Features / Sector spotlight
Sector spotlight: Green energy
Fact…
- 1 gigawatt is the target for solar panel energy production in Bristol by 2020. We have hit 6% of that target to date.
- Low Carbon South West is a leading cluster of companies working to build our green economy and has over 100 members in the Bristol region.
- Temple Quay-based DNV GL is one of the world’s largest renewables companies with over 16,000 employees.
- 25% of energy used by the city council comes from wind turbines at Avonmouth.
Comment: Andrew Garrad; founder, Garrad Hassan
Andrew Garrad has been a pioneer of renewable energy since the early 80s when, in a distinctly inhospitable environment, he and his colleague Unsal Hassan took a leap into wind turbines. Today, Garrad Hassan – now part of DNV GL – is the world’s leading renewable energy consultancy employing more than 370 staff in Temple Quay.
“Bristol is truly a centre for renewable energy. That special position is born out of the juxtaposition of strong green community and strong engineering tradition. As an employer I found it a perfect place to employ bright, ideologically driven people. Bristol has the densest concentration of legal, financial and technical advisors supporting the renewable energy industry in the UK and perhaps even the world. It’s also a lovely place to live – a huge help! Bristol University has the highest level of “retained students” in the country. The fact that Bristol has the world’s second biggest tidal range and is the home of two of the world’s leading tidal turbine manufacturers is no coincidence. Nearby, in Avonmouth, home of the poo bus, we have world-leading waste to energy production. Quite a potent combination!”
Cash for climate change
A Triodos project under construction
Banks are not ordinarily known for their big hearts; Bristol-based Triodos is different. More and more people are switching on to the bank’s renewables arm which operates wind and hydro projects, often on industrial sites. It has seen year-on-year growth of 20-40 per cent for the last five years.
With investments starting at £51, it’s open to all. “We provide individuals with the opportunity to invest alongside others to build, own and operate commercial scale renewable energy projects,” says Matthew Clayton, Executive Director.
“The realities of climate change are evidenced by 2014 being the warmest year on record. We can change our behaviour to reduce our impact, but TR provides a means to take a stake in cleaning up our energy system.”
For the green-minded, figures are reassuringly impressive: “Via the shareholding our average investor generates enough renewable energy annually to meet their own needs and the need of their seven neighbours. And we have paid a dividend to our community of shareholders in 7 or the last 8 years.”
Leading from the front
As European Green Capital 2015, Bristol City Council is near duty bound to lead by example. “Energy is a central theme for our city,” says spokesman James Sterling. “We’re aiming to be the most sustainable city in the UK.”
“We’ve got a range of projects that will help us to be a low carbon organisation but a number of these are within local communities assisting everyday lives of Bristol citizens. At the moment, around 25 per cent of our energy comes from wind turbines at Avonmouth and we’re in the process of installing district heating networks to provide low carbon heat and power to locations across the city.”
“Bristol City Council have started their highly ambitious (but brilliant) rollout of solar PV across their properties,” says Jeannie Meyer of Ecocetera, one of the cooperative of companies involved in installing the first three public systems at Horfield Leisure Centre, Portway Rugby Development Centre and Easton Leisure centre.
“The council owns thousands of properties in the area, so a solar rollout will have a huge impact on the carbon emissions (and energy security) of the city as a whole.”
Waste to power
Wessex Water’s renewable energy company GENeco is injecting gas generated from treating sewage and food waste into the national gas network.
The company built a multimillion plant – the first of its kind in the UK – at Bristol sewage treatment works in Avonmouth, where 75 million cubic metres of sewage waste and 35,000 tonnes of food waste, collected from households, supermarkets and food manufacturers, is treated every year.
It means people living and working in the Bristol area are directly contributing to the production of renewable energy in the city. And what’s more the gas produced is also being used to fuel the Bio-Bus, which is currently providing a service in Bristol.
Wessex Water spokesman Ian Drury said: “Through treating sewage and food that’s unfit for human consumption we’re able to produce enough biomethane to provide a significant supply of gas to the national gas network that’s capable of powering almost 8,500 homes, as well as fuelling our Bio-Bus.”
Community ownership
In May, mayor George Ferguson opened Bristol’s first community-owned solar park at Moorhouse Lane in Hallen, the first of what could be many cropping up around the city. It generates enough electricity to power 500 homes per year.
Low Carbon Gordano (LCG) is working with local contractor Solar Sense to develop community-owned solar farms that seek investment from residents, channelling employment and returns back to the hosts.
“By working collectively, communities are able to develop and invest in local, clean energy production, bringing long-term benefits to local investors and the wider community as a whole,” said Steve Barrett, CEO of Solar Sense.
Jon Gething, chair of LCG, added: “Income from our schemes goes back to local people and is more likely to be spent locally. Any surplus is put into a community fund which is available to fund carbon reduction projects. And if returns are higher than expected, because the sun shines more for example, then the additional income will go into the community fund rather than back to investors.”
Changing habits
Being green isn’t just about where your energy comes from; it’s about how you use it. Organisations in Bristol are in place to help you maximise your consumption.
Council-run scheme Warm Up Bristol works to ensure that Bristol’s homes are as energy efficient as possible. “It’s really important for us to help reduce energy usage of private households and businesses,” says a spokesperson. “This is a unique opportunity for our citizens to find out how we can make your home cosier and cheaper to run.”
Similarly, the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) based in St Peter’s Court on Bedminster Parade, is a charity that guides people through the murky waters of energy, helping people in all income brackets to rethink the way they power their homes through a free advice phone line (0800 082 2234) and community advisors.
How do you change old habits? “It’s to do with empowerment,” says CSE spokesman Tim Weisselberg, “so energy is not a mysterious force coming out of pipes and wires but something that can be managed. We do this by giving advice, managing innovative energy projects, training and supporting others to act, and undertaking research and policy analysis. These are helping people and communities to meet real needs for both environmentally sound and affordable energy services.”
Does solar still pay?
A new solar energy installation in conjunction with Bristol Energy Co-op.
For some years homeowners have been able to earn a quick buck and reduce their energy bills by generating electricity from solar panels on their roofs and feeding it in to the main grid. But with each passing year, the rates paid by the Feed In Tariff (FiT) are going down. Is it still worth installing?
“The overall structure is quite complicated,” says Peter Thompson, chair of Bristol Energy Cooperative. “It pays up to 13.4p per generated unit of electricity for 20 years, with an additional payment for each unit exported to the grid.” As uptake has increased, rates have gone down and, according to Peter, are likely to continue to do so.
But it’s still a viable option. “The FiT is still alive and kicking,” says Jeannie Meyer of Ecocetera. “The idea is that it will reduce gradually now until there is no longer a financial need for it. Panel prices have plummeted in the last three years, meaning that at a domestic level, systems do pay for themselves in under ten years – and of course the FiT is paid for twenty years, so there is a tidy profit still to be made for those that are green at heart.”
Tide of change
The announcement of a tidal lagoon over in Wales is the latest in a long line of conceptual ideas aimed at harnessing the power of the Severn. There has been talk of using the tidal resource on our doorstep for decades but, if nothing has come of it yet, it has created a fertile breeding ground for marine energy expertise.
Bristol is home to two of the world’s largest tidal energy developers, one of which is Marine Current Turbines (MCT). The company was founded in 1999 and was bought by Siemens in 2012, who intended to become the leader in the emerging sector. However – with rumours of financial strife behind the scenes – Siemens divested itself of the company in April, passing it instead to Atlantis.
“This firmly positions Atlantis as a leader in UK tidal power and globally,” said Tim Cornelius, CEO of Atlantis of the acquisition. “MCT has developed a world leading tidal turbine, a world-class engineering team, unrivalled expertise and an impressive portfolio of projects. The deal sees two industry leaders combining to underpin the UK’s position as one of Europe’s tidal power leaders.”
Case study: Going green
Peter Martin is managing director of Band Films, a film and video production company based in Whitby Road in St Philip’s. He runs the company with his brother Tom.
“We use green energy providers at home, so it was a no brainer to carry it across to the business. We assumed using a renewable electricity supplier would be more expensive, but it turned out to be significantly cheaper than any of the big six – we reckon we’re saving about £60 a month.”
He urges other businesses to follow suit: “Do it – what are you waiting for? It makes sense on a lot of levels – from a cost, best practice and marketing point of view there are no cons. Bristol is a very green city, Green Capital of Europe for 2015, so it’s a nice tie-in with that. It makes sense from a marketing point of view for us. It’s good for us and good for our clients – it’s a nice thing to be able to offer.”