Green Issues 10

Often, the first step smaller businesses can take towards their clean future is ensuring they use the wealth of data available at their fingertips. This data can help businesses to develop clear pathways to net zero, understand their carbon footprint and even access new and emerging technologies. Research and high-quality data will be key to businesses looking to clean up their operations following COP26. And it’s important to ensure any take-aways implemented are done so in a joined-up way across the entire business. Ensuring an integrated approach will make the biggest impact on your carbon emissions. A companywide strategy could include supporting local communities, and linking up with wider regional projects that can further your impact. With programmes such as the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult’s Fit 4 Offshore Renewables available to businesses, there is a wealth of resources out there. Opergy are proud to support the F4OR programme, offering cohort businesses our expert knowledge on offshore wind, how their business can weave clean energy

throughout their company as well as making the most of new and existing opportunities. Earlier in the year we kickstarted Net Zero East, a sister-venture to Hydrogen East launch in Summer 2020. Our team have begun compiling a range of practical insights, comprehensive digital tools, and guides on how SMEs can begin their own net zero journey. Whether you’re simply Whether you’re simply looking to address your looking to address your carbon footprint or harness the opportunities carbon footprint or that will arise as the harness the opportunities energy transition progresses it is important that will arise as the to understand how you can apply practical steps energy transition to your business in context. progresses it is important Despite all the resources, to understand how you data and projects available, making sense of can apply practical it all and finding the time to do so, can be difficult steps to your business in for SMEs. Even with a desire to learn, it can context. be daunting to navigate and create unnecessary barriers to those willing to make the change. My advice would be to seek out some expert help or find someone who can mentor you in your journey to a cleaner future. No matter the stage of your journey, it’s clear that now is the time to take action.

JONATHAN REYNOLDS

Managing Director

opergy.co.uk

BRIDGING SKILLS GAP IS KEY TO OUR GREENTECH REVOLUTION

When we think about the decarbonisation sector, it is clear that the East of England is leading the country.

Whether it’s the huge amount of offshore wind generation in the North Sea and its associated support industries (The East is home to 52% of the UK’s total offshore wind generation - eeegr.com/sectors/offshorewind), or the significant growth in solar farms

(theguardian.com/business/2021/jun/28/solarfarm-proposals-for-east-of-england-more-

than-double), if you’re based in our region, the opportunities to succeed in this sector are plentiful and growing every year.

However, we need to not just generate clean electricity, we also need to power vehicles with it too. Vehicles are the greatest contributor to air pollution in the UK (uk-air.defra.gov.uk/air-pollution/ causes), so the switch to electric vehicles (EVs) is both essential and inevitable. Here in the East, we have almost doubled our rate of EV adoption between 2020 and 2021. But how can we best support this electric vehicle revolution, what are the challenges, and how can we capitalise on the opportunities? There have been some great examples of forwardthinking action by local government and business, perhaps one of the most obvious is Gridserve’s ‘Electric Forecourt’ in Braintree, Essex, which is the UK’s first fully-electric service station. This vision of the future has 36 spaces for electric cars to charge (in as little as 20 minutes for some cars), along with an airport style lounge, co-working spaces, coffee shop, supermarket and even a post office. Gridserve’s second electric forecourt (which will be the third of its type in the UK) is shortly to open near Norwich, further showing how the region is a key mover in our Greentech revolution. In addition to this, we are home to electric truck manufacturer Tevva, and are conducting cutting edge research into decarbonisation and Greentech at our Universities, for instance the Global Sustainability Institute in Cambridge and Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia. The challenges in moving away from fossil fuel usage and into renewables also presents some significant barriers for our businesses and