Westcountry pioneers in the running for prestigious Green Energy Awards
Pioneering renewable energy companies, innovations and projects have been shortlisted for prestigious South West Green Energy Awards, judged by a panel of leading experts and awarded at a glittering dinner in Bath on 9 November.
Award Categories
- Best Renewable Energy Scheme, sponsored by Sungift Solar
- Installer or Supplier of the Year, sponsored by REB2B
- South West Sustainable Energy Champion, sponsored by Business Link
- Best Business Innovation, sponsored by The Crown Estate
- Best Community Initiative, sponsored by KPMG
- Most Proactive Public Sector Body
The shortlisted nominees (listed below) now go through to the final stage of judging, where an expert panel of judges will decide on overall winners and runners up.
This year’s high level judging panel includes Lib dem climate change parliamentary chair, Lord Teverson; CEO of Centre of Sustainable Energy, Simon Roberts OBE: Editor of Western Morning News, Alan Qualtrough; Director of strategic consulting at Parsons Brinkerhoff, Peter Kydd; Managing director, Supacat, Nicolas Ames and IYRE programme manager, Business West, Rob Emony.
The results will be announced at a glittering awards dinner on Wednesday, November 9, at the elegant Assembly Rooms in Bath hosted by BBC Business Correspondent Simon Jack.
Merlin Hyman, chief executive of Regen SW, commented “The number and quality of nominations for this year’s Green Energy Awards is hugely encouraging. Local companies are leading the way in developing and installing great renewable energy projects, creating local jobs as well as providing secure green energy.”
Now in their eighth year, the Green Energy Awards, organised by Regen SW, the independent centre offering expertise and support for sustainable energy, have become a highly regarded event in the business calendar.
Most Proactive Public Sector Body
Cornwall Council
Through the work of the council’s Natural Resources Planning Team, Cornwall boasts an impressive list of renewable energy projects which have been encouraged and helped to fruition. These range from solar, wind and tidal to geothermal schemes. At the same time, the team has strived to raise awareness and promote the development of renewable and low carbon energy throughout the county.
South Devon College
The college’s new Energy Centre which opened in May aims to train up to 500 people per year in the installation of renewable energy technology. Torbay has high unemployment levels, and the centre will lead to the creation of a workforce possessing the necessary skills in a sector which continues to see growth. Phase Two of the project is set to launch this autumn. The college has also taken steps to reduce its carbon footprint through low energy cooling, natural lighting and the introduction of a 50 kW solar panel array.
Torbay Council
Torbay Council is embracing and championing renewable energy by working with the Environmental Policy Team, the Torbay Development Agency and the Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust to pioneer awareness, projects and schemes that will benefit the local area. Combined and developed expertise have successfully secured grants and funding to deliver a host of renewable energy and energy efficiency developments which financially benefit the Council and the local community. These initial developments include a major PV project and a biomass fuel depot to encourage and promote further growth in the sector within the region.
Somerset West Private Sector Housing Partnership
Three district councils, Taunton Deane, Sedgemoor and West Somerset, have joined together to combine their expertise, staff and money to provide advice and assistance in a fuel-poor area. The partnership has among other projects been able to offer loans for energy-efficient renovations, adding insulation and solar heating for the most in-need households and helped a local housing association towards the cost of air source heat pumps.
Alliance Homes
A community-based social enterprise providing a range of services across the West of England, Portishead-based Alliance Homes is demonstrating a powerful commitment to carbon reduction with a dramatic offer. It has procured one million solar photovoltaic panels, aside from the ones it is installing to 1,200 of its own properties, and is offering them to the public sector on a first-come-first-served basis. Access to the open framework is via a simple joining agreement, with no fee, the only costs involved for registered providers that join being the purchasing of the panels at the framework’s low rates, and the sourcing of its own installation contractor. The result should benefit up to 75,000 homes.
Installer or Supplier of the Year sponsored by REB2B
Chris Rudge
Only in the business of renewable power for three years, Seaton-based Chris now employs 15 people to cope with the growing demand for solar energy. He now specialises in providing systems for those who are not connected to mains power, but who can still benefit from the government’s Feed-in Tariff.
Greenthinking
This Cullumpton company has been so successful in the installation of wind turbines its turnover has trebled in the last 12 months, reducing CO2 emissions by 345 tonnes. Projects have included providing a farm with two turbines to power its dairy and powering an electric car and they are now looking into the biomass fuel market.
Sungift Solar
Specialising in the solar energy market, Sungift Solar of Exeter has enjoyed a five hundred per cent increase in turnover in the last year. Between 2010 and 2011 it installed more than 300 domestic systems and has grown so successful it now employs 40 staff, some of whom were made redundant in their previous trades of plumbing and electrical work. Sungift remains proud of the personal recommendations it receives from its customers.
Ethical Solar
Bristol-based Ethical Solar runs its company to be as sustainable as possible. As well as installing solar systems, it insists that the materials used are produced with as few CO2 emissions as possible. The company vans run on vegetable oil and the employees continue this ethic with most of them choosing to cycle to work. Possessing a high sense of social responsibility, Ethical Solar hemps the long-term unemployed in the region and has a scheme to install solar power in rural Uganda using materials kindly donated by their suppliers.
Ecovision
Since gaining national coverage for installing a system at Castle Howard, Yorkshire, Tetbury-based Ecovision seems to have found a lucrative niche in the country house market, with installations at the Bishop's Palace in Wells, Longleat, Highgrove House and Cotswold Safari Park. It carries out this work as well as in the more conventional domestic and commercial sectors and prides itself on giving the same level of expert attention to detail for clients big and small in the field of heat pumps and solar energy.
Source Renewable
Starting less than 18 months ago as a one-man company, Source Renewables now employs a staff of 15. It has developed close links with the rural community in the south west and has recently built the largest solar PV farm in north Devon, a 250 kW ground-mounted array.
South West Sustainable Energy Champion sponsored by Business Link
Mark Prior
As Woodfuel Partnership Officer in SW Forestry Commission Region, Mark has been has been a real driver for the growth of wood fuel in the region, developing the South West Bioheat programme, implementing the Ward Forestry Programme to promote local business and woodland owners engaged in wood fuel.
Sam Whatmore
An early pioneer of biofuels, Sam of Forest Fuels has been championing woodfuels for many years now. He was one of the first to install a modern biomass boiler. Speaking at many events across the country, he has promoted not just the advantages of biofuels, but also the role and image of the south west itself.
Adrian Lea
Cornwall’s unique Natural Resources Planning Team which deals with renewable energy, minerals and waste planning policy and development is Adrian’s brainchild. He and his team have helped bring about a change of culture, whereby the council now has a commitment to planning development, and not planning control, for sustainable energy projects.
Neil Farrington
Neil is the sustainable energy projects manager at Community Energy Plus, and over the last nine years has worked with a significant number of communities in Cornwall to build awareness and assist with the delivery of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. During this time he has helped shift attitudes, perceptions and understanding of both the need and benefit of locally owned sustainable energy developments. One of which was last year’s £500,000 Low Carbon Community Challenge project in Ladock, in which he played a key role.
Best Business Innovation sponsored by the Crown Estate
Mole Valley Farmers
Mole Valley Farmers co-operative was started in 1960 by a small group of farmers around the South Molton area who were concerned by the discriminatory practices and the large margins being made by many of their suppliers of agricultural inputs. The ‘Farmers Power Station’ is an innovative business model created by Mole Valley Farmers in October 2010 to apply their same values in cooperative purchasing to renewables procurement.
Naturesave
Totnes-based Naturesave, an ethical and ecological insurance provider, launched the country's first renewable energy all inclusive household insurance policy in January and will shortly be offering a similar standalone small renewable energy policy for systems up to 750kw, currently unavailable in this sector of the market. Awarded the Queens Award for Enterprise in the Sustainable Development they are the first UK insurance provider ever to win it in this category.
Energyshare
An online social network for community energy groups across the UK, Energyshare has a considerable presence in the south west. It runs events involving one of its founding partners, River Cottage. The Energyshare day at River Cottage HQ in Devon, was oversubscribed and proved a great success. The online network brings everyone together from groups and individuals to bodies influencing policy and consultants disseminating best practice. Their website has significant daily traffic as people use it to broadcast information, contact local community groups and generally engage in the energy issue. They have generated significant interest with nearly 1000 groups applying.
LDD
LDD pile installation services to rwe gwynt y mor owf using ld5000 drill rig. Full in house LDD design, engineer and build of a brand new ‘best in class’ monopile foundation drilling rig, LD5000. This is enveloped within overall supply to RWE Gwynt y mor (GYM) OWF of an offshore pile installation drilling service contract over period of 2 years.
Best Renewable Energy Scheme sponsored by Sungift Solar
Montgomery Primary School
This brand new school in Exeter aims to be the country’s first zero-carbon school and should set the precedent for the future design and construction of community use buildings across the UK. Using a combination of sophisticated heating and cooling controls, a solar PV array, air source heating and energy-efficient building materials, it should provide all the school’s energy needs.
Wheal Jane Group
From having a high carbon footprint, this former mining site now hosts the south west’s first solar farm connected to the National Grid, generating enough energy for 400 homes. It is planned to build a new earth science park at the disused tin mine, powered by a host of renewable energy sources including solar, wind, hydro and geothermal.
Dairy Crest (Davidstow)
By installing a biofuel boiler system Dairy Crest has achieved a massive net reduction of 20,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year at their centre in Cornwall. A steam plant and fuel handling facilities now deliver steam for milk pasteurisation and drying of whey. Key to the viability of the installation was the guaranteed biomass supply, installation cost, lifetime maintenance and the ensurance of a continuous steam supply, achieved by recycling grade A wood. This source is clean and free from chemicals ,and no additional trees are felled or wood imported.
Best Community Initiative sponsored by KPMG
Community Power Cornwall
CPC is a cooperative offering shares to those communities it serves, and has so far installed three wind turbines. It expects to continue with further wind and solar-powered projects. It aims to involve the whole community rfom the discussion phase through to the conclusion and beyond, and where possible employs local businesses on the projects. Shareholders benefit from the Feed-in Tariff and CPC is now hoping to be an example to other schemes which have a community-centric ethos.
Wadebridge Renewable Energy Network
WREN aims to develop a broad-based low carbon environment through education and projects. It believes a large number of small-scale projects will have a considerable impact on emissions, and has set itself the target of having 30 per cent of the energy used in Wadebridge being from renewable sources by 2015.
Bristol Green Doors
Set up only last year, Bristol Green Doors has raised the profile of energy efficient retrofitting in the city and surrounding area, creating a community of people interested in sharing their expertise, and encouraging more people to take action in their own homes, so stimulating the demand for green technologies. As part of this work they hope to raise the profile of energy efficiency measures in the city and helped boost understanding of what needs to be done.
Environment Sustainability Group: King Edward VI Community College
Based across three sites in Totnes, the college has worked hard to reduce emissions: it has installed a biomass boiler providing heating and hot water. It has also also commissioned a photovoltaic array and is investigating the possibility of hydropower scheme using the nearby River Dart. At all stages students have been involved and the programme has been of educational value in teaching of the problems of CO2 emissions and resulting climate change.
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Notes to editors
Interviews
To interview Merlin Hyman, Regen SW chief executive, or to contact one of the shortlisted businesses, contact Rachel Hayes on the number below.
About Regen SW
Regen SW is a not for profit company working to enable business, local authorities and other organisations to deliver renewable energy and energy efficiency and build a prosperous low-carbon economy in the south west of England. www.regensw.co.uk
For further information
Please contact Rachel Hayes, Regen SW events and membership manager on 01392 494399 or email rhayes@regensw.co.uk
