppliers and network operators.

We will create a more efficient and cost-effective energy market for residents and businesses, exploring opportunities including the production of green hydrogen and use of heat networks to reduce carbon emissions and increase network capacity.

The programme came about due to a small number of key drivers, to support delivery of the region’s five-year environment plan and our ambition to be carbon neutral by 2038. These included providing a region-wide informed view of where the region produces local energy, how we heat our buildings, how we retrofit our buildings, and support the transition away from combustion engines.

Our Solution

Local Area Energy Plans provide an informed view – from the perspective of residents, businesses and network operators – of where Greater Manchester needs to: generate renewable energy; retrofit buildings; place Electric Vehicle charging hubs; and the impact this whole system approach may have on electricity network/grid operators.

An energy trading platform, the Market Maker, will support the region in maximising the benefit of its intermittent energy generation capabilities. The Market Maker will control the recruitment and onboarding of consumers to benefit from revised tariffs and will support the trading of energy between consumers in Greater Manchester. It will also enable network flexibility and unlock new revenue streams.

Value sharing Propositions (Energy Tariffs) will be designed to establish new tariffs that can be used by domestic and non-domestic customers for heat and mobility. Value Sharing Propositions are designed and linked to Local Area Energy plans, supporting targeting and maximising use of local assets.

The Local Energy Market is the first project in the country that will provide local area energy plans for ten Local Authority areas, supporting the energy needs of 1.2m homes and 2.7m residents. The project’s ability to provide such an informed position supports people in all walks of life to make informed decisions.

For further information, click here.

Before 1

TalkTalk: Data Centre Optimisation

Our Story

According to work TalkTalk has undertaken with the United Nations, up to 80% of the emissions cuts the telecoms sector needs to reach Net Zero can be me through renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Every time you visit a website, our servers need to find the right request to get you to the right place, this is called a DNS request. In May 2021, we hit an average of 61 billion DNS requests per day. That averages out at more than 42 million requests per minute.

Our data traffic has been growing 40% every year, as more and more people use the internet throughout their daily lives. Yet despite this huge growth, we’ve managed to significantly reduce our direct emissions, and optimising our data centres has been instrumental to this.

It could have gone unnoticed, but at TalkTalk we create a work environment where people can challenge the status quo and where smart observations can be made by our colleagues and acted on by the business. This simple change led to a general awareness of energy intensive initiatives across our network, which has since led to further changes and opportunities to find more energy efficient solutions in their place.

 

The Challenge

It was critical for us to allow our employees to feel like they can challenge decisions from above and allow them to share their ideas on how to solve a problem. Creating a workplace that allows people to be creative and develop new ways of doing things helps you to continue to innovate and creates a healthy atmosphere among the workforce.

For us, technical due diligence is also essential. We were able to continually show and track our progress by using ISO standards, which we would recommend getting to grips with.

 

Our Solution

Our equipment in exchanges and data centres requires large amounts of electronic equipment, in the form of very large units which emit a lot of heat and require constant cooling by fans. One of the engineers noticed that the fans, which had been installed at the same time, were still on the default setting of 100%. Over time, the older machines were being used less, but the fans were still using a lot of energy. By something as simple as observing this and lowering the output, we were able to significantly improve our energy efficiency.

One such innovation is using external air to cool the rooms instead of the energy-intensive refrigeration-based cooling systems you would usually find in a data centre. These systems typically use around 85% less energy and have been successfully installed in two of our data rooms in the Greater Manchester region.

Another new innovation linked to this initial idea relates to our diesel-powered backup generators. They only tend to get used once primary power has outed, but we’ve since started using vegetable oil in place of the diesel. Smaller ideas such as this, can often snowball into larger ideas, something we like to champion.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

Dales Brow 1

Dales Brow

Our Story

Following heavy rainfall, localised surface water flooding and pollution risk had become a recurring issue near to the junction of Folly Lane and Dales Brow, a highway running alongside a greenspace of the same name in Swinton, Greater Manchester.

Local sewers became overwhelmed, leading to a standing pool of water on the highway and creating the potential for sewers to overflow and release pollutants into the natural water course.

Co-investment in a Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) scheme between the Environment Agency, Salford City Council, United Utilities and City of Trees has shown how natural solutions can address such an issue, while also providing an enhanced greenspace for local people to enjoy and creating a new habitat for wildlife.

Dales Brow was transformed with the installation of two bio-swales (sunken, marshy channels), the creation of a new 64sqm wetland area, a 40m long beech hedge as well as hundreds of new plants and trees.

 

The Challenge

This transformed wetland site now enhances biodiversity and provides a high-quality recreation space, which creates an attractive area for people to live and encourages inward investment. The site provides climate change adaptation benefits at a low cost; something that could be easily replicated.

This site had limited community appeal prior to the works. But the new footpath, raised lawn and the wildflower areas has generated a much greater level of community usage which was particular notable during Covid. Local residents have also expressed an interest in wanting to help look after the site.

 

Our Solution

The project has a number of benefits; not only helping to reduce surface water flooding at a local level but it also eases pressure on the sewer infrastructure as well as providing costs savings with respect to water treatment and reducing the likelihood of pollution incidents in watercourses from overflowing sewers.

The swales and the wetland area contain a variety of vegetation types able to cope with wet conditions. Microbes in the soil and vegetation trap and help to break down any pollutants into harmless compounds.

As well as the nature-based interventions, other measures include a new footpath, tree planting and the creation of low maintenance ‘biodiverse’ planting areas ensuring the space can be benefit both local people and the planet.

Students from The University of Salford will monitor the quantity and quality of surface water entering and exiting the site to determine the amount of water diverted away from the combined sewer and the ability of the SuDS features to remove vehicle-based pollutants.

Dales Brow is a fantastic example of co-financing by finding a nature-based solution to a problem that will financially benefit multiple parties. This shared investment benefits the stakeholders, makes a community more resilient to climate change, cleans up pollution and transforms a disused space so that the local community can engage with nature.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

Wildflowers 4

Wildflowers on the Puddydale

Our Story

If you have seen a wildflower meadow in bloom, I am sure you have appreciated it, whether it be for the beauty of the flowers or the habitat and sustenance it provides for insects, butterflies and other wildlife. This was what we wanted to create in the middle of a built up town environment.

We wanted to explain to others the importance of creating these food sources for our disappearing insect life and encourage others to copy our example, whether it be in their garden or a public space, in their shopping or commercial area. A wildflower area is a great alternative to the manicured areas of bedding plants that are more common in urban areas. It is also much appreciated by many, adding to health and wellbeing of communities. So many passers-by stopped to admire the flowers in bloom and read our signs.

The Heswall Joint Rotary Environment Group was formed not only to bring together the resources of three local Rotary Clubs for the support of our environment, but to reach out to others in our community to join with us in our environmental projects.

 

The Challenge

In the early stages of the project, we seeked advice from Wirral Wildlife and New Ferry Butterfly Park who helped us analyse the soil type, prepare the ground correctly, and purchase seed to suit the soil.

Effective engagement with the local council allowed us to get permission to use a piece of Council land on a local area in central Heswall, known as the Puddydale. Establishing relationships with key stakeholders is vital for a project like this to succeed. It allowed us to reach out to volunteers who played a huge role in helping carry out the work.

There was a slight worry that the site could be victim to vandalism due to courteous temporary signage, however local residents were great in helping manage the site and prevent such damage from happening.

 

Our Solution

Having been successful in obtaining a grant from the Liverpool City Region Environment Fund, we had to complete the project between March and October 2021, which worked well with the growing season. The turf was removed from an area of approximately 100 sq metres, the ground rotavated, and then thoroughly raked to prepare for the seed.

By sowing a combination of annual and perennial wildflower seeds, a good show of flowers was achieved this year, with more to follow in 2022 and 2023 as the perennial flowers also come into bloom. A fair amount of physical work was involved but with a good number of volunteers in short shifts, the workload was not onerous. Fortunately the weather was on our side on all our working days!

This was an excellent small project that could be copied in any urban environment where a patch of land can be found. It has been appreciated by so many residents, provided a great source of food for pollinators and other insects,  and helped to get members of the community working together. We hope that the interpretive panel will continue to inform and encourage others to take similar action.

 

 

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Paddington Village Heat and Energy Network

Our Story

The Paddington Village Heat and Energy Network is a key player in proving innovative and sustainable heat solutions across the city of Liverpool, connecting the Paddington Village site and other new and future buildings to the decarbonisation route map for the city.

The £35 million Spine building in the heart of Paddington Village is one of the UK’s healthiest buildings. It is designed to increase the health and wellbeing of the people who work and visit there with its internationally recognised WELL standard.

As we move towards a zero-carbon economy, providing sustainable heat solutions for businesses to tap into is crucial to allow densely populated city centres to decarbonise and help reach the wider national Net Zero targets.

The Paddington Village is a £1 billion flagship development site at the eastern gateway to Liverpool’s thriving Innovation District, providing state-of-the-art education, tech, science and health spaces.

 

The Challenge

A huge challenge for this project was navigating the surge in energy prices post-covid and having to deal with a hugely volatile and unpredictable market. This industry requires patience and flexibility to allow projects come tor fruition and being able to deal with unexpected set backs.

 

The Solution

The building is heated by a low-carbon heating exchange based within the ground floor of the adjacent new 14-storey car park (which will also provide heat to the other Paddington Village buildings either under construction or planned), using 30-50% less energy. The smart building management system regulates the temperature and lighting, responding to external lighting conditions and saving energy by turning lights off when rooms are not being used.

LED lighting saves 50% of energy costs compared to traditional lighting. Programmable lift technology minimises journeys by empty lifts, and there are posters to encourage people to use the signature ‘Spine’ staircase.

The design of its internal spaces, glazing features, and the use of plants and water inside creates a calming working environment for people that work and visit there.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

Volunteer at Leasowe Loop.

Trees for Climate in Wirral

Our Story

Trees for Climate is a national woodland creation programme, part of the Government’s £500m Nature for Climate Fund aiming to, at least, treble planting rates in England by the end of this Parliament (2024).

The Mersey Forest is one of 12 Community Forests across England delivering the programme, transforming landscapes and communities across Merseyside and Cheshire.

Launched in November 2020, the programme is significant in the Government’s commitment to address climate change and carbon mitigation. Across Cheshire and Merseyside, nearly 44 hectares of new woodland has been created in the last year, in urban parks and green spaces and on private land and farmland.

In the Wirral, The Mersey Forest team works closely with Wirral Council to identify suitable land to plant trees, as part of the Council’s Tree, Hedgerow and Woodland Strategy which aims to double Wirral’s tree canopy over the next ten years by planting 210,000 trees.

 

The Challenge

We found that maximising the collaboration between the local council, communities, and organisations like The Mersey Forest was critical to the project’s success, as we were able establish good relationships with key stakeholders and gave us good advice and extra pairs of hands when needed. Early engagement with the landowner ensures a lengthy timeline to identify the best possible site.

The advice we got from the Community Forest helped us in being able to deliver the project on time, and with actively involving local communities in the delivery of the planting encourages a sense of place and ownership for those involved.

However there’s always room to improve; for our future Trees for Climate schemes in Wirral, we will be increasing our public consultation to ensure that more of our communities understand the purpose of the planting and have an opportunity to take part. We will also be delivering the planting without the use of plastics and application of herbicides to help address the climate and environmental emergency which has been declared in Wirral.

 

Our Solution

Leasowe Loop, a former horse grazing site, was a location selected by the council, with under a hectare of land prepared and planted. A mixture of coniferous, shrub and native softwood trees were planted using funding provided through the Trees for Climate programme.

The project’s success is measured on the amount of carbon it is predicted to sequester over its lifetime as it converts atmospheric carbon dioxide into biomass.

Larger sites are also registered and validated through the government recognised Woodland Carbon Code, this ensures that the amount of carbon estimated to be stored is verified to international standards for carbon sequestration projects. For the Leasowe site, which is used in this example, the trees planted will store approximately 291 tonnes of carbon dioxide over 100 years.

The community have also been instrumental to the success of this project and over 80 volunteer days were organised over a five-month period by the Wallasey Tree Planting Group, ensuring the trees were protected, mulched and weeded. Training and support have been provided by The Mersey Forest Team for these sessions.

Besides the obvious benefits of improving air quality and reducing noise pollution, the trees will be a valuable carbon store and provide a haven for biodiversity – addressing Wirral’s Climate Emergency challenge.

The site has had many challenges with weeds around the saplings growing at a phenomenal rate during the warm and wet spring/summer. A team of volunteers has turned up most weekends to help tackle these with training support and tools provided by The Mersey Forest Team. The group intends to take the planting challenge to new sites in the coming years using trees they are growing at their nearby nursery site.

In total over 4,300 trees were planted on this site. When fully established, it is estimated that these will store an estimated 291 tonnes of carbon over 100 years.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

High Park Green Spaces 1

The High Park Green Spaces Project

Our Story

High Park in Southport is in the top 10% deprived areas in the country with poor health and life opportunities for local residents. Within High Park there are 3 underused green spaces. The aim of this project was to encourage the positive and sustainable use of these spaces with community involvement. The areas parks were predominantly used either as football pitches or children’s play areas, with little to interest older residents or those interested in environmental sustainability.

There was little in the way of flowering trees, plants and planters in the park spaces and, when surveyed, residents felt that introducing these would have a positive effect on not only biodiversity, but health and wellbeing through increased usage of the park spaces.

During this project we worked with a number of key partners such as the Green Sefton’s Natural Alternatives, Grounds Maintenance and Tree teams, Mersey Forest and local councillors to effectively guide the intervention in the area.

 

The Challenge

In order to foster community ownership and engagement of the area’s public spaces, it was necessary to support the formation of a ‘Friends of High Park Green Spaces’ community group. This allowed local residents to lead on and manage aspects of the project including procurement of appropriate materials from local sources and the overall planning and design of the intervention.

While some questioned the survivability of adult trees and planters placed in the area’s parks – the guiding coalition of local volunteers who helped throughout the process and eventually constructed assets such as the planters, arguably, increased the survivability of the intervention.

This was further exemplified by the engagement of young people in the area who were readily involved in planting and maintaining the spaces throughout the duration of the project. We feel this aided towards challenging negative perceptions of local residents (both of themselves and externally) in their capacity to enact positive change within their community.

As such, we feel that any intervention in a public green space should heavily involve local resident support in both the planning and design process.

 

Our Solution

The funding received through the Liverpool City Region Community Environment Fund allowed us to fund this sustainable project for the local community to help develop and promote their area. To ensure sustainability, the project is supported by staff from Brighter Living Partnership’s High Park: Think Family, Think Community project, a 5-year National Lottery funded project ending in 2024.

The Liverpool City Region Community Environment Fund allowed us a meaningful stimulus to kick start more interest in the local parks. Without this funding, the cost of purchasing adult trees would have been too prohibitive for smaller community groups. Purchasing older trees rather than whips has provided a much more meaningful and visible change to the park which was vital to foster community interest area-wide.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

oncharge

Premier is Going Green

Our Story

Premier’s electric vehicle journey started back in 2014. Our managing director, John Cutler, was semi-retired and was keen to make a difference after working in the industry for 30 plus years. After researching which vehicles on the market would be viable as a taxi, he visited a local Nissan dealership to test drive one of their Nissan Leafs. At the time, there were very few resources available containing information about using fully electric vehicles as taxis, so it was important to get first-hand experience.

In 2015 we initially ordered fourteen 100% Electric Nissan Leafs. Due to the overwhelming success of the vehicles, customer and driver feedback, we took the decision to order more. To date, we have invested over £3,500,000 on Electric Vehicles and operate well over 100 Nissan Leafs and Nissan e-NV200 Minibuses. To compliment the Electric Taxi fleet we also operate the Fylde Coast’s largest fleet of Hybrid Electric Vehicles split across the business in Blackpool and Lytham St Annes.

This investment into our electric fleet continued throughout the Covid pandemic and have established an even larger fleet of vehicles than before.

 

The Challenge

Before starting our electric journey, there were little to no resources available for the sustainability of electric vehicles being used as taxis. At the time there were only a small handful of electric vehicles on the road being used as taxis across the entire country.

Extensive research in to what vehicles were available on the market was carried out. We looked at price of the vehicle, running costs, maintenance costs, battery size, vehicle range, how the vehicles charged and the overall suitability of the vehicles being used as taxis.

Once the first 14 vehicles had been ordered, we progressed to applying for planning permission for their own private charging infrastructure of rapid chargers for the cars. This took around 6 months to get in place, along with arranging drawings for planning permission and numerous contractors to supply the electricity connections to the sites then supply and fit the chargers in place. Due to the relaxation in planning laws, planning permission is no longer required for chargers falling under a certain height.

Unfortunately at the time there was no funding available for this type of project so it was wholly self funded. It is still unclear to most as to what funding is available for electric vehicle chargers. The Government have a fund set aside for installing chargers in local authorities, but for the councils to apply for money from this fund, they need to match it, which most cannot. Therefore public charging infrastructures are almost non existent in our local area.

Above all else, speaking with others in the industry proved to be invaluable. There are countless companies across the country that have enjoyed a similar journey to us, and most are keen to share their experiences and encourage others to take the leap too!

 

Our Solution

To date, our electric taxi fleet have completed over 13 million zero emission miles, making a sizeable impact reducing the towns overall carbon footprint. It’s estimated that our drivers have also saved around £2 million on fuel alone, with additional money saved in the reduction of vehicle maintenance.

We own and operate a network of charging stations at six locations throughout Blackpool for the exclusive use of Premier drivers. All electricity used to charge up the vehicles is from renewable energy sources.

In addition to adopting vehicles with green credentials, our dispatch system is setup to reduce emissions also by using a feature called ‘closest cab’. This queues jobs for drivers based on their final drop off point meaning the amount of combined miles traveled whilst empty is reduced, along with the overall miles a vehicle will travel in a year being less.

In 2019 we won the Green Fleet Taxi Company of The Year Award, beating huge companies such as Addison Lee and Green Tomato Cars of London. In 2021, we won an International Green Apple Environment Award competing against over 500 nominations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

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MaCaW Project (Making Carbon Work)

Our Story

In the UK today, 20% of all carbon emissions are produced by SME’s. Often described as ‘hard to reach’, smaller businesses often don’t have the resources or connections to help arrest that figure. therefore here at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN), we decided to help change that.

The MaCaW Project (Making Carbon Work) is an EU EDRF Low-Carbon Project which helps support Lancashire based SMEs in reducing their carbon footprint. Based within a university, the project can tap into the wealth of knowledge and experience of leading academics.

Our project director, Professor Karl Williams is an academic and industry lead specialist in waste management. We also have access to academics with expertise on renewable energy and more efficient business practices/process.

 

The Challenge

The SMEs that we have engaged with are becoming increasingly more aware of their role and importance in our shared global interest of reducing CO2 emissions. This has allowed for high levels of success vs targets following our engagement. Also, general uptake of the project has been high with a healthy pipeline that has continued since our early stages of the project.

We have found working with Lancashire-wide business support networks such as BOOST incredibly helpful in spreading the word, especially in the early stages. We have also found success (pre-Covid) in leaflet dropping smaller, more traditional manufacturing businesses who are normally viewed as ‘harder to reach’.

The grant funding element of the project is obviously a big draw to for SMEs, especially those looking to make investments into low-carbon technology.

 

Our Solution

 

So far, we have worked with over 150 individual SMEs and have managed to save just under 1,5000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. We have also granted a total amount of £264 thousand through our grant funding programme that enables SMEs to make essential investments into reducing their carbon footprint.

The MaCaW Project worked with T&R Precision Engineering, a leading aerospace supplier on helping the business look towards low-carbon ways of working a new renewable energy. T&R Precision Engineering supplies CNC engineering tools to the industry to fit out aircraft such as Boeing and Airbus.

The company was keen to ensure that any growth in the company’s production and size was met by a commitment to reduce carbon emissions as much as possible. In total the company has reduced its carbon footprint by 60 tonnes a year, reducing its annual electricity bill by almost £20,000 thanks to the effort of the MaCaW Project.

MaCaW was also able to offer a grant to part fund the installation of large solar panels on the roof of the new factory. The solar PV system will cover the 6,000 square foot facility. With a £15,000 grant towards the total cost, the capital outlay for T&R Engineering was more manageable in the short term, with the system paying for itself in half the time. The system offsets 22.51 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

Lancaster Car Club

Lancaster District Car Club

Our Story

In 2018/19, Lancaster City Council were paying out up to £50,000 in milage claims for staff, producing an estimated 31 tonnes of CO2. Despite having three pool cars at the town halls, officers began the process of understanding the business rationale behind causal milage claims and why personal cars were being used.

It was discovered that personal cars were used mainly for convenience but also due to the lack of pool cars available and the inflexibility of the booking system. Analysis of milage claim data also confirmed the ideal location and distribution of cars among the teams.

Using this information, a business case was developed to increase the council’s electric pool car fleet and introduce an easier and more flexible means of booking cars. The proposal developed was based on financing the scheme using capital borrowing, which would be paid back by reducing the amount of casual mileage claims from officers.

The business case was approved and in 20/21 the council invested £114,000 in buying six EVs, with £70,000 spent on the instillation of charging infrastructure at key locations across the district.

 

The Challenge

Understandably, Covid-19 created a delay in the launch of the car club to the public and initially, increased home-working also resulted in less demand from internal officers. There were also some preconceived ideas about access difficulties formed around the older booking systems. This has all now changed.

We’ve learnt that efforts have to be focused on getting buy-in from staff, department managers and heads of service and that engagement in the early stages is really important for uptake. It’s also clear that there’s not a one-size-fits-all when it comes to these sorts of schemes.

Promotion of the scheme was rigorous and we’ve taken an ‘on-going’ approach to maintain interest and broaden our reach. It was vital that any issues that arose were addressed quickly and efficiently at the start to ensure that staff remain engaged and the reputation of the scheme is maintained.

 

Our Solution

Rather than a standard, off the shelf booking system, the project team partnered with Co-Wheels to offer keyless entry to the cars and provide an agile booking system via a mobile app.

In additional to providing staff access, a public launch was scheduled for May 2021 and two cars were opened to residents and the general public during off-peak times via the Co-Wheels car club scheme. This allows residents to have access to electric cars on a pay-as-you-go system, using scheme to gain further value from the assets when not in use. Officers were keen to monitor bookings in order to assess demand.

Since the public launch, bookings have steadily increased, primarily over the weekend periods. In August 2021, 749 miles were driven by the public with bookings every weekend. As demand is increasing, officers are reviewing options to open up several other cars that are located across the district.

The project is currently on track and has achieved close to the Yr1 50% emission reduction projected in the business case with booking numbers increasing and internal mileage claims reducing. The additional public bookings not only contribute towards the cost of the scheme, but also provide an inexpensive way for residents to access new, greener forms of transport.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

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Bowland Priority Peat

Our Story

The Forest of Bowland AONB Climate Change Adaptation Plan (2010) identified peatland as one of a number of habitats particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. As a result, the AONB Partnership set out to help restore this priority habitat to make it more resilient to the effects of climate change.

Around a similar time, Lancashire County Council, Forest of Bowland AONB and Environment Agency worked together to establish the Lancashire Peat Partnership to help co-ordinate efforts to gather data and evidence on Lancashire’s peatland and also to secure additional funds to support deliver of restoration on the ground.

In 2013, the Lancashire Peat Partnership commissioned a series of ‘Priority Peat’ reports to collate data and evidence on peatland condition and opportunities for restoration across the County. Since then, these reports have helped to unlock funding from a range of public, private and charitable funding sources to support delivery of peatland restoration.

Fast forward 10 years, the Forest of Bowland AONB Partnership has helped secure £2.5 million investment and managed the restoration of 755 hectares of peatland habitat (an area equivalent to 1000 football pitches) across 18 different sites.

 

The Challenge

We initially talked to established peatland restoration initiatives, such as Moors for the Future, Yorkshire Peat Partnership and North Pennines AONB Partnership. These meetings and discussions provided us with loads of inspiration and insight into what was involved in developing a similar initiative in Forest of Bowland.

The IUCN UK Peatland Programme has helped us in networking with practitioners, academics and other peatland experts as we have developed the initiative. Attending their annual conferences from 2010 onwards has been invaluable.

Most areas of upland in peat in the Forest of Bowland (and wider Lancashire) is privately owned, so developing trusted relationships with landowners and land managers in the area has been absolutely critical. Developing these relationships takes time and effort and should not be underestimated.

Developing an understanding of the funding ‘landscape’ has also been vital. This includes both public and the future potential for private investment, including via the Peatland Code (similar to the Woodland Carbon Code).

 

Our Solution

Peatland (or ‘blanket bog’ as the habitat is known in the uplands) is of international importance for its biodiversity and also its carbon storage. Whilst peatlands only cover 3% of the world’s land area, they contain nearly 30% of all carbon stored on land. A healthy, functioning blanket bog is extremely important in providing various ecosystem or natural services for society.

Some of these services include reducing carbon loss and promoting sequestration of atmospheric carbon, reductions in downstream flood risk and siltation, and a reduction in wildfire risk on moorlands. It will also enhance the quality of nearby water and biodiversity whilst improving the overall landscape and the natural beauty of the area.

Restoration work includes reprofiling of gullies and peat hag edges, construction of many timber, coir and stone dams designed to slow the flow of water, along with path improvements and revegetation with heather brash, sphagnum mosses and cotton grass plugs. This specialist work involves expert contractors who access the fells generally between September and March. Working in such exposed locations during the autumn and winter months can be very challenging and the conditions often hostile.

Bowland Priority Peat’ is not resting on its laurels with these achievements, however. Efforts continue to improve data and evidence and to secure further funds to carry on this work through the 2020s. Lancashire County Council has recently committed to a new ‘Environment and Climate’ programme, supporting a dedicated Peatland Development Officer for Lancashire to help drive forward this work within the County and also linking up with other peatland initiatives across the UK.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

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Aughton Town Green Primary School – Forest School Site Rejuvenation

Our Story

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, awareness about climate change and a renewed focus on learning outside and the need to teach children to appreciate nature and its importance, has taken more of a focus here at Aughton Town Green Primary School. We currently have 334 pupils and have cultured a tight-knit community, where everyone knows each other.

We are focused on developing pupils’ resilience, teamwork and social skills through a Forest School approach as well as improving our school’s role in local sustainability and environmental awareness. During 2021/22 a range of pupils across the school had access to Forest School sessions.

In November 2021 we arranged a volunteer day with 14 parents, teachers, and children to help with the work, with a clear focus on creating sustainable spaces, using natural products from the existing environment. There was no monetary cost to this day, yet the outcome were incredible.

It included the use of recycled bark from culled and pruned trees, moving existing rockers to create a natural seating area for stories and forest school activities. Land was cleared and set aside to allow for further planting within the forest, with the use of saplings, hedging and copse donated by the Woodland Trust ensuring a ‘nature friendly’ environment. The relocation of the bug hotel encouraged a range of nature for pupils to observe and explore. Not only did this reduce the amount of materials used and money being space, but also reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.

 

The Challenge

Having had an environment which had become overgrown and needed significant improvements to become a biodiverse environment, was overwhelming. We were looking closely at the specific needs of our pupils post COVID, deciding as part of our School Improvement Plan to implement a forest school approach for our learners. The development of our side was key, as we could not begin to improve these outcomes until it was accessible and useable.

Yearly maintenance of our trees meant that pruning and culling of some trees was necessary, but gave us a good starting point for our project. Our key focus was to ensure that the site remained sustainable, we want to ensure that wherever possible, only natural materials are used and that we recycle as much from the environment as possible.

With limited time and the availability of Woodland Trust trees, we looked to enlist volunteers to focus on two key areas of the site, the are designated for tree planting and a site which had become overgrown and disused. It was not clear how the site could be used but a rockery could be seen beneath the growth.

We couldn’t have done it without our amazing volunteers who were able to make significant changes to the two areas on the day.

 

Our Solution

With donations of wildflower seeds from the local community, we intend to further develop the wildflower meadow as well as regenerate the pond area to encourage our recent ducklings to return for another season. Wherever possible, grasses and weeds are composted within our composting bins and pupils are encouraged to plant vegetables and fruit within the planters. We aim to be as self-sufficient as possible, with the water butt used to water plants and top up the pond. In addition, when having trees pruned, we keep long sticks for den making and woodcraft.

Following the work undertaken by the volunteers, we have now cleared a significant area where we have 60 saplings to plant onsite that will take in carbon dioxide to mitigate against climate change. The trees will help us to adapt by providing shade, creating new habitats and helping to reduce the risk of flooding.

Through the development of a school ‘Green Team’ we intend to further develop the biodiversity of the site over the coming years and work towards the Green Schools Award. We are also now looking at other grants and funding sources to develop our larger seating areas and  continue to work with the local community to improve our area for the future.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

Biogas plant with Cows

Advanced Bacterial Sciences: Solutions by nature, for nature

Our Story

We are a group of individuals including scientists, ecological experts and entrepreneurs that have been at the forefront of climate neutral research, development, and investment for over 20 years. Coming together as Advanced Bacterial Sciences (ABS) involved the magic of the right people coming together at the right time, all willing to build something new and innovative bringing microbiota solutions to waste and water management.

We understood the existential threat from the combined impact of three interlocking crises – climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. By understanding this situation, realising the opportunity, and responding to a gap in the market we were able to develop a range of highly effective products that target and successfully treat very specific problems. These products break down organic waste and absorb inorganic substances with little or no by-products other than water and minimal CO2.

Bacterial solutions have been used for centuries, they are natural, versatile, resilient and can be found everywhere. Water companies rely on bacteria to process tonnes of waste daily. Microbiota are the most prevalent lifeform on our planet and can survive in the most inhospitable of environments. Their sheer number and diversity mean that they are the most ecologically sound, sustainable solution to many of our planetary challenges.

 

The Challenge

The potential of microbial solutions to change the world is undeniable, making it an extremely exciting space to be in. However, ventures like these come with a number of hurdles. Having a well defined plan and adequate funding from committed investors is a must; in science research is everything, and research needs long term investment to stimulate creativity for continued innovation.

But first it’s important to define who you are and what you’re working towards. Make decisions based on whether they are aligned with your purpose or will bring you closer to achieving your goals. Naturally we need to respond to changes when necessary but it is important to remain focused on these goals and not become distracted by the inevitable noise of launching a business or developing new products.

It’s also crucial to understand the problem that people face and how your product will alleviate that problem. Understanding your customers experience will give you the information you need to develop a truly effective product.

However the most important thing to embrace for long-term success is collaboration. Its importance can so often be underestimated, but pooling together different abilities and knowledge in a highly-skilled field is vital. To complement our team, we are engaging an international network of scientific collaborators so we can continue sharing knowledge and engage with the scientific community.

 

Our Solution

Our bacterial solutions provide improvements in costs, time, sustainability as well as improving asset lifetime. Our field trials have shown a 78% reduction of FOG levels, which translate to a 70% reduction in CO2 emissions from waste transportation in food establishments.

Another way we measure our success is by measuring the increased life span of assets and reduced maintenance costs, whilst reducing environmental impact of interventions. We eliminate the need for callouts (£500 each) and pipework changes to unblock waterless urinals.

What ABS plans to do is to tap into processes that would occur anyway through the work of bacteria and similar microorganisms, giving us natural alternatives for waste management, in turn reducing our carbon and wider environmental footprint. Driven by a dynamic approach based on a unique fusion of biology, chemistry and engineering, enables rapid growth at the leading edge of scientific knowledge and application, access to profitable markets through next-generation products tailored to specific problems.

Product development is carried out by an in-house interdisciplinary research team, based at the world-leading Centre for Environmental Science at Lancaster University, supported by an international network of scientific collaborators. Advanced, natural science-based approach distinguishes it from the competition. The ABS vision is to become a global influencer in the application of microorganism ecology for pollution remediation, plant, animal, human and environmental health.

ABS is achieving that by focusing on increasing the scientific team to 50 scientists by the end of 2022 and by concentrating in research and continuous improvement of novel bacterial formulations for in situ application based on ecological theory, chemical and engineering innovations that can be adapted to the needs of the customers, supporting a service model that will enable ABS to be a trusted partner and collaborator to all its stakeholders. The Global Market Opportunity for ABS has been assessed at greater than $2 trillion.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

Example of solar farm

Unlocking Green Energy in Greater Manchester

Our Story

Public sector organisations, including Local Authorities, are usually one of the biggest energy consumers due to their large estates and typically older, inefficient office buildings. The removal of green subsidies has weakened the financial case for renewables, with already stretched financial resources, local authorities are struggling to find ways to reduce their carbon footprint effectively.

To combat this, an EDRF funded partnership between Energy Systems Catapult and five GM local authorities; Manchester, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, and Wigan, created the Unlocking Clean Energy initiative. It aims to deliver 10MW of renewable energy and storage projects, while increasing local authority capacity to deliver more projects without grant funding reliance.

Using EDRF funding, the five local authorities will deliver circa 10 renewable energy projects across Greater Manchester, producing approximately 25% of the 2024 renewable energy target, cutting carbon emissions and increasing capacity.

 

The Challenge

Naturally, working across five different local authorities bring with it a variety of different skills, capabilities, and approaches to topics such as procurement, finance and capital projects. Ensuring we are all on the same page, we set up a consortium to monitor progress and share knowledge and ideas to help overcome challenges. It’s been an excellent forum to help the project progress. But it wouldn’t have been possible without having willing, able, and engaging partners on board; therefore making sure you have the right people involved is invaluable.

It is also critical to understand where the project team has gaps in skills and come up with a plan to address this. Our local authority partners received excellent support from the Local Energy North West Hub during our planning phase, but we have also had to procure sub-contractors for certain tasks as well as the preparation and submission of planning applications.

 

Our Solution

In terms of the ten projects we have up and running, we believe we will be saving 31,000 tonnes of Co2 emissions per year, with that set to rise if the identified business models are adopted more widely.

Salford City Council have a solar and hydroelectric energy scheme with battery storage and EV charging, alongside a 2MWH Solar Farm in Little Hulton. The site covers 3.79 hectares and comprises of 5,094 solar panels, generating power for 438 homes a year. It aims to increase biodiversity on the site and improve access to nature for local people by renovating and connecting some adjacent green space. A hydro-electricity generation project at Charlestown Weir will use the River Irwell to generate 710kWh of energy a year, enough to power around 200 homes.

Stockport Council has three proposed roof mounted solar projects which are part funded by the European Regional Development Fund. Two projects will be located at the new business / leisure hub, Stockport Exchange and the other at the Endeavour House depot in Bredbury. These consist of a mix of solar PV, battery storage, solar car ports and ancillary EV charging.

Alongside the capital delivery programme, Energy Systems Catapult are exploring innovative business models with the aim of improving the financial case for the development of similar projects in the future when grant funding won’t be available. The combination of capacity building among local authority partners, with new and innovative business models, will hopefully lay the foundations for increased deployment of renewable energy infrastructure without reliance on grant funding.

The scheme also aims to tie in with the Greater Manchester Five-Year Environment Plan which targets carbon neutrality by 2038 and an additional 45MW of renewable energy generation capacity by 2024, with increased diversity and flexibility.

 

Find out more

To find out more about how Green Energy for Greater Manchester, head to: es.catapult.org.uk/UCEGM

Go Neutral Image 1

Go Neutral Smart Energy Call-Off Framework

Our Story

We have made great strides towards delivering renewable energy across the Manchester City Region as part of the 5-year Environment Plan for Greater Manchester. However, a lot more needs to be done at a larger scale to achieve carbon neutrality by 2038 and to stimulate the local economy recovery since the Covid pandemic.

Go Neutral is a Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)-led Smart Energy initiative aimed towards decarbonising our city region and deliver effective social value, community wealth building and inclusive growth.

The initiative will aim to take more control of how we generate, use and trade our energy locally to create a resilient energy system, create greener, healthier and more affordable lifestyles, and create diverse investment opportunities that will help create new jobs and skills on our way to carbon neutrality by 2038.

With phase 1 nearing completion, efforts are tuning towards the second phase of the project which aims to dramatically scale impact and delivery, expanding the deployment opportunities across the city region and working effectively with the 10 districts.

 

Our Solution

Phase 1 of the Go Neutral project delivered a pipeline of 20MW of new renewable energy generation and battery storage across all of GM’s districts by the end of 2023, and will support circa 575 jobs through feasibility, design, and delivery.

The first phase over the first three years of the project, will identify, develop, and deliver at least 85MW of power generation and potential supporting battery storage and electric vehicle charging infrastructure across 430 assets owned by 13 public sector partners.

In total, this could provide 25 MWp of building integrated solar PV with supporting battery storage, 10MWp of solar car ports, and 50MWp of ground mounted solar PR; both with supported battery storage and potential to extend out to wind generation, EV forecourts, and charging hubs.

Phase 2 looks to make the most of underused public sector owned assets by making them available for smart energy deployment opportunities. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and the Environment Agency will shortlist sites for potential development opportunities based.

on their geospatial characteristics and local intelligence. 768 (and counting) underutilised sites have been shortlisted by partners for potential integrated smart energy solutions.

To help streamline the procurement and delivery of these opportunities, we are currently putting in place a GMCA-led smart energy call-off framework. It will allow users to contract with providers to make carbon savings and/ or cost savings through implementing ‘smart energy interventions’ to their buildings, car parks and land assets via a range of investment and delivery models. The framework will be accessible to all UK public sector organisations.

 

VisNet® Hub

EA Technology: Delivering Network Visibility

Our Story

Our mission is to promote the development of resilient, accessible, low-cost energy networks globally, accelerating the transition to energy decarbonisation. It’s in our DNA and we are passionate about it!

We educate and facilitate the introduction of low carbon technologies and work collaboratively with regulators, organisations and partners to manage the effects of climate change. We make it our business to deliver innovative solutions to operators of power networks globally as well as helping accelerate progress towards clean growth, adaption and resilience of energy networks.

As we continue our transition to Net Zero, data, particularly from the low voltage networks is a key enabler. This data is crucial to decisions about the optimum locations to site renewable generation, Electric Vehicle (EV) chargers and battery storage as well as other network connection requests.

In partnership with SP Energy Networks, the distribution network operator responsible for the local area, this project has installed our VisNet® Hub technology in 673 substations across Cheshire’s Energy Innovation District. We believe that this initiative will make the area the most monitored Low Voltage electricity network in the world.

 

The Challenge

The main challenge about this project has been to communicate it clearly and articulate why the data is of interest. Decarbonisation necessitates greater electrification, and a move away from fossil fuels. To achieve this by 2050 it requires increased efficiency and making the best use of existing capacity on the electricity network before reinforcement is required.

But we also want to generate interest in the electricity system. We have tried to make the data easily understandable and to explain why some of the load curves from some substations differ from others depending on the customers it serves.

 

Our Solution

Delivering Network Visibility is making Low Voltage electricity network data available to anyone who may be interested. The network data that this project is making available can help energy generation and storage investors interested in identifying capacity constraints to inform location selections. It also helps energy consumers researching opportunities for demand side measures; such as reduced EV charging, deferred space heating, and management of battery storage solutions. It provides traders with local energy markets for trading variable loads with variable generation within the sub region and allows EV ChargePoint installers and operators to locate new sites.

Our VisNet Hub platforms, devices or stations will provide near real-time data from monitored substations. The data provided can be real-time or historical for all or just some of the monitored substations. As well as load, it includes most other useful parameters.

Whether you are a planner, developer, community organisation, academic or interested in electricity networks, we think this data will help you.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

Battery storage

Commerical Building Decarbonisation

Our Story

Climate change is everyone’s business. It is also our business. Our mission is to promote the development of resilient, accessible, low-cost energy networks globally, accelerating the transition to energy decarbonisation. We educate and facilitate the introduction of low carbon technologies and work collaboratively with regulators, organisations and partners to manage the effects of climate change. We make it our business to deliver innovative solutions to operators of power networks globally as well as helping accelerate progress towards clean growth, adaptation and resilience of energy networks.

We have pledged to completely decarbonise our 1950’s headquarters building and continue to invest in this with the aim of making it net zero with features including EV charging points, solar PV panels on the roof, a low-carbon heating system, LED lighting, and an energy storage facility.

We are openly sharing our decarbonisation journey, documenting it as a blueprint, paving the way for others to adopt as they look to embark on their decarbonisation journey and retrofit their own legacy buildings.

 

The Challenge

Our building decarbonisation plan has faced challenges, some of which were completely unpredictable. The pandemic made us pause and rethink how we use our building and reassess our priorities for it, including a blockage in the Suez Canal that delayed the arrival of our new battery system . . . to name but a few.

Extensive research and data gathering is essential to get a good understanding of the building your in and to focus on specific areas that need the most work. Think about how much energy the building uses, does it change by day and night or weekday or weekend? How is that split by different processes and loads like heating and lighting? Also, what is the operational ‘base load’ for essential equipment? These questions gave us a greater understanding of the work that needed to be done and how it could be done most effectively.

Secondly, it’s important to consider how the use of the building may change over time. It may be as fundamental as whether you will still be in the same building in ten years. This is something that the pandemic made very obvious to us when it accelerated subtle changes in the way we use our HQ building, speeding up a process that now sees some colleagues working at home more frequently.

Finally, prioritise energy efficiency above anything else. Reducing the amount of energy that your building uses is a first step in any decarbonisation plan and greatly increases the effectiveness of the more obvious technologies.

It’s also important to bear in mind that a ‘one size fits all’ method won’t work as every building is different. However for most buildings, upgrading the installation and thermal efficiency is a “must”, other technologies such as heat pumps can be unsuitable, or operate very inefficiently if the insulation is not sufficient. This should be done before any low carbon heat sources are installed as the cost-benefit for other equipment often relies on the insulation.

 

Our Solution

EA Technology is still in the process of installing the commissioning the various low carbon technologies being deployed as part of this project.  We’ve recently installed a 372Kwh lithium-ion battery storage system, and the low-carbon heat system along with the PV panels will be generating around 50Kwh of zero carbon electricity. Our building control system balances the needs of all these systems to ensure we prioritise low-carbon generation. As a result, we save over 94,000 tonnes of CO2 a year being released into the atmosphere.

However we know that our decarbonisation journey is far from over. We have gathered a great deal of information so far and we are learning as we progress along our journey to Net Zero. As we continue to complete our decarbonisation project, we will be sharing each step on our website.

We also welcome anyone that is interested on tours of our HQ building in Cheshire, both virtual and in person, where you can see the progress for yourself!

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

coop

The Rebuild Site: Rethink, Reclaim, Reuse

Our Story

The creation of The Rebuild Suite was driven by our knowledge of circular economy, the glaringly obvious issue of good quality surplus construction materials being treated as waste, and the will to do things better for our planet and our local communities. By encouraging the reuse of existing surplus materials we are playing our part to reduce waste and lower the amount of carbon used in creating new materials.

The surplus materials we pick up go to community groups and charities to help with their building, gardening, crafting and repair projects. We also sell nearly new and surplus materials to trades and members of the public at reduced prices – perfect for that DIY project you’re planning to get underway!

A circular economy is restorative and regenerative by design, and aims to keep products, components, and materials looping at their highest utility and value at all times – decreasing our consumption of resources, and crucially also reducing our carbon footprint. The Rebuild Site brings together contractors, organisations, communities and individuals to create a circular economy ecosystem.

 

The Challenge

Reaching out and building partnerships with contractors and organisations was key to making The Rebuild Site a success. Online surplus materials platforms, construction companies, and third sector organisations such as Men’s Sheds, Heathlands Trust, Right2Work, and Give a Day Carlisle helped us get a good understanding of the trade and operating a circular economy.

We were able to access public sector bodies such as Carlisle City Council and the Cumbria LEP who provided invaluable advice and support, with the Cumbria Social Enterprise Partnership offering great free support and resources.

We recognise we are still at the start of our journey, therefore we continue to be open to discussions, partnering opportunities and learning from others. We are learning as much as possible and deliberately seeking out advice from people who know different things than we do.

We are very cognisant of role that organisations like ourselves play in providing a working example that others can learn from. As such, we are endeavouring to document the process of setting up and operating the organisation at every stage with a view to replicating the model across the country.

We’ve also done a lot of work on establishing our values, vision and overall mission. It’s important to think about who you are and what you stand for as it will be make it easier for new partners to buy into your idea and form a collective goal that everyone in your organisation will work towards.

 

Our Solution

Our work has both environmental and social impacts. We aim to collect as much data as possible to enable learning and improve our end results. This includes detailing all materials that are collected, estimating the reduction in carbon emissions by reuse of materials, any reduction in landfill, and resource management improvements at all our sites we liaise with. By doing this, we can provide quantifiable data that can be used to help form into effective solutions for the wider construction industry.

As well as our environmental impacts, we also measure the social impact our work does. We work hard to transfer our skills and knowledge through training courses and the education programmes we deliver, as well as noting how many community and charity projects we assist and outreach programmes we host.

 

Find out more

Want to find our more about the Cumbria Rebuild Site? Head to www.rebuildsite.co.uk

 

CHP from Siddick Pond Nature Reserve

Workington Paperboard Mill – Biomass combined heat & power

Our Story

Holmen Iggesund’s Workington Mill is an integrated pulp and paperboard mill. The industry is energy intensive and the mill at Workington was reliant on fossil fuels. Holmen Iggesund invested in a biomass combined heat and power plant for the primary purpose of being able to run its paperboard mill on renewable energy.

The Challenges 

The project proved to be a huge commercial and capital undertaking for the site so visiting and bench marking other sites ahead of the investment and construction was essential. The project received support through the Renewable Obligation now shut and although the main Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) scheme has been grandfathered, the availability of some of the “embedded benefits” cannot be taken as guaranteed.

Year-by-year, there is the chance that incentives aimed at encouraging the adoption of a green technology schemes gets adapted at short notice with consequent loss of expected revenues. Keeping track of government policy and incentives is therefore important.

Our Solution 

Overnight the mill switched its energy supply from fossil natural gas to biomass, and thereby reduced its fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions by 190,000 tonnes a year, the equivalent to the annual emissions of over 10,000 homes. As part of a truly circular economy, the biomass fuel is sourced from the UK from sustainably managed forests.  These forestry operations aim to yield the maximum quantity of rectangular planks from the growing trees to supply the sawn timber industry. Whatever is left over, industry co-products – wood shavings, bark and branches – we turn into their paperboard and bio-energy. Nothing goes to waste!

To supplement the biomass from forest residues, we worked with local farmers and landowners to grow and supply energy crops. Local farmers can sell biomass (SRC Willow) to the Workington Mill and we offered support with planting and harvesting.  The paperboard produced at the mill is recyled to complete the circularity model.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

Shed 1 Gin

Shed 1 Distillery: A carbon positive enterprise

Our Story

We launched Shed 1 Distillery in October 2016, creating, distilling, bottling and marketing gin and running gin experiences whilst researching and implementing sustainability initiatives.

Our business is based in a small rented building making it hard to implement energy saving measures such as solar panels or even switching to a greener energy supplier.

The Challenge 

Net zero and all the other terms associated with net zero can be confusing for a micro or small business. Many businesses are put off by the confusing nature of these terms and the perception that they are expensive and time consuming.

In November 2019 we contacted Green Small Business who talked us through our business plan and equipped us with the tools and measures we needed to meet our own sustainability targets via a detailed Environmental Plan.

Our Solution 

Through the guidance of Green Small Business we’ve managed to unlock a number of sustainability-related grants which has enabled us to implement a variety of sustainability initiatives. These have ranged from installing a closed loop cooling system and investing in a cardboard shredder, to making gin jelly marmalade from surplus fresh citrus fruit.

We also offset the journeys made by our botanicals, bottles, deliveries and waste through the climate action platform Ecologi, a monthly subscription service.  The service allows you to input how much travel your employees do and then you can offset their footprint. Each month, trees are planted, plus we are supporting carbon and humanitarian projects.

We also buy trees for every order placed online. This way, we could start making a difference at once rather than pay money for an audit. The Ecologi website is incredibly visual and informative, so you can see exactly what your money is doing. We, and our customers, can regularly check to see how our forest is growing.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

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Dark Skies Cumbria

Our Story

Cumbria has some of the darkest skies in the UK – making it one of the few places in the country where the awe-inspiring Milky Way is still visible. Dark skies not only reveal the phenomenal wonder of the stars but they are also critical for the health of nocturnal wildlife.

Sadly, light pollution in Cumbria is growing year on year. Traditional streetlights are one of the causes of increasing light pollution, along with consuming energy which also contributes to our carbon footprint.

The initiative arose with the aim to reduce light pollution in Cumbria, in collaboration with Cumbria County Council, Friends of the Lake District and Thorn Lighting UK Ltd.

Our Solution 

In partnership with Cumbria County Council, we will be piloting  NightTune LED street lights at five locations in Alston, Warcop, Dent, Glenridding and Ambleside, where lighting was due to be upgraded and/or is situated in a sensitive location. Each site has been selected to cover a diversity of communities and landscape settings, in areas bidding for Dark Skies landscape status nationally – the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales national parks and North Pennines AONB.

The lanterns will emit a blend of white and amber light which can be automatically adjusted to suit the time of night and level of traffic on the road. Visibility for drivers and pedestrians is not affected by the blended light colour. The lanterns deliver light focused at ground level preventing light pollution up into the night sky with no visibility of the LED, reducing any potential for glare.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

Kingmoor solar

Kingmoor Park Solar Farm

Our Story

Kingmoor Park is an Enterprise Zone in Carlisle, home to over 100 businesses. The 400-acre site has over 2 million sqft of industrial, office and warehouse space ranging from 500 sqft to 105,000 sqft, and 175 acres of development land.

The aim was to reduce the park’s reliance on non-renewable energy and ensure a consistent supply of energy as the site grows. Working with a specialist Solar Maintenance Services, an on-site tenant of Kingmoor Park, we developed a solution to install a 4-acre solar farm.

Our Solution 

A 1MW solar array was successfully installed across 4 acres of farmland in February 2020. The solar array supplies 877 kWh of electricity per year, which is the equivalent of up to 20% of Kingmoor Park’s electricity needs, saving up to 250 tonnes of C02 per year and would significantly reduce the need to rely non-renewable sources.

Our future plans include a further 2.5MW of solar which will provide around 3,000,000 kWh of electricity equivalent to 75% of Kingmoor’s electricity needs.

To further increase on-site consumption of the solar energy, we purchased an electric van with further electric vehicles and charge points to be added in the near future.

The data we collected from the first phase of the solar development has been helpful in proving the success of the scheme and in shaping the development of the second phase of the project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

HGH_Logo_CMYK

Home Grown Here

Our Story

Home Grown Here was formed in September 2021 as part of Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership’s ambitious target to make Cumbria Carbon neutral by 2037 and is funded by the National Lottery Climate Change Fund until 2025.

Home Grown Here is a grower owner co-operative of local producers and a singly marketplace for high-quality, Cumbrian-grown fruit and vegetables, both organic and conventionally grown. It allows local growers to trade directly with Cumbria-based wholesalers, retailers, restaurants, hotels, cafes, farm shops, and veg box schemes.

We aim to transform the local food system and supply chain by providing local families and businesses with fresh fruit and vegetables year-round in line with seasonal availability, selling only against orders and thereby reducing waste in the supply chain.

Our goal is to scale-up veg and fruit production across Cumbria to bring benefits for the county’s health and rural economy, reducing reliance on imports and helping to address climate change. Keeping Cumbria’s home-grown produce here in the county reduces food miles, helps us eat seasonally and is brilliant for Cumbria’s carbon footprint.

 

Our Solution

To its growers, Home Grown Here offers a support package of horticultural advice, skills-sharing and networking opportunities, access to investment and grants through working together, an equipment/machinery share scheme, bulk purchasing of seed/plants/soil-testing, access to a seasonal picking team and personalised branding for each farm as part of the generic Home Grown Here brand.

But most importantly, we have created a local route to market for the crops that are being grown. The farmers and growers involved in Home Grown Here are part of it because it diversified their income and increases their financial resiliance through and beyond the Agricultural Transition period 2021-2024 (the shift in UK farming from Government subsidy to stand alone financial viability).

It also augments and enhances other aspects of their day-to-day farming practices (i.e., as part of a rotation) and it contributes to wider environmental goals, such as addressing climate change.

Given the success our grower co-operative model has had across Cheshire, we’ve started thinking about franchising this in other counties or support the set-up of a similar model, aiming to create a vast local produce marketplace.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

Greening Eden Logo

Greening Eden Business

Our Story

 The ambition of Eden District Council is to reach Net Zero by 2030. To reach this objective the sustainability team and the economic development department decided to launch a scheme that will help businesses in Eden to reduce their carbon footprint but also raise awareness on the impact of their activities on the environment.

We contacted CBEN, a local environmental consultancy, to further develop the idea and to establish a working partnership. The early days was mostly setting up procedure, paperwork, and a budget. Once this was tied up, Eden District Council and CBEN launched the Greening Eden Business Project.

The project is a way to engage with local businesses, bring opportunities to them to receive guidance and support, or for businesses to rethink and redevelop their activities in relation with our climate emergency context.

The hope is that businesses will be become more aware of their impact on the environment and will implement change that will benefit their own business, their customers but also the entire region.

 

The Challenge

The project presented several challenges in the early stages of the process, setting up a Grant Panel in particular was tricky and caused a few teething problems given the time it took to set up. Looking back we should of done this at an earlier stage as it would’ve freed up time for other areas of the project.

The size of the panel meant that it was tricky maintaining a clear message of their expectations. This would’ve been alleviated had we taken external guidance from someone with deeper experience. However despite the slight troubles, the project has run relatively smoothly and are currently on track to meet our wider goal of reaching Net Zero by 2030.

 

Our Solution

The project works on a partnership with Eden District Council and CBEN. CBEN undertakes audits for businesses who apply and provide a report of their findings to improve business operations.

Local businesses get in touch with us and then CBEN head out to visit the different sites to estimate their carbon footprint and find solutions to decrease their emissions.

Subsequently, the business can apply for a grant up to £10,000 on a 50% ratio to retrofit or change their operational systems to reduce their carbon footprint. More than 30 businesses have applied to the scheme so far and continues to grow in popularity.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

Picture 1 BCE

Burneside Community Energy & James Cropper PLC Solar PV

Our Story

Burneside Community Energy is an inspiring example of the potential synergy between a large public limited company (the paper mill James Cropper PLC) and the local community in Burneside. Both were brought together by a joint vision to reduce carbon emissions and to secure a sustainable source of income to enable further energy-related projects which benefit residents.

The idea was born following a Parish Plan in 2015 called ‘The Vision’, in which ‘energy’ was a topic of ambitious focus for the village. Three people set up a community benefit society; long term resident and Parish Councillor Tony Hill, Phil Davies, and Mark Cropper who was able to provide his expertise on renewables and connect us to James Cropper PLC.

This allowed us to build a good relationship with the company, and led to them offering a 20-year lease and agreement to buy all of the energy generated by BCE. We have never sought public funding for our solar projects; excellent resources and inspiration has been found through Community Energy England’s website and through its helpful officers.

Whilst the Parish Vision provided the community’s mandate for the initiative, there is far more that we plan to do with and for the community. With over 150 local members, we plan to spread awareness and the benefits of BCE much wider to every household in the community.

 

The Challenge

The key to BCE’s development and success, was done to an agile approach to decision making by the board, the nurturing of a trusted relationship and James Cropper PLC and the willingness of the volunteer board to commit their free time to carry out the necessary project management.

The project was very much like running a business; with nearly £800,000 of members’ investment, it comes with considerable responsibility to it was vital that we had the right people on board with the right intentions. Hiring a part time administrator was certainly helpful and saved us a lot of time throughout the project.

We faced initial teething problems following the initial installation of the The PV system, which tripped on multiple occasions, meaning a lot of time was spent fixing the issues.

 

Our Solution

Not only has the project seen significant carbon savings made, it has also lead to further community cohesion and benefits. Nearly 1MW of solar PV installed over three phases is now saving nearly 300 tonnes of carbon each year.

Surplus income has been used to decarbonise the local primary school, whilst other funds have been used to fun a Bike4Burneside cycling festival. What’s more, BCE is broadening horizons beyond the original solar project, and has further initiatives in the pipeline. Upcoming projects include supporting the village allotment society and to run a thermal imaging and home energy improvement project throughout the community in 2022.

BCE has also carried out research into installing a district heat network throughout the village and more recently it has undertaken a huge project to investigate whether new residential development planned for the village could use community energy to heat and power all of the low carbon homes.

Funding has been greatly received form Electricity North West, the Rural Community Energy Fund and Power to Change. Most recently, a small grant from South Lakeland Council has enabled BCE to run some low-carbon community projects, engaging with residents on cycling and home energy programmes.

 

Find out more?

To find out more about the Burneside Community Energy project, head to www.bce.org.uk

 

Christleton Solar PV

Cheshire West and Chester Leisure Centres Solar PV

Our Story

Chester Community Energy Ltd started life as the energy working party of Transition Chester, the local group campaigning for a transition to a low carbon economy. They gave us a loan of £300 to set up a Community Benefit Society and so we were ready to go!

The founding directors were an environmental economist, a retired engineer and retired architect with a solicitor as company secretary, so we thought we were well qualified but still faced many challenges in the months and years ahead.

We had contacts in the Cheshire West and Chester Council and with a nearby community energy organisation, Low Carbon Lymm, who provided great help by pre-registering our first project for Feed in Tariff. From these discussions we came up with an idea for the first project: a 50kw capacity solar array on the roof of a leisure centre near the centre of Chester.

Having been successful in applying for the development grant aid, we went through the process of getting detailed layouts, tenders, leases, power purchase agreements, a business plan, registering for VAT and issue a share offer; a monumental task which proved to be a huge learning curve for all of us.

The Government Feed in Tariff coupled with selling all of the generated electricity to the leisure centre, contributed to the financial success of the project, and as such, allowed us to follow up with a further two installations as different leisure centres in Chester.

 

The Challenge

Given the nature of the project, and despite having the right minds on board, we faced many challenges along the way, but it was a great learning curve for us none the less.

As mentioned above, the process of putting together the business plan, arranging leases and power purchase agreements, was tough and it took up a lot of time and resources. It’s vital to not underestimate this task.

Funding was a huge determining factor for this project, therefore researching grants that were available to us was paramount to ensure the financial viability of the project. The development grant aid gave us the kickstart funding we needed, and gave invaluable advice on our first share issue. We successfully raised £180,000 and we now have 90 member shareholders, many of whom are active in the organisation.

It’s critical to source a specialist contractor with this type of project. We were fortunate to work with the same company on all three projects, by tender on the first one and by negotiation on the next two. They were great in working around timescales and arrangements with building managers to produce installations with good performance, on time and on budget.

Once the installations have been built, it’s important to establish and effective monitoring system which keeps everyone informed about progress and highlighting issues before they become a problem.

 

Our Solution

While our initial motivation was to play a part in reducing local carbon emissions, we have also now seen the broader benefits of Community Energy. We now have 90 members who have participated in the running of the organisation and setting our priorities for further projects.

To date, 428 Megawatt Hours of electricity has been generated and over 100 tonnes of CO2 emissions have been saved. The installations are monitored by a system that was installed with the solar PV panels, which can be easily accessed and shared online, this allows us to highlight any issues with the performance of the panels.

The Feed in Tariff and sale of electricity provides a predictable income which has allowed us to invest in future projects and to set up a Community Benefit Fund, now £5,000 each year, to help community groups with their own energy saving projects.

We’ve also been able to explore opportunities to work in local schools and fund new projects such as LED lighting in community buildings, and a major community owned solar farm near Chester, with the hope that it forms a model for future collaboration on larger projects.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

EP Industrial

Ellesmere Port Industrial Area

Our Story

The Ellesmere Port Industrial Area is one of the largest industrial employment clusters in the North West region, and one of the most significant clusters users in the country. The area is characterised by international and nationally significant industrial facilities and users, currently contributing to around 5% of the UK’s CO2 emissions.

 

Cheshire West and Chester Council announced a Climate Emergency declaration on 21st May 2019 with a target of 2045, ahead of the UK’s overall commitment to be Net Zero by 2050. Since this declaration the council has engaged with a range of partners to develop its plans and response to the emergency.

 

The project presents a development and infrastructure framework containing a vision, themes and strategic objectives for the Ellesmere Port Area. The shared vision is to form one of the first Net Zero carbon technologies. The project could bring in more than £1.8 billion worth of investment for jobs and the borough’s green economy.

 

Our Solution

We are striving to become one of the UK’s first ‘SuperPlaces’, supporting the UK Government’s ‘Green Industrial Revolution’ that will deliver a network of world leading clean industry, power, and transport companies innovating new solutions to tackle the Climate Emergency. To do this we will look to connect local people to job, skills, and training opportunities in high value, innovative and growing employment sectors. Improving the connections between local people and opportunities through awareness raising was well as sustainable travel connections to the area.

 

We aim to be at the forefront of research, development and implementation of a new generation of industrial processes that helps us respond to the climate emergency, and ultimately become the world’s first Net Zero cluster. This will act as a global example for how a range of low carbon and sustainable technologies can be delivered at an industrial scale.

 

By placing Ellesmere Port on the world stage, the wider region of Cheshire will benefit from a major profile boost whilst safeguarding existing employers, allowing expansion and indigenous growth, and helping to foster a diverse range of job opportunities which will create a sustainable economy and support the Government’s Levelling Up agenda.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

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Winsford Town Council Electric Vehicle

Our Story

In September 2019, Winsford Town Council declared a Climate Emergency and identified a Climate Strategy for the town. This gave the Council a good basis for identifying initiatives and ideas designed to tackle the issue of climate change.

One such initiative identified by members related to the Council’s only vehicle, which is used to transport materials around the town and elsewhere; in getting staff to various places owned and managed by the council; and to assist in the holding of events, such as Remembrance Sunday.

The vehicle was leased, and was due to expire in February 2021. So Councillors asked that – rather than replace the existing diesel vehicle with the same, the Council, recognising its role as a community leader and keen to set a good example to others, looked at an electric replacement.

As a result, extensive work was done in exploring the market to see what options were available and what the climate and financial advantages were for the Town Council.

Following receipt of various quotes from different suppliers – including local suppliers – the Town Council selected Drive Electric as its preferred supplier as they were able to offer a suitable vehicle at an appropriate cost for the Council.

From this point onwards, the process was straightforward and the council was able to take possession of the new electric vehicle in September 2021.

 

The Challenge

As mentioned above, Winsford Town Council recognised the position faced by all areas in terms of climate change and declared a climate emergency in the town. It followed this declaration up by developing a Climate Strategy for Winsford which sets out the areas of focus for the Council’s climate interventions.

In terms of its own operations, the Council recognises that it is a smaller organisation with a limited list of assets. As a result, resources were limited and we looked to external funding options, including from Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Climate Emergency Fund. However, we were unsuccessful.

Despite this, putting an application together was extremely helpful exercise as it allowed the Council to put a business case together to support the move towards an electric vehicle.

It was vital to create a clear strategic position and to make sure we were clear as to why we were making that decision was just as important. Applying for external funding allowed us to form a business case for our plans, and asked us useful questions about how we were going to make our plans work from a financial perspective.

 

Our Solution

Replacing the diesel vehicle with the electric one acted as a ‘quick win’ for the council in helping achieve it’s wider climate ambitions. As a result, the Council noticed it was paying less on fuel bills, thus saving money for the Council, lower emissions and also achieving the same millage as the diesel vehicle.

Once the electric vehicle was obtained, the Council were able to sell the existing diesel vehicle to a third party at a modest profit which was useful in terms of the constant financial challenges faced by all local authorities.

As a result, the Peugeot electric van supplied to us by Drive Electric works excellently for the Council and its staff. They have responded very well to the introduction of the new van and the benefit for the town has been felt in terms of event management and also in terms of park management. As a zero-emission vehicle, we are reducing our own carbon emissions into the town.

This is just one of the steps taken by the Council in relation to tackling climate change. We are currently undertaking a project that will transform the Guildhall, which includes installing heat pumps and extensive insulation of the building to conserve energy use.

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

Blackburne-House2

Procure Plus

Our Story

The creation of Procure Plus Holdings (PP) and a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) was born out of a need for a bespoke, product targeted framework for goods and materials for the emerging retrofit market. This enabled the DPS to embed a social value target.

The Local Authority Delivery Phase 2 (LAD2) was a major £300 million programme to fund home retrofit in England, a partnership with the Local Energy North West Hub (hub) also helped deliver a £52 million regional programme in March 2022.

The project funded energy-saving improvements to the homes of people throughout the North West region, helping tack fuel poverty, deliver cost-effective carbon savings, support clean growth, and ensure homes are thermally comfortable, efficient, and well-adapted to climate change.

The hub supported the creation of Procure Plus, providing a scalable, compliant route to market for authorities across the North West to access goods and services. Procure Plus was able to help the DPS deliver excellent value for money, a managed service, and meaningful and quantifiable social value.

Working with the companies, sub-contractors, and construction related supply chains, Procure Plus identifies entry level job opportunities in the area, then work with the local community to ensure these go to the right people in the right areas.

 

The challenge

Being able to deliver real social value whilst also delivering an excellent procurement and management service is what sets the partnerships apart, and meant the Hub has been able to deliver even more value for local communities, but it didn’t go without its challenges.

Before striking this partnership, we had to make sure that we both understood one another’s requirements and skill set, meaning effective communication was critical initially, and throughout the project. We also had to make sure the partner had the experience and know-how to deliver and manage procurements at this scale and complexity.

The multi-faceted nature of the project and the procurement process meant that a partner must be able to provide an end-to-end solution and support in the delivery and integrating real social value.

Given we were working on a one-year funding cycle, it presented a challenge for the programme to provide sufficient funding for a typical apprenticeship, which lasted two years in length.

 

Our solution

Procure Plus’s model enabled short courses to be offered to individuals within the community, moving people swiftly into employment. Typically for this programme, training included carbon literacy, working at heights, asbestos awareness and health and safety certificates.

Support is offered throughout the first six months of employment, identifying opportunities for candidates to undertake further training and gain trade-based qualifications. to develop careers within construction. Procure Plus seeks to work with those organisations who support people from many backgrounds including; the long term unemployed; ex-offenders; BAME; NEET young people; disabled people; over 50’s; people with a history of homelessness; and, people leaving the care system.

One of our proudest stories is 19 year old Declan who, since he was 11, has been in and out of care. Having attended a community programme as part of the partnership between Procure Plus and the Hub, Declan was able to gain his CSCS Green Card, Health and Safety level 1, and Environmental Ambassador Accreditation.

This gave him an opportunity to apply for a job with a local business completing retrofit works on residential properties locally. Fast forward to now, and Declan has remained in employment and has been offered funding for further training and qualifications from his employer, as well as moving out of temporary accommodation and start a new life!

In total, the project has enabled 30 people to find employment, 44 trained in retrofit jobs, and also create a housing retrofit supply chain and carbon literacy across the Liverpool City Region.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

Tony Grimshaw OBE Upcycled Range

What More UK’s Circular Economy Success

Our Story

The journey to reduce our carbon and environmental impact started when we began recycling 100% post-industrial plastic and products that didn’t meet QC standards. Transferring out waste to a recycling centre, it is processed (along with material from other companies) to create our Wham Barn material, which we then mould to manufacture boxes. By repeating this process, we realised the true potential value in our waste.

Our initiative to manufacture and introduce upcycled products to our range started in early 2018. Following a ban on importing plastic from China, the UK had a void in terms of a sustainable solution to single-use plastic waste, with most either being sent to landfill or the incinerator. Responding to this change in policy, we worked directly with recyclers and material scientists to trial and develop a process which was commercially viable.

Using more upcycled and recycled materials has allowed us to offer an ever-expanding range of products to our customers that have a much lower carbon and environmental impact. With the help of our suppliers and team we can continue to expand our production and contribute towards a circular plastics economy with a smaller carbon footprint.

 

The Challenge

Engaging with local communities and business groups was paramount to the projects success. This gave us a valuable insight into what works, what people want and how we could achieve our goals. Moreover, it helped spread a positive message and gained traction and support for our project by engaging with local groups. There is often a misconception among communities about plastic so it was important for us to educate people on this, and it proved to be a successful way of mobilising support for our wide range of upcycled and recycled products.

Many people simply didn’t understand the difference between our plastic and a throwaway plastic bottle. By engaging people on the difference between the lifecycles of the two groups of plastics, we have gained enormous traction which is partly demonstrated by our huge increase in production of recycled and upcycled products.

Research is another key thing to consider with a project like this; specifically what’s been done before, what’s been unsuccessful, and what hasn’t been tried before helped direct our project. Once our concept was nailed down, finding the best people for the job to refine and streamline the process was key and helped achieve the best result for our products.

By understanding the true extent of the problem we were aiming to address, it helped us find the best solution. We measured every parameter possible, and enabled us to gain a better pictured of the issue we were tackling. In our case it was measuring scrap output, supply of external recyclables, GHG emissions, production capacity of recyclers, and our own manufacturing processes.

 

Our Solution

The need to develop this project was twofold. Firstly, we wanted to innovate by transforming what others consider waste into valuable products, contributing towards the circular economy and putting less pressure on limited resources. Every tonne of up/recycled material we process into durable, long lasting boxes is a tonne of plastic not dumped on a landfill site or incinerated.

We estimate that the CO2 emissions from producing up/recycled material are between 6 – 7.5 times less than virgin material – which is a huge positive. By using these materials, we effectively eliminate 63% of the CO2 emissions related to the entire plastic value chain – from the initial production phase of plastic. Secondly we understand the growing concern around sustainability and we felt it was our responsibility as a plastics manufacturer to provide our customers a solution made out of the problem.

In total, we reckon that 4,068 tonnes of CO2 in the global plastic value chain could be offset by using recycled material. We are proud that our range or products has now expanded to over 100 products. With help from our suppliers and our team, we can continue to expand our production and contribute towards a circular plastics economy with a smaller carbon footprint.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

Carbon-Literacy-2

Climate & Carbon Literacy Training Programme

Our Story

The Climate Literacy Training Programme was created to help provide a clear understanding of climate science, and the measures we can take as a business, individual, or a community, to help raise awareness of our impact on the climate and help reduce the carbon we emit.

It gives people the tools and knowledge to make informed decisions in the future and the ability to pass on that knowledge to other people. It is a fully accredited training course that takes people through the science of climate change, what’s caused it, how it’s impacted societies, and what we can do about it. It covers the local picture in cumbria as well as the global and national state of affairs.

We have created bespoke courses that can be accessed by anyone, regardless of age or background, and we can help support delivering decarbonisation plans of organisations and communities. We have teamed up with expert training providers from Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAFs) who run the training programme, and provide their decades worth of practical emission-reduction expertise, in-depth knowledge of local activity and best practice, as well as significant training experience.

The Challenge

This project was started in response to huge demand from individuals and organisations for interactive, empowering training that taught knowledge. People who take part in this programme are taught the ability to express and apply that knowledge and the ability to weigh up and make decisions about carbon impact in any situation that life throws up, at home, at work, or in the community.

Initially we had to think about what we were aiming to achieve. Whether we were aiming to just teach knowledge, or also the ability to articulate that knowledge. We had to consider the learning styles and what would be most effective, especially given that we would be teaching a wide range of age groups with various skill sets.

Hence we wanted to involve our audience in the design of the programme and in the development of the materials, whilst also staying true to the key messages we wanted to convey. Another challenge was the marketing and admin of the project, without which, it would struggle to get off the ground. It was important to factor this into the budget, given the significant amount of time and resources required to ensure we were targeting the right amount of people.

Our Solution

The training programme consisted of a mix of taught content, videos, breakout discussions and interactive exercises, some of which are reflective, others of which are quick-fire, fast-paced Q&A. Our specialist training providers are very experience in working with groups of mixed knowledge levels and we used a real mixture of delivery to ensure all learning styles were engaged.

The programme presents a clear framework for understanding the climate crisis, how soon we need to act, the scale of the action, and the individuals’ part within the bigger picture. It gives people the ability to develop their own action plans, and to develop their own training sesisons for others; passing on knowledge and awareness is key in this fight against climate change, and the training programme plants the seed for climate awareness.

The project has enjoyed considerable early success, having recruited 20 volunteers from across Cumbria, to run climate training and activities in their communities. These volunteers were given the confidence to communicate about climate change among their own networks, allowing them to help others in their communities to play their part in the journey to Net Zero in Cumbria.

Want to find out more?

For more information about the Carbon Literacy Training programme head to
https://cafs.org.uk/our-projects/community-climate-training/

Socials

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cumbria-action-for-sustainability/
Facebook: @CAfSonline
Twitter: @CAfStweets

Project Cranium 1

Project Cranium – More Profit, Less Carbon

Our Story

Project Cranium is IoT Horizon’s smart building platform that offers real-time monitoring and automation of air quality, electricity, heating and lighting that will make buildings smarter, greener, and more cost-efficient. IoT Horizon are a leading Internet of Things (IoT) specialist based in the North West and are uniquely placed to deliver IoT solutions for commercial and industrial businesses by helping companies break down technology barriers to improve existing operations, reduce energy consumption and exploit new lines of revenue.

To meet climate change targets by 2050 every building will need to hit the Net Zero energy-use reduction goal. Doing so will go a long way in reducing the commercial and industrial carbon footprint, with the built environment contributing 40% of the worlds energy usage.

To combat this we have developed a sensor that provides useful metrics to businesses that allows them to make more informed decisions on people and buildings. This data can identify where improvements need to be made to meet Net Zero targets, whilst also reducing running costs and saving money on their energy bills.

The Challenge

A huge challenge for all IoT projects is turning the concept into reality. 30% of projects fail due to the bottom-line benefits being unclear against the implementation costs, as well as elongated timescales and business reluctant to write off what’s already been invested. And for those who have been unsuccessful, there is a natural reluctance to go again, despite favourable benefits.

To encourage and accelerate the successful adoption of our IoT, we developed a four-stage process to “MPWR” our clients. This process learns and builds on the previous experience and knowledge, allowing rapid ideation through executive and onto rollout and adoption.

Our clients are then given the opportunity to assess progress, costs, and benefits to decided whether they want to continue or not. It’s really important to initially figure out whether the idea or product is commercially viable. Identify what the benefit is to a business, whether it’s cost savings, productivity improvements, or a reduction in carbon. Then you need to make sure you have people within your business that can effectively communicate the benefits of the tech to potential
clients.

Our Solution

We provide a solution to track and regulate environments to reduce energy consumption whilst maintaining a health indoor environment for occupants. There is a growing awareness that the quality of the air we breath has a significant impact on health, wellbeing and productivity. We are estimated to spend 90% of our time indoors with air quality that is 5 times more polluted than outdoor air.

Our sensors allow businesses to not only shave off their carbon emissions, but provides opportunities to reduce operating costs and overheads by identifying patterns in a business and automates building systems to make smarter decisions.

The sensors also regulate temperatures and Co2 levels, allowing for improvements in productivity. Commercial buildings on average waste around 30% of their energy. The data as a whole can make huge financial and energy savings. We predict that 1.5 tonnes of Co2 can be saved per building per year if they adopt our IoT. We provided our services with a local council to measure 200 storage heaters, and after analysing the data, we were able to save the council £10,000 per year.

Want to find out more?

If you want to find out more information about Horizon IoT follow the link below:
https://iothorizon.com/

Recycleit-PIC-2

Recycleit Sustainability Project

Our Story

Our sustainability project started at the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic when we recognised a real struggle for key workers to access I.T equipment at affordable prices. This was essential in many cases to ensure both children and adults were able to access I.T; to essentially keep their business trading, teach their children, or in a lot of cases look for jobs.

Having found that none of this was being done in the region, we engaged with local organisations and sought partnerships with companies that fitted our company ethos towards a circular economy.

In 2021 we donated over 25K of equipment at the heigh of the Covid Pandemic across numerous different organisations across Lancashire. The Our project enabled us to offer and support to the local community and has led us pledge to plant one tree for every tonne of e-waste we collect through our clients, teaming up with organisations we’ve formed partnerships on our journey.

The Challenge

The biggest challenged we faced across the project was looking at how we could make it affordable, whilst ensuring we delivered on what we set out to do. Not only did we have to look at the financial aspects but also break down our reports to ensure we could deliver a project that the community and locals could get on board with.

Carrying out more research on trees was something when we look back on, we should’ve done. What they cost, how many different species there are, when is the optimal-tree planting season, and what different environmental benefits there are depending on the choice of species are all factors that would’ve helped us tremendously in the tree planting initiative.

Looking into the investment that’s needed to make the project sustainable and how to market our product was also something we had to think about initially and was hugely important towards our success.

Our Solution

RecyleIt are fully-committed to establishing a sustainable circular economy for IT, focussing on Reusing and Refurbishing redundant IT equipment instead of sending it to landfill. We work strategically across the UK; where we offer rebates on unwanted kit, offer free kit collections which contributes to the economic success of our clients, as well as helping them achieve their sustainability targets. By using the same dedicated teams to populate new devices to desk, we also remove all redundant devices minimising risk, resources, and carbon emissions.

We have teamed up with Lancashire based Crow Wood Leisure in which we will contribute towards the woodland planting 1000’s of trees over the next 10 years.

Our project has also seen us partner with the Ribble Rivers trust in which we will contribute towards. We have also established partnerships with major football clubs such as Burnley and Accrington Stanley, offering laptop and desktop donations, as well as the Healthier Heroes and Pendleside Hospice which allows under privileged children and adults to access I.T.

In 2021 alone we collected over 200,000kg in e-waste, collecting over 20,000 devices and saving over 17,000 from landfill to reuses them. It means we’ve reused over 87% of units all with 0% landfill, and have seen us plant one tree for every ton of e-waste we collect at our partner sites.

Want to find out more?

To find out more about Reclycleit, follow the link below:
https://www.recycleit.co.uk/news/recycleit-donate-tablets-to-deserving-winners-of-burnley-football-clubs-community-champion-award/

Stunning wildflower meadows sown by local children have transformed derelict land in Liverpool City Region - bringing colour and nature to urban communities.The ten sites - now in full bloom - were created by the Head North for Beauty project with a £49,000 grant from the £500,000 Liverpool City Region Community Environment Fund, established by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram. Picture Jason Roberts

Liverpool City Region: Community Environment Fund

 

Our Story

We know that the most vulnerable in our society have been the most negatively affected by the COVID pandemic. They are also the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate and ecological breakdown and are often those who are least likely to have contributed to the human causes of the emergency.

Too many do not have access to green space, cheap healthy food and live in areas with air quality problems. As a result, in 2020, we set up the Community Environment Fund which aimed to support communities to engage in a range of economic activities, as well as encouraging long-term behavioural change, improving the environment in the LCR, and aid a green recovery by assisting organisations to expand their good work.

The idea was born from the success of The Year of the Environment in 2019, with the Metro Mayor pledging £500k for community environment projects which kickstarted the momentum for the project. This fund was emphasised during the COVID pandemic, with many people appreciating natural spaces and renewing their sense of community.

These funded projects will form part of a wider ambition from the LCR Combined Authority to enact plans to become net zero by 2040, by improving green spaces, reducing air pollution, and improve the health and wellbeing of the people in the LCR.

 

The Challenge

Before starting, we knew it was important to seek guidance from fellow organisations who’ve ran successful environmental funds in the past. As such, we had conversations with Mersey Forest, Mersey Recycling, and the Waste Authority who gave us invaluable advice. We also looked at fund guidance documents for best practice and for a little inspiration.

During the application process, we received many questions from potential groups, so we then held 3 ‘Meet the Funder’ events. Despite a good attendance, the challenge we found was that there was a low level of applications from 3 of our 6 districts, which led to a low number of funded projects in those areas.

Given the vast scale of community initiatives already out there, we focused the funding through two ‘streams’ initially. £20-£50k for projects in two or more districts, and £5k-£20k for larges projects in a single district. We then introduced a third stream for smaller place-based projects of £300-£1.5k. The streams were useful to score similar groups of projects together, but in some instances caused confusion as to what stream some groups could apply for, which caused problems during the scoring process. We are considering removing the streams to not limit the amount each group could apply for.

 

Our Solution

 In total, 58 projects across the region were funded through the £500k across the following 9 themes: Climate change and resilience; Air quality and transport; Water; Accessible green spaces, habitats and biodiversity; Waste and resources; Health and wellbeing; Carbon and environmental literacy; Energy reduction; and Food and agriculture.

Some of the projects include Head North for Beauty, Pollinators and Carbon Capture; 10 lush wild flowering meadows based in deprived communities in the LCR. Carbon Literate Communities was a carbon literacy training programme for local community groups, which supported them to turn their communities into local carbon action groups.

Restore St Helens focused on upcycling furniture in deprived areas, reducing the number of items ending up in landfill and supporting individuals. We also helped fund the green and blue corridor improvements for the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in Kirkdale, as well as helping Cycle of Life provide cycling training and equipment provision for all ages to encourage a change of behaviour when it comes to transport. S.O.B Save Our Bees was a local bee garden which helped educate the local community on the importance of bees and the vital role they play in our planet’s ecology.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

Welsh Streets L8

Liverpool City Region: Green Homes Grant Retrofit

 

Our Story

The impact that housing has on the Climate Emergency through emissions from our homes is both a priority for the LCR, and as a nation. On average, the city region’s housing stock contributes 30% of our total carbon emissions. Coupled with the fact that 14% of the region is in fuel poverty, the need for a fair and greener future has never been higher.

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is committed to addressing long-standing fuel poverty challenges and ensuring homes are warm and healthy, as well as supporting ambitions towards a Net Zero carbon city region. Working with the Local Energy North West Bug, the Local Authority Delivery Scheme has already made a start, targeting retrofit measures in the city region’s most deprived neighbourhoods.

However we still have a lot of work to do; we estimate that around 65% of our homes are EPC Band D or worse, and as a third of our emissions come from our homes, energy efficiency improvements and the decarbonisation of our housing stock are essential aspects in mitigating the impacts of climate change.

We believe that addressing challenges in neighbourhoods where energy efficiency isn’t up to standard, we can then tackle the pressing issues of fuel poverty, deprivation, and poor health.

 

The Challenge

As the scheme targets those in our most deprived neighbourhoods, it was important to make sure this scheme was in the right hands at every stage. We worked via the Local Energy North West Hub and with Prodcure Plus – an organisation specialising in construction frameworks – to establish a framework of assessors and installers to meet our LAD2 and future retrofit needs.

This allowed us to make sure we procured the correct delivery partner, and led to appointing Next Energy to lead the generation and design on properties and to carry out the assessment and installation. Equally, we knew it was vital to engage with local authorities to ensure the success of these schemes. Effective communication about the properties and needs of local authorities’ residents allowed funding to be allocated most effectively.

By speaking with the local authorities and identifying properties most suitable for retrofit, it allowed us to identify the fastest route to ensuring that the funding made a transformative impact on the energy efficiency of the homes.

Without working in this collaborative way, we wouldn’t of been able to deliver the project at pace and up to the required standards for the funding, and most importantly, our residents.

 

Our Solution

 Our aim to is reach our target of 1,120 homes retrofitted across the LCR through the £11.38 million investment, and to improve the energy efficiency of as many of these homes as possible up to an EPC Banc C or above. This is done through a fabric first approach, such as insulation, homes in EPC bands D-G can be helped to Band C, with work done to ensure future measures can be implemented easily.

Our collaborative approach to the project has allowed us to establish effective lines of communication with funding and supply partners, and put us in good stead for future funding bids.

As a result, we were selected to lead on the North West’s Green Home Grant Local Authority Programme and will receive £52 million to neighbouring local authorities across the North West to improve the energy performance of 7,000 homes. The £52 million will be split across the five North West regions, based on population, fuel poverty and the energy performance of their housing stock.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

At Home

Liverpool City Region: Net Zero Public Engagement

 

Our Story

The Liverpool City Region (LCR) Combined Authority (CA) has a target to reach Net Zero carbon emissions across the region by 2040. As the LCR changes to a low carbon future, we wanted to gain an insight into how these changes may impact the lives of the public living in, working in, and visiting the LCR over the next 19 years, by testing our visions.

The general public were engaged during the summer of 2021 using an online engagement website and workshops. In addition, young people, aged 16 and under, were engaged using a specially designed survey and workshops.

It was a very useful event to gage local opinion and what areas we should focus on. It also allowed us to understand the worries or concerns people have, helping us understand where there may be difficulties bringing people on the journey to Net Zero and where we may need to look into solutions to support those within the LCR to reduce their carbon emissions.

 

The Challenge

This was a huge research and engagement project. A number of teams across the LCRCA worked together to plan, develop, and communicate the findings. We also worked with a number of community suppliers including Maximum Edge, Firestarters, and Cycle for Life, to engage with young people and find those hard to reach groups.

It was important for us to not lead thoughts or answers, and to communicate that all opinions were valid. Allowing for open responses and undertaking workshops, whilst time consuming for analysis, it was insightful and interesting, raising points that we may never have heard.

We knew that it was important to design different material to engage different audiences, therefore we teamed up with Wirral Youth Voice who gave us some great help in making sure the workshops were engaging and understandable to that age of audience.

It’s also important to consider making upfront decisions as to what data you may want to cut out bt looking at certain attributes and to make sure the correct platform is selected for data collection. We used a third-party website for the main survey, however, as they do not share the protected characteristic linked to the data, we were not able to analyse the results to identify any issues that affect some groups more than others.

 

Our Solution

 In total we have 1,217 responses across four themes, Home, Neighbourhoods, Transport and Travel, and In the Workplace. 29% of responses were from young people.

From the surveys, 7 in 10 people agreed we need to reduce carbon emissions. 88% of those in the youth workshops felt we should follow the data to make the biggest changes in the fastest amount of time, and just over 2 in 3 of those in the general population workshops think the same.

However, despite a high agreement of people thinking action is needed, only 46% of all respondents asked felt they have good or very good knowledge about the actions needed to reduce carbon emissions. Additionally, apart from the visions around homes, rates of positivity regarding the visions put forward are low.

The feedback also raised some interesting concerns that we hadn’t initially thought of. There was a sizable amount of people that were concerned about the cost of the changes and the potential impact on prices of items and a worry that the changes will put up new barriers for people and businesses’ behaviours. There was also concern around the idea of a ‘one size fits all approach’ may not be the best way forward.

Whether positive or negative, the event was a huge success given the numbers of responses we received, and a reasonably high hit rate of under-16 engagement. The data will be invaluable for the LCRCA as we move towards a Net Zero world, and will provide the basis on how we can deliver that.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

EH2A

Energy House 2:0: Decarbonising Future Homes

 

Our Story

The built environment in the EU is responsible for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of Greenhouse Gas emissions. The Energy House 2:0 project is a facility that will help bring innovative products that tackle decarbonisation of our homes to market quicker and at lower cost.

The journey started in 2010, when the University of Salford developed the original Salford Energy House. The laboratory facility contained a Victorian House in a climate-controlled chamber and provided a new way to understand how products in our homes performed.

The approach allowed innovative companies to understand how their products performed quicker and at lower cost than had previously been possible. By controlling the conditions of the house, it allowed the team to conduct repeatable experiments, providing detailed data at the whole-house level. The facility was designed to address the essential UK retrofit challenge.

Then in late 2015, Professor Will Swan and Dr Richard Fitton, who lead the original Energy House lab at the University of Salford, developed the Energy House 2:0 concept. This new facility aimed to address the global issue of decarbonising homes.

 

The Challenge

Our original facility the Salford Energy House was a high risk venture in 2010. However we discovered it addressed a major gap in helping businesses and other stakeholders quickly understand how innovations could be applied by allowing us to conduct repeatable experiments. We took the lessons from Salford Energy House and looked at how they might be applied to the global problem.

It was important that we worked closely with business, other research institutes and Greater Manchester Combined Authority to help refine the concept. We kept an open dialogue with interested parties and build a strong community around the idea. We didn’t have a clear idea of the funding pot by we had a well established concept and stakeholder engagement when the funding opportunity arose.

It was a big project that carried a lot of risk and required good communication. Strong project management was vital to ensure effective engagement with funders and match funding partners. It was important that we recognised the risks, address the detail and communication. A project of this size took a lot of time and required patience to build confidence and a coalition around the project.

It was an ambitious and exciting project, so managing and exploiting the excitement that goes with that was crucial. The important things is for the project to be sustainable and drive benefit for the UK. This can only be achieved if people are aware of the capabilities and opportunities a project like this presents.

 

Our Solution

The Energy House 2:0 goes one step further than the original concept. It allows for a much wider range of temperatures and conditions to be tested (covering 95% o the populated globe), as well as provide the ability to build any type of domestic or small commercial property within the chamber, rather than a single property typical of the UK. The project proposal was submitted for European Regional Development Agency funding in 2017 and was funded in 2018.

Working with partners Bowmer and Kirkland, AECOM and NG Bailey, the team at Salford developed the £16 million project, which was completed in early 2022. The site will provide an international focus for improving the performance of the domestic and small commercial buildings. It will show the UK taking leadership in not only driving down CO2 emissions, but also supporting rapid innovation in the sector

Last year the team worked with four consortia of businesses which demonstrated innovation in the field of domestic energy, pushing the boundaries with the aim of decarbonising property. The work explored new materials, new ways of building, new types of heating systems and controls, and the integration of smart technology, all within a controlled environment. This approach will allow the University of Salford and innovative businesses to understand how these products and systems come together to create our homes of the future and understand their real-world performance.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

ERLQ-C_01_001

Wise Energy – Improving Energy Efficiency Across The North West

 

Our Story

At Wise Energy we have been installing energy efficiency upgrades across Lancashire since 2015, with a particular focus on alleviating fuel poverty. Having installed over 20,000 energy efficiency measures, and assisted with funding for thousands more, we have developed a broad expertise in domestic energy efficiency.

Our ‘fabric first approach’ aims to reduce energy bills and carbon emissions in people’s homes in the most cost effective manner. Aiming to improve the insulation of people’s homes before any heating upgrades, to ensure that maximum benefit from any new heating system can be obtained.

 

The Challenge

In our work we always complete a thorough whole-house assessment before recommending energy efficiency upgrades to ensure the most cost-effective long-term improvements can be made first, and within budget.

We start with the insulation when trying to reduce energy bills. It is usually the cheapest way to make rapid and significant reductions in fuel bills and emissions. One of the biggest things we have to consider is insulation. As levels of insulation improves, it is critical that the inside of the house is allowed to breath.

To ensure we always consider the entire property’s needs, our assessments account for adequacy of ventilation and include recommendations to improving ventilation where necessary. With the property sufficiently insulated, we aim to install a renewable heat source, where possible, within the constraints of the budget and the properties of the house.

 

Our Solution

Since 2015, we have installed over 20,000 energy efficient measures to homes across the North West, whilst also assisting several thousand more in accessing grants and funding. In total, stopping 502,000 tonnes of CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere.

Along with our insulation work, we have been accredited to install Air Source Heat Pumps since 2017. As an experienced installer of loft, cavity, and internal wall insulation as well as renewable heating systems, we are uniquely placed to offer a one-stop shop for the ‘whole house’ solution.

The experience and knowledge we’ve gained over the years in building fabric gives us invaluable insight in understanding accurate design for Air Source Heat Pumps. We have already installed heat pumps in all manner of homes from semi-detached, large detached, and terraced homes, showing that nearly all homes can have a suitable renewable heating solution with the right design and a tailored approach.

Looking ahead to the future, Air Source Heat Pumps will form the backbone of British domestic heat generation as we move to reduce carbon emissions and end our dependence on fossil fuels. We will shortly be offering solar PV, EV Charging and Battery systems to offer a full microgeneration and renewable heating solution

 

Want to find out more?

To find out more about Wise Energy, follow the link below:

https://www.wise-energy.com/

Concretene1

Graphene Concrete: Making Building Greener and Cheaper

 

Our Story

The journey to reduce our carbon and environmental impact started when we began recycling 100% post-industrial plastic and products that didn’t meet QC standards. Transferring out waste to a recycling centre, it is processed (along with material from other companies) to create our Wham Barn material, which we then mould to manufacture boxes. By repeating this process, we realised the true potential value in our waste.

Our initiative to manufacture and introduce upcycled products to our range started in early 2018. Following a ban on importing plastic from China, the UK had a void in terms of a sustainable solution to single-use plastic waste, with most either being sent to landfill or the incinerator. Responding to this change in policy, we worked directly with recyclers and material scientists to trial and develop a process which was commercially viable.

Using more upcycled and recycled materials has allowed us to offer an ever-expanding range of products to our customers that have a much lower carbon and environmental impact. With the help of our suppliers and team we can continue to expand our production and contribute towards a circular plastics economy with a smaller carbon footprint.

 

The Challenge

Engaging with local communities and business groups was paramount to the projects success. This gave us a valuable insight into what works, what people want and how we could achieve our goals. Moreover, it helped spread a positive message and gained traction and support for our project by engaging with local groups. There is often a misconception among communities about plastic so it was important for us to educate people on this, and it proved to be a successful way of mobilising support for our wide range of upcycled and recycled products.

Many people simply didn’t understand the difference between our plastic and a throwaway plastic bottle. By engaging people on the difference between the lifecycles of the two groups of plastics, we have gained enormous traction which is partly demonstrated by our huge increase in production of recycled and upcycled products.

Research is another key thing to consider with a project like this; specifically what’s been done before, what’s been unsuccessful, and what hasn’t been tried before helped direct our project. Once our concept was nailed down, finding the best people for the job to refine and streamline the process was key and helped achieve the best result for our products.

By understanding the true extent of the problem we were aiming to address, it helped us find the best solution. We measured every parameter possible, and enabled us to gain a better pictured of the issue we were tackling. In our case it was measuring scrap output, supply of external recyclables, GHG emissions, production capacity of recyclers, and our own manufacturing processes.

 

Our Solution

The need to develop this project was twofold. Firstly, we wanted to innovate by transforming what others consider waste into valuable products, contributing towards the circular economy and putting less pressure on limited resources. Every tonne of up/recycled material we process into durable, long lasting boxes is a tonne of plastic not dumped on a landfill site or incinerated.

We estimate that the CO2 emissions from producing up/recycled material are between 6 – 7.5 times less than virgin material – which is a huge positive. By using these materials, we effectively eliminate 63% of the CO2 emissions related to the entire plastic value chain – from the initial production phase of plastic. Secondly we understand the growing concern around sustainability and we felt it was our responsibility as a plastics manufacturer to provide our customers a solution made out of the problem.

In total, we reckon that 4,068 tonnes of CO2 in the global plastic value chain could be offset by using recycled material. We are proud that our range or products has now expanded to over 100 products. With help from our suppliers and our team, we can continue to expand our production and contribute towards a circular plastics economy with a smaller carbon footprint.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

view-from-Whalley-footpath

Whalley Community Hydro

 

Our Story

The initial idea for the Whalley Community Hydro plant was born out of a single idea and a group of enthusiasts to drive it forward. The Transition Towns movement back in 2008 was the idea of developing a smooth transition to a more sustainable, low carbon future. Specifically, reducing our carbon emissions and producing renewable energy. These enthusiasts were a varied group of retired men, with different background in skills, but shared a concern for the environment and future generations.

They identified the Whalley Weir as an ideal site for the project, given its established water pipe network and it’s ability to power an Archimedean screw turbine that produces up to 100kW of electric power.

Given the concept was still in it’s infancy, the project needed £750,000 to get it off the ground and drive it forward, this came from just over 300 incredibly generous people, most of whom came from East Lancashire. this gave us the final push to get the project over the line and we were able to see our initial idea from 2008 come to fruition five years later.

We now have a fully sustainably powered 100kW hydro installation at Whalley Weir, providing water to an area of 315 sq km’s of built up and rural areas, donating a fifth of the income it receives for Community Benefit to fund further carbon reduction and renewable energy schemes.

 

The Challenge

A project team with a range of skills, enthusiasm, and stamina was crucial in being able to engage with commercial firms, local authorities, and statutory bodies, like the Environment Agency. Effective management of our team allowed us to effectively develop the business plan, as well applying for grant applications and keeping track of finances.

In the project’s infancy, we visited a lot of other schemes who were often frank about where they went wrong and what they would do differently. We knew that to get our planning application granted, extensive research into river flows and effective lobbying was required, and took a considerable amount of time and resources to ensure the application was successful.

A low lead hydro generation scheme involves regular electrical and mechanical servicing of the plant, requiring constant attention to keep debris screens clear. This presented a big challenge for us given the size of our plant and would recommend mechanical means be considered for inclusion at the design stage; retrofitting can be problematic and expensive.

We were lucky in the fact that we benefit from a good level of feed-in tariff (FIT). Each hydro scheme is in a unique river location and there are high civil mechanical and electrical engineering costs. A steep reduction in FIT has been near fatal for the sector, with new projects unlikely to be financially viable unless the electricity generated can be used on site rather than sold off to the grid.

 

Our Solution

The large catchment area of the river Calder includes access to a large area of land so the river often brings with it quantities of vegetation and urban detritus, especially in Autumn and Winter when we hope for peak output. This allows to quickly block the screen and reduce power, so the plant remains at near optimal output by a seven-strong team of volunteers who crucially attend the plant when required. By giving up their time, they help minimalise operating costs.

The river also benefits from a ‘high base flow’, which ensures a dependable supply of water and thus a good level of output from the plant. The electricity generated is the fed into the nation grid and sold off to a company that buys 100% renewable energy. We also benefit from the Government’s Feed-in Tariff, further supporting income.

In 2020, we established a Community Benefit Fund to support local sustainable development and carbon saving projects that tackle climate change, promote energy efficiency and reduce fuel poverty. This is funded through revenue from the sale of electricity generated from the plant, which has always focused on being a Community Benefit Society. In the first five years, the fund has distributed over £75,000 to around 13 carbon saving schemes.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

Lancaster Alliance 21

Salt Ayre Leisure Centre Decarbonisation Project

 

Our Story

Salt Ayre Leisure Centre is Lancaster City Council’s single largest CO2 emitter, producing 35% of the council’s natural gas emissions.

Following the third largest grant from BEIS under the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) of £6.8 million, we were about to completely decarbonise the centre through a set of innovate solutions to a highly complex and time-pressured issue. This was done by bringing together internal and external stakeholders who delivered a comprehensive and dynamic delivery plan.

The funding success and the pace at which officers have worked to deliver the project has demonstrated the agility at which local authorities can work and has been an impressive achievement considering the constraints associated with such a complex scheme, all of which was completed during the Coronavirus pandemic.

 

The Challenge

The initial challenge for us was understanding the current position of the centre. Officers spent several months gathering data from multiple sources to create a comprehensive CO2 dashboard in order to take a targeted, prioritised approach to decarbonisation.

Once data was gathered and we fully understood the position we were in, it was then about prioritising resources and effort on the largest emitters, and then organising to review and deliver practical solutions.

This is what placed us in a good position for funding opportunities, especially given the tight timescales. If it wasn’t for the  the proactive and early work that provided us with an opportunity to bid for Phase 1 Public Sector Decarbonisation funding, then this whole project wouldn’t have been as successful as it has been.

Another hurdle for us was constructing on a landfill site. Whilst they lend themselves to solar generation, little else can be done with them. It was important that we extensively engaged with our stakeholders, and working with a Local Distribution Network was critical. Having engaged with grid consultants it helped smooth the process and ultimately lead to the success of the project.

 

Our Solution

Given the site was ranked as the council’s top 10 CO2 emitting properties, we identified and developed two major solutions. One was to replace the old gas heating systems with air sourced heat pumps, with the second to improve thermal efficiency around the building, ensuring the heat stays inside for longer. The heat pumps were connected to a 1.3MWp solar array on an adjacent landfill site, with additional LED lighting installed around the grounds of the site.

As a result, the project will save 642 tonnes of CO2 emissions, the equivalent of heating 600 homes. The solar array reduces the centre’s reliance on the grid by up to 30%, and when combined with the councils’ negotiated REGO-backed electricity tariff from April 2021, the centre will become carbon neutral when it was completed.

The success of the project comes down to incredible collaboration with industry experts and consultants, as well as creative thinking from officers to deliver a comprehensive decarbonisation project within tight-timescales and major external challenges.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

1. Design team

Lune Valley Community Land Trust

 

Our Story

Charles Ainger and a small group of local people were inspired to set up the Lune Valley Community Land Trust (LVCLT) as a community benefit society in early 2018, after seeing that three local commercial developments were only providing affordable homes that were too few, too small and too expensive to heat, leading to fuel poverty.

The aim was to create affordable, sustainable homes, prioritised for local people. They are currently developing 20 affordable Passivhaus homes, in partnership with South Lakes Housing and supported by Lancaster City Council on a site in Halton and will comprise of a mix of shared ownership and affordable rent properties, built to a quality standard offering modern, energy efficient tech and access to EV charging points.

Community involvement has been at the heart of our project; having taken a key role in the development and building of the project, they also continued this engagement online through a web-based public consultation. This grassroots approach has led the scheme being well supported by the local community and it showed with no objections against our planning permission.

 

The Challenge

Our confidence in the project drew partly on our trustees’ experience in developing Lancaster Cohousing, another Passivhaus scheme in the area. Having been inspired by Kenswick Community Housing Trust, we connected with a local community-led housing advisor and received early funding from the CLT Network and Coop UK to help with building. A series of local public meetings and a local needs survey, we were in a strong position to represent the needs and aspirations of the local community.

We knew that a preferable site close to us was needed to help visualise its potential. After striking a partnership with South Lakes Housing, we then had great resources and man power to manage design, construction and long term occupation, but also to provide them with ‘ownership’ through a 150 year lease, to access their lower cost loan funding of construction cost with the HA’s size and larger asset base could provide.

After being granted funding from the council’s Community Housing Fund, we then was able to tap into the HA’s established experience and contacts for organising planning, design, and construction, which hugely sped up the process. This led to a bond of trust between us and the HA and allowed the project to drive towards the high-standards we set out in the first place.

Our site choice, along with strong council support and a strong relationship with the HA meant that our project was in prime position to be granted planning permission, and we’ve not looked back since. In 2022 we manged to successfully complete construction of 20 high-quality, low carbon homes at affordable rent for the local community.

 

Our Solution

The design of the homes includes a pedestrian central street and car parking on either end of the development so that the community have a safe, car free place to mix in the centre where kids can play safely, and garden areas can be enjoyed together.

All homes will exceed recommended national space standards by 5% and each resident can ultimately have access to EV charging points. Being built to Passivhaus standard means that each homes uses perhaps only 20% as much energy compared to a standard new build home, significantly reducing the risk of fuel poverty. Once built, the homes will be close to zero carbon. They will also help provide better health, offering clean air, and no moisture condensation, that supports healthy lungs and reduces the risk of respiratory disease.

The brownfield site was acquired from a local developer with financial support from Lancaster City Council, and the pre-development costs was covered by the funding from the Community Housing Fund.

 

Want to find out more?

To find out more about the LVCLT, follow the link below:

https://lunevalleyclt.org

Lancaster Cohousing from across the river 2

Lancaster Cohousing

 

Our Story

The idea for our cohousing community started in 2004 when a group of friends in Lancaster tried to buy an old school together to retrofit. The idea grew and eight years later we had created an £8 million development of 41 eco-homes and communal facilities by the river in Halton, a village three miles outside Lancaster.

Today it is home to around 60 adults and 18 children, aged between 2 and 79, and is designed, physically and socially, to encourage us to get to know our neighbours; a huge help during the pandemic. Our vision is to be an exemplar of sustainable living, and to make living this way enjoyable and easy. We do this through technology and by supporting people to change their behaviour.

The project has also acted as a catalyst for other developments. Our members set up a Community Land Trust, which is currently building 20 affordable Passivhaus homes for social rent and shared ownership nearby, with work about to start on a new Senior Cohousing project just next door!

 

The Challenge

As a community-led project, it took a lot of energy, time and determination to see it through. It’s important to have the right people in place to deliver the project the way you imagined it at the start; sourcing talent and experienced individuals in the local community cut a lot of time out in the beginning. As well as all the hard work, it was important to us to make it fun along the way too.

As well as the physical challenge, there was also a perception challenge that we had to tackle. Community-led projects are often seen as ‘weird’ or naïve idealists with no track record. This makes it harder to garner support from industry professionals and to secure land and funding. Therefore we set up as a conventional Ltd Company rather than a cooperative. This allowed us to secure to grants from the Rural Carbon Challenge Fund and Rural Development Fund for England, as well as offering discounts on house prices to early members.

Sourcing land was the biggest challenge however, followed by getting funding. A partnership with the Lune Valley Community Land trust opened the door to cheaper finance with their trusted housing association, which also lead to sharing our high workloads. But given the population density of the UK amid the current housing shortage, sourcing land was very difficult.

It was important to engage with local residents and any concerns they might have and aim to address then. It goes a long way in helping achieving planning permission and helps form good relationships with the local community.

 

Our Solution

Our homes are Passivhaus, one of the highest eco specifications combining excellent insulation, airtightness and a south facing aspect with mechanical ventilation. They also meet the Code for Sustainable Homes (level 6). Most importantly, they are warm and comfortable to live in with very low heating costs.

Our energy is renewable and is sourced from two local community-owned energy cooperatives. We raised funds for the Halton Lane Hydro project to build their 160kW micro hydro 250 upstream and offered roof space to Morecambe Bay Renewables for 89kWp of solar panels, with profits going to good causes. Our heating and hot water by a district heating system, fuelled by a single biomass boiler, using offcuts from a local sawmill.

Reducing our environmental impact comes through sharing; most of our residents have given up their cars to join EV car club. We share 4 washing machines between 40 homes, our food is ethically and locally sourced vegan and vegetarian, we have communal guest rooms and we have a healthy culture of borrowing from our neighbours.

Halton Mill is also a low carbon work and event space, a working community where small enterprises can flourish. It houses private offices, a coworking space, a yoga studio, shared art studios, and a community makerspace.

 

Want to find out more?

To find out more about Lancaster Cohousing, follow the links below:

https://www.lancastercohousing.org.uk/ https://haltonlunehydro.org/ www.haltonmill.org.uk https://lunevalleyclt.org/

noticeboard1345

Engaging Blackpool: Young People and Climate Change Resilience

 

Our Story

Blackpool has a history of continued reinvention and entrepreneurial spirit. However, the community faces a number of challenges including high rates of poor quality private rented accommodation, with 80% of the occupants receiving housing benefit. Additionally, the number of children in need remains the highest in the country with 88% of pupils having a mental toughness score below the national average.

The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) identified this issue and set up a research project that works with young people to educate and understand their concerns about the impacts of climate change and building a resilience for the future. Initially, along with four group leaders, they took out 15 children aged 6 to 16 that all reside in Blackpool through Stanley Park with the aim to gather the children’s views on climate change through semi-structured interviews, while on the walk. These questions were guided by the responses from the children, as well as the subjects they decided to focus on.

We have since developed strong relationships with key stakeholders in the area, helping us with providing the children to carry out the project as well as strengthening our ties to the local area in addressing a major worldwide issue.

 

The Challenge

The challenge of carrying out a project like this is to not only understand the subject area, but what is the best way that will work well for the group. We carried out an initial pilot study with a sample of young people first to understand what they wanted to discuss to shape our initial ideas. It was clear early on that being talked to and sitting in a classroom environment didn’t work beyond 20 minutes.

It was also important to reach out to local partner organisations, without which the project wouldn’t have succeeded. The Local Authority’s Green Spaces and Park Rangers team helped organise the groups of young people and incorporated our project into their existing programme. Having these partners help identify the children for the project and we were able to develop early trust and rapport with the children.

It was also important not to condescend the children, and make them feel valued and trusted to handle the equipment and interview us using the recording devices. This really helped build a relationship and provided light relief to what is a serious subject.

 

Our Solution

The project provides a thought provoking and engaging environment for children to express their opinions on climate change and the local picture, as well as allowing them the freedom to dictate the subject areas they want to focus on. The children are provided with recyclable cameras to share. They are then asked to photos into the related categories, before ranking them based on what they think should be prioritised in the discussions.

Young people identified several themes from their local environment that they then related to the broader issue of climate change and climate impact in a global sense. The themes were Climate Change (Trees and deforestations, Storms and Flooding, Renewable Energy); Local Environment (Wildlife, Litter and Graffiti); Community and Ownership (Park, Gardens and Remembrance); Engagement (Litter Picking, Education and Food).

We were then able to demonstrate that young people were able to see a felled tree in a parkland and then visualise the impact of a single tree in comparison to deforestation for example. This was a powerful exercise and affected the young people profoundly.

 

Want to find out more?

If you want to find out more about Engaging Blackpool, follow the link below:

https://www.uclan.ac.uk/research/centres/sustainable-transitions

Block diagram

Green Energy Marketplace for Electric Vehicles (EVs)

 

Our Story

The historic Paris Climate Agreement highlighted the requirements to limit global temperature rising below 1.5 degrees Celsius, with greenhouse gases a major culprit of this global temperature increase. Transport contributes 27% of global CO2 generation and renewable energy was identified as a potentially key solution to the climate crisis.

Against this backdrop, this project combines the problem and solution, enabling households with renewable energy to trade energy with electric vehicle users to charge their vehicles. Our study develops a novel energy trading model that maximises benefits of both stakeholders, renewable energy based households and electric vehicle users.

This study involves methods including semi-structured interviews with stakeholder groups to identify the requirements, mathematical modelling and real-world energy data collection and validation.

All in all, our project aims to meet a number of sustainability development goals set up by the UN, as well as solutions towards UK policies such as the banning of ICE engine models to help drive the change to renewables and help individuals transition from fossil-fuels to renewables in a cost-effective way, all against the backdrop of a global climate crisis.

 

The Challenge

The removal of financial incentives for renewable energy, including solar panels and government subsidies, helped inspire the project but brought their own set of challenges as well.

Clear evidence showed the decline of renewable energy uptake caused by the removal of financial incentives for new entrants, for small scale renewable energy adoption in Europe, specially in the UK. Additionally, the agenda for 2030 urged the requirement of developing a project idea that will encourage smart and renewable energy technologies.

The project involved working with local councils to help identify individuals who have solar panels already installed at their homes and to help motivate them to engage with the project.

 

Our Solution

Our project allows households with renewable energy sources (solar panels/wind turbines) can trade their excess energy to EV users to charge their vehicles at a higher price compared to the existing export tariff. Similarly, the EV users too can experience financial benefits by charging their vehicles using renewable energy at an affordable price compared to charging costs of public charging stations. Furthermore, the overall system improves renewable energy usage.

Additionally, with the UK Government’s new step towards greener transportation by banning the sale of new internal combustion engine car models from 2030, our model will provide solutions to fulfil the increase EV charging demand while achieving remarkable emission reductions.

To measure this, we take the energy data of households with renewable energy sources and EV’s. In particular, energy generation and consumptions values of households with solar photovoltaic systems with be measured in KW. Based on these measurements, existing export tariffs for households with solar PV systems and EV charging tariffs using public charging stations, financial benefits is evaluated.

River Liza

Wild Ennerdale

 

Our Story

Wild Ennerdale began as a simple desire to talk to one another more as landowners, share resources more effectively, and to work more sensitively with nature to bring greater benefits for people and place. That was 20 years ago and Wild Ennerdale is now recognised as the longest running ‘re-wilding’ project in the UK.

The partnership brings together the three main landowners (National Trust, Forestry England & United Utilities) along with Natural England. We developed a vision and a set of guiding principles early on in the process which was based around nature being more in charge to shape the look, feel and function of the valley, along with local conversations and what people liked (and disliked) about the valley. That vision and set of guiding principles remain relevant now and are at the core of all our work.

We have worked closely with local stakeholders and wider contacts at regional, national, and international level. That continues today and forms an important part of our work both to share learning, develop ambitions and steer future work. We have a dedicated team of local volunteers who have been active over the last 15 years come rain or shine!

 

The Challenge

The idea of ‘rewilding’ wasn’t in the public domain when we set out. Our driver was the place and a sense that we could do more to enhance the special qualities of the site to bring more nature and people benefits. This evolved over the initial couple of years into a wilding project. It wasn’t something that happened quickly, was imposed, or triggered by external funding.

Consistent engagement was vital. We work with a wide range of audiences locally, regionally and nationally including the local community and volunteers. We are only a small team of staff, so balancing the engagement with delivery of the practical work in the valley can be a challenge, particularly in more recent years as the public interest in ‘re-wilding’ has grown.

We are facing unprecedented times with biodiversity decline and a climate emergency. We hope Wild Ennerdale plays a small part in offering practical solutions which can be applied elsewhere in the Lakes and beyond.

 

Our Solution

Throughout our work, we have been inspired and supported by many individuals and projects around the UK, particularly in Scotland. We have also hosted many different groups and individuals wanting to visit to see the valley and our work. We adopt an opportunistic approach and are as flexible in our work as possible as by definition, nature can be unpredictable and it’s about adaptation rather than constraints when working in a landscape.

We place many demands on our landscape; access, food, timber, water, tourism, research, mental health and wellbeing to name a few. We try to balance those through our collaborative working and recognise that if we give nature a chance, we can reap great rewards through observation, patience and facilitation.

We have a long-term approach with no fixed end-point which offers more sustainable solutions for nature recovery. We are driving change which we hope can offer learning and experiences which can be applied elsewhere. We are facing unprecedented times with biodiversity decline and a climate emergency and we hope Wild Ennerdale plays a small part in offering practical solutions which can be applied elsewhere in the Lakes and beyond.

 

Want to find out more?

To find out more about Wild Ennerdale, head to the link below:

www.wildennerdale.co.uk

New BMW i3 EVs at LDNPA 1

Greening the Lake District National Park Authority Pool Fleet (LDNPA)

 

Our Story

In 2006 the Lake District National Park set out on a vision to be “an inspirational example of sustainable development in action”, and we identified carbon reduction as a priority. Since then, we have been on a journey to reduce our emissions from all of our operations, in particular buildings and transport. Recently, we’ve gone one step further and have adopted a net-zero ambition, placing more emphasis on reducing our carbon emissions.

Our friends at the Carbon Trust gave us a helping hand in the early days who helped identify we could make carbon savings not just from charging the vehicles, but how we manage our journeys. Our early work involved adopting a ‘travel hierarchy’ which encouraged options like video-conferencing, active travel, public transport and lift sharing. We replaced mid-range diesel vehicles with smaller AAA-class cars.

The move to fully electric cars represents the next step in our efforts to decarbonise our fleet. Coupled with a fully renewable electricity tariff will mean zero emissions from our vehicles. So far we swapped 13 of our overall fleet of 42 vehicles, with five more in the pipeline.

 

The Challenge

We have been progressively reducing our transport emissions by both greening our fleet and reducing our mileage for 14 years, but the coming of age of electric vehicles (EVs) has enabled us to take a major leap forward by swapping our diesel vehicles for fully-electric vehicles.

Finance was a major consideration, and although the reduced running costs of EVs means a lower cost in the long run, installing the charge-points was a major challenge. We were able to do this thanks to significant assistance from the European Structural and Investment Fund, plus subsidy from the UK Government’s Workplace Charging Scheme.

Another consideration for us was whether EV’s would actually be suitable for our transport needs. The Lake District’s mountainous terrain and cool wet climate would test the mileage range that electric batteries provide. We looked carefully at the typical daily outing date for our existing diesel pool vehicles, then moved to extensive testing with a number of EV models to see see whether an EV would perform well in often tough conditions.

The remaining 24 vehicles in our fleet will take longer to find suitable alternatives. 4×4 EV’s provide a tough challenge in finding suitable long-range batteries that can handle heavy trailer-towing.

 

Our Solution

So far, the reaction from users has been almost exclusively positive. Our pool car usage is nearly all within the normal working day, enabling overnight charging and requiring almost no en-route topping up.

Staff were encouraged to try out various test vehicles that we were loaned out during the research period and feedback was solicited to help with the decision over which model to commit to. Guidance has been provided on how driving an EV differs from that of a petrol or diesel, but people have taken this in their stride and became accustomed very quickly.

The result is a project that not only encourages people to consider whether their journey is necessary in the first place, but provides greener travel options when staff need to travel.

 

Want to find out more?

Want to find out more about how The Lake District are decarbonising?

Find out more here: https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/aboutus/media-centre/latest-news/news-releases/a-range-of-projects-are-cutting-carbon-in-the-lake-district

Festival stand

Kendal Climate Change Citizens Jury

 

Our Story

Kendal Town Council declared a Climate Emergency and its first action was to convene a Citizens Jury to answer the question ‘What should Kendal do about Climate Change?’. As a council, we recognised that we would need all the help we could get to be able to provide a suitable response to this global challenge and recognise that we all have a part to play.

Now more than ever we need a plan for how Kendal can act, but it needs to be a plan guided by the people. To do this we organised a Citizen’s Jury. This has been done all across the world to help find answers to difficult problems. Fellow authorities such as Lancaster City Council as well as Leeds, Camden, Brent and Oxford have also followed a similar path.

An oversight panel was established to ensure the process was fair and unbiased and a clear terms of reference was established between the organisations. Those organisations set commitment to consider and action the jury’s recommendations. We do everything we can to help facilitate the Jury’s recommendations and have been establishing partnerships with the organisations on the panel to help assist with work in between panel meetings.

 

The Challenge

Organising the Jury was a community effort, which took a lot of communication and collaboration to pull it together. Funding was a huge challenge; as you may be aware resources are rather limited for town councils, therefore we had to seek external funding from multiple sources.

After a year of fundraising, grants were secured from Kendal Town Council, South Lakeland District Council, and Cumbria County Council. A round of crowdfunding was also used to help see the project and also develop a short film highlighting the Citizen’s Jury.

Shared Futures provided guidance to the oversight panel in structuring the sessions and how commentators should contribute to the panel. They were a huge help in delivering the structuring the Jury, and given their extensive experience in Citizens Juries and Climate Assemblies, provided invaluable advice and expertise along the way.

Another huge help for us, was the local community! There was a huge amount of knowledge and enthusiasm that we were able to harness, and as a result we formed four volunteer groups that assisted with communications, creative, evaluation, and IT.

 

Our Solution

The Jury was recruited via invitees to randomly selected addresses within the area. Individuals from age 15 upwards were invited to join the jury. 20 people were selected who reflect the diversity of the wider population (in terms of age, gender, race, attitudes to climate change.)

Jury members attended a set amount of sessions to share ideas and opinions and to hear from a range of experts who they were able to question. A set of 27 recommendations was developed by the jury and presented to the organisers for response and action.

Twice a year Kendal Town Council will reconvene jury members and committed organisations via a recommendations panel to report progress against each recommendation, provide an opportunity for partnership working and explore funding opportunities. The council will then action the recommendations they can and support other to do the same via partnership work in between panel meetings.

As a result, the 20 members in the Jury have made 27 recommendations with details on how they can be achieved. The council are in the process of hosting a Recommendations Panel to oversee the development and delivery of those recommendations in partnerships with the organisations best place to action them.

 

Want to find out more?

To find out more about how the Kendal Citizens Jury is fighting climate change, follow the link below:

https://www.kendalclimatejury.org/

Sal with sheep landscape

Chimney Sheep

 

Our Story

Whilst working as a bat ecologist I was made aware of how many open chimneys there are, and as an environmentalist, I noticed how much heat and energy is being lost up these chimneys. Sheep Wool is mostly used as a waste product, and is a great tool for insulation material. I put the two together and using only kitchen utensils, the Chimney Sheep was born! A sustainable insultation project designed to prevent heat and energy escaping up chimneys, saving people money on their energy bills.

After the initial prototype, I managed to develop it into a marketable product and was launched in 2012. Fast forward to 2020, I’ve sold 160,000 units and have expanded the business to sell a wide range of environmentally friendly products. I’ve also set up a Community Interest Company called Buy Land Plant Trees, which receives 20% of the profits from Chimney Sheep.

So far in our 10 years of trading, we’ve saved over 118,000 tonnes of Co2, £16,551,362 on their heating bills, and won the prestigious Kevin McCloud’s Green Heroes!

 

The Challenge

I had a huge challenge of working solely on my own and delivering a good product to market. I wasn’t particularly confident in my own ability, but the confidence in the product and the belief in how it could benefit the energy saving industry drove me on. The challenges that came with expanding the business developed my ability to manage the growth, and as well as the help and support I’ve had along the way, a lot of the problems and challenges I managed to overcome myself.

The initial research was monumental. I aimed to look in as many properties as possible to see how many open chimneys there were, and whether there would be sufficient demand for The Sheep Chimney. Research into possible competitors, not only if they had come up with something similar to the Sheep Chimney, but whether they were already fulfilling the need my product aimed to address, was extensive. It’s all part and parcel of a start-up business but it’s still a huge challenge, and one must consider whether they are prepared for the workload.

Marketing the product was another huge challenge. Everyone’s on social media, which presents a challenge of its own, what is so special about The Sheep Chimney that will cut through what everyone else is doing and saying. Eventually I focused on who was the primary market and worked out how I could reach them. Of course finance in the early days was tricky, and I was lucky with the grants on offer to me, but finding creative ways to borrow money saved me in the long run.

 

Our Solution

The Chimney Sheep is a removable, sustainable, chimney draft excluder made from highly durable and breathable Herdwick Wool. This is then felted to create a perfect plug for a chimney. We knew it was important for people to spend the least amount of time looking up their chimneys as possible, so the Chimney Sheep is designed to be fully removable and easily inserted.

By blocking the majority of the air flow, it prevents the stack effect occurring. The Chimney Sheep stops warm air escaping though an open chimney and prevents cold air being pulled in via other gaps, helping a property retain its heat and feel more comfortable. With it being natural Herdwick Wool, reserving a small gap for ventilation isn’t needed, the breathable material provides a natural ventilation space.

In September 2022 The Sheep Chimney turned 10, from making a draft excluder in a small workshop in Cockermouth, Cumbria, to selling it all over the world has given us even more drive to make the next 10 years even bigger. We want everyone to have the Chimney Sheep, if they did we could save 2,337,511 tonnes of Co2, the equivalent of capturing the same amount of carbon by 5,493,020 acres of trees, as well as £327,704,960 on our annual energy bills!

 

Want to find out more?

To find out more about The Sheep Chimney, and all of our other products, head to: https://www.chimneysheep.co.uk/

digitaltwin

Warrington ReWire

 

Our Story

The ReWire project is a research project funded by Innovate UK, the UK Government’s innovation support service. Our aim is to demonstrate how Smart Local Energy Systems can be developed in the future and It is part of the Prospering from the Energy Revolution Smart Local Energy Systems Programme.

We work with Warrington Council and a consortium of 10 partners across the energy sector to develop plans to decarbonise the borough of Warrington and identify the investments and business models that are required to make it happen. We have created a cutting edge ‘Digital Twin’ simulation of the Warrington built environment that supports this process.

The project was formed by Pure Leapfrog, a merge of two charities dedicated to the support of community energy, and draws on its expertise in carbon, sustainable finance, energy systems, and natural capital that promote our wider goals of sustainability and decarbonisation.

 

The Challenge

Smart Local Energy Systems should be an important part of cutting carbon in the future, but we need the tools to help create them now. ReWire is a research project exploring new design system and business models for locality whole system decarbonisation.

It relies on outputs to inform future work, and our challenge was accessing the data required to build our ‘Digital Twin’ model and to effectively engage with the local community, which is vital for the project to work . This was made harder due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Our Solution

Our ‘Digital Twin’ goes a long way in helping to optimise local energy infrastructure by modelling local energy scenarios. From this it enables us to identify various scenarios to be tested and so help plan the optimisation of local energy infrastructure to save carbon and costs.

This in turn, allows us to suggest business models and support local infrastructure projects in realising a smart local energy system, which in turn, will play an important part of our national decarbonisation. This model is hoped to act as a blueprint that can be adopted nationwide in the future

 

Want to find out more?

To find out more about the ReWire project visit: https://www.pureleapfrog.org/

Picton_TFC site

Trees for Climate

 

Our Story

Trees for Climate is a national woodland creation programme, part of the Government’s £500 million Nature for Climate Fund aiming to treble planting rates in England by the end of the current Parliament (2024)

Cheshire West and Chester Council and The Mersey Forest are playing a leading role as the legal body for the programme, with The Mersey Forest just one of 12 Community Forests across England delivering the programme, transforming landscapes and communities across Merseyside and Cheshire.

Having launched in November 2020, the programme has played a significant role in the Government’s commitment to address climate change and carbon mitigation. The Mersey Forest team work closely with the Council to identify suitable land to plant trees, as part of the drive for carbon neutrality as a borough by 2045.

Our sites will not only help capture the carbon that would have been lost into the atmosphere, but provide a safe haven for local wildlife and give local communities the chance to step out into nature supporting health and wellbeing.

 

The Challenge

With an ever expanding urban population and more people living and working in cities and town, trees and woods play an increasingly important role in improving our health and wellbeing.

The project serves to demonstrate how multiple services within a council can work together to meet shared outcomes. We worked with archaeologists to determine if the idea fitted with the historic features and landscape character of the area in the Cheshire Plains.

Our initial plans to use the whole space for woodland was modified to preserve an important medieval field system. Thus, instead of planting 12 hectares of woodland, we adapted the design to create an important permanent species rich, traditional, wet meadow grassland to celebrate and protect the medieval features the site presents.

Due to the scale of the project, it took a while to get a grant and the necessary permissions in place. A late planting of trees in March/early April led to lower survival rates than we hoped, and in some cases, needed replacements.

We have a passion about the power of trees and nature and how it can help strengthen not only the environment and climate, but communities and our connection with nature, and it is this mindset that continues to drive us forward in our outline goal of trebling tree planting in five years.

 

Our Solution

Our sites go beyond just planning trees. Our site in Picton, near Chester, will go a long way in helping the industrial area become the worlds’ first low carbon industrial cluster by 2030, and our site o the North Cheshire Way national footpath provides 70 miles of waymarked walking from Wirral to the Peak District.

This allowed a fantastic opportunity to establish 6 hectares of native broadleaved woodland, with some areas left to celebrate historical features, and other areas habitats for local wildlife. As the woodland continues to thrive it will develop into an increasingly attractive habitat for wildlife, with two newt ponds recently created on the woodland edge to further enhance the habitats.

In total, we’ve been abe to plant 12,366 trees and 305 metres of hedgerows were planted at our Picton site. When fully established, it is estimated that these will store 2,326 tonnes of carbon over 100 years.

The funding we sourced for Picton has allowed us to explore other areas to enhance the area; stiles and a new footbridge installed along the national footpath help make the woodland more accessible. We’ve also sown six hectares of species rich native wildflower meadows to recreate the traditional floodplain meadows that would have once existed across the wetter part of the site, compensating for habitat loss in other parts of the borough.

These improvements will not only help capture the carbon and provide a haven for local wildlife, it also allows communities to step out into nature, supporting their physical and mental wellbeing.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

Protos-Destination-image

Protos

Our Story

Protos sits at the heart of the North West’s industrial cluster – a sprawling area home to a group of energy intensive industries which use around 5% of the UK’s energy, with the Cheshire West and Chester Council the fourth largest emitter of carbon in the UK. This presented us with a significant challenge; reducing our carbon emissions whilst maintaining the vital industries which are at the forefront of our economy.

We created a vision to create a strategic hub for resource management; getting the most value from our planets resources and using them in the most sustainable way. This philosophy has been the driving force behind the project from day one and adapts to local, regional, national and global drivers.

 

The Challenge

Our vision was to create a strategic energy and resource hub which could provide low carbon energy to industry, helping them decarbonise and keep high value manufacturing jobs in the UK.

We aim to work collaboratively with a number of businesses and authorities, local and national across the Net Zero space and strive to work with innovative companies that provide cutting-edge tech that will help deliver the infrastructure of tomorrow.

We bring people and industries together; for example our flagship plastic park provides a one stop shop for plastic waste and clusters together recycling and treatment technologies. We aim to bring together technologies which are leading the way on solutions to climate change and through collaboration, Protos provides a supportive environment where ideas can come to life.

 

Our Solution

Our collaboration across various industries has allowed us to develop innovative solutions to the multi-faceted problem that is reaching Net Zero. We currently house a windfarm, a biomass plant, an energy-from-waste plant, and have planning consent to build a UK first Plastic Park, which takes everyday non-recyclable plastic waste and turn into a local source of hydrogen that will provide a clean fuel for HGV’s, buses and cars.

We’ve also got a hydrogen refueling station in the works that will kickstart the infrastructure needed to support the rollout of hydrogen vehicles. Here at Peel NRE, we’ve been championing hydrogen for a number of years, including being one of the founding members of the North West Hydrogen Alliance and working closely with UK’s leading hydrogen and carbon capture project HyNet North West. But we know that Hydrogen production at this point in time doesn’t help answer all the questions. Carbon Capture, utilisation and Storage will be a key technology to help the UK in its fight against climate change, and after high demand from potential occupiers, we’re making Protos carbon capture ready. We’ve received government funding to develop a carbon capture facility with with our partners at InBECCS, Ince Bio Power and Bioenergy Infrastrucure Group.

 

Want to find out more?

You can find out more about Protos, our Plastic Park, and our sites below:

https://www.protos.co.uk/

Essar - Stanlow

HyNet

Our Story

HyNet came about as a solution to the momentous challenge to slash carbon dioxide emissions produced by industry, transporting of heavy goods, and the heating of our homes as we move towards the government’s target of Net Zero by 2050.

To do this, we recognised that low carbon energy sources must be deployed to facilitate all end uses. Therefore HyNet was made up of several different elements that would be able to provide infrastructure to produce, transport, and store low carbon hydrogen across the North West and North Wales.

We knew that we couldn’t do this on our own, decarbonisation and the overall energy transition requires extensive regional and industrial collaboration before any real progress can be made. Therefore we have over 40 organisations signed up to decarbonise through HyNet, and we have started on the road to the climate’s recovery, having run successful demonstrations at Pilkington Glass and Unilever to show how the switch over from natural gas to Hydrogen could work.

We know there’s a lot of work still to do, but being able to look our children in the eye and say we played an instrumental role in overcoming the greatest challenge of our time, is what drives us forward.

 

The Challenge

HyNet is a huge infrastructure project, all consisting of a number of separate projects, each managed by a member of the HyNet consortium. Each project partner is fully focused on using innovative approaches to approach new technology, with different partners aiming to share knowledge and to integrate each element of HyNet together.

Industrial collaboration is key, not only to the success of HyNet, but also in the transfer of knowledge and provision of a framework for the delivery of future carbon transport and storage networks across the UK.

We have, and continue to be, involved with industrial organisations and governing bodies, regional, energy bodies and educational institutions to facilitate the development of standards and more general transfer of knowledge in this new area of expertise.

Whilst we have already engaged with some areas of the supply chain we already engaged with the project, as HyNet progresses, this will become ever more important in the supply chain, including construction, material, and manufacturing industries.

 

Our Solution

HyNet will use low-carbon Hydrogen, produced in the North West region as a replacement for the fossil fuel that’s currently used to heat our homes and power our industries. For it to make a real difference to our energy system, it needs to be produced at scale, low cost, and with very low emissions.

HyNet has invested £40 million to develop the engineering, and show how the technology works and design the plan. Our partners are committed to delivering the HyNet infrastructure – hydrogen production, distribution and storage, carbon capture, transport and storage. We are also working with almost thirty regional industrials who are all focused on utilising HyNet as the centrepiece of their decarbonisation strategy.

This will allow us to deliver the infrastructure backbone to deliver low carbon hydrogen for flexible power generation and to provide a blend of hydrogen to heat people’s homes. The infrastructure already in place to facilitate fossil fuel production and storage can be directly repurposed for hydrogen.

HyNet will also bring huge benefits for the regional the UK economy, playing a key role in shaping the region’s future and supporting the Levelling Up agenda. We will deliver economy growth through job retention in manufacturing industries and job creation in the low carbon economy, retraining workers and preparing the supply chain to realise the global opportunity – positioning the region as a highly attractive location for inward investment. HyNet continues to meet the Government’s strategic ambition, delivering key aspects of the Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution; producing 80% of the national target of 5GW of hydrogen, 100% of the national target for Carbon Capture capacity and a hydrogen town.

 

Want to find out more?

You can find out more about HyNet below.

https://hynet.co.uk/

WarringtonSolar

Warrington Solar

 

Our Story

Local councils have been identified as the buildings blocks to fight back against climate change in the UK, and have the opportunity to garner investment into key renewable energy markets.

However, precarious local authority finances mean that many medium scale renewable energy projects fail to get off the ground. At Warrington Council, we’ve established a major solar generation project, having strategically grown the appetite in the area through a commercial investment approach, allowing for clean energy production as well as a working financial asset.

Placing solar panels on homes and commercials roofs helped build an appetite for renewable energy investment, before sourcing solar farms sites in York and Hull.

 

The Challenge

As a local authority we have a duty to help deliver on the needs of our residents, whilst also supporting national agendas where we can. Our portfolio of solar farms help tie into the national push for Net Zero, whilst also working as a financial asset to help fund vital services and creating new opportunities for investment for the private sector.

We expect this investment to yield £150 million over 30 years whilst also saving 25,000 tonnes of Co2 per year. Our site in Hull alone, with a 25.7MWp solar farm. will produce enough electricity needs and will also cut our energy bills.

 

Our Solution

We partnered up with GRIDSERVE to develop and acquire the assets before creating and commissioning them back to us a working asset. The end result is some of the most innovative solar panels in use, with bi-facial panels, solar tracking, and integrated battery storage, creating a revolutionised approach for clean energy investment.

The York site is a hybrid solar farm with an additional 27MW battery storage system, and combined with our Hull site, the amount of Co2 saved per year means we have already secured generation capacity in excess of our power use. Through our analysis these sites are exceeding expectations in terms of performance and financial returns. This has allowed us to continue our commitment in green investment funding having recently acquired a new site in Cirencester.

 

Want to find out more?

You can find out more about or solar farm investments, and all our other green energy projects at https://www.warrington.gov.uk/

Get in contact with us here

Privacy Policy

North West Route to Net Zero was funded with the support of the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero.

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