Category Archives: Energy

Energy

Bramble Energy announces strategic promotion as it prepares for major growth and new ventures

Cleantech and Hydrogen fuel cell tech specialist promotes Marnie Lake-Carroll from Marketing and Communications Manager to Head of Commercial Operations  

 Cleantech and Hydrogen fuel cell technology specialist Bramble Energy has today announced the promotion of Marnie Lake-Carroll to Head of Commercial Operations, as it prepares for significant scaling activities and commercial projects.

In her new capacity, Marnie will bring together the tech team and commercial delivery, leveraging her unique ability to manage both up and down the organisation. Known for her skills in navigating a team of tech-minded experts, she’ll ensure good communication and smooth commercial relationships across the business while keeping operations, business development, and customer solutions aligned and on track.

With expertise ranging from complex data analysis to strategic internal and external communications and negotiation, she has proved an invaluable asset as Bramble optimises its commercial and competitive positioning in the cleantech industry.

Commenting on her promotion, Marnie says: “I’m honoured to step into the role of Head of Commercial Operations. Bramble Energy is an exciting and dynamic place to work, where talent is truly nurtured from within.

“I’m looking forward to leading our commercial activities as we scale and continue to drive forward. Together, we’re building a sustainable future and solidifying Bramble Energy as a leader in the cleantech industry.”

Marnie has worked with the Bramble brand since 2018, initially focused on establishing and expanding the company’s presence.

Notable accomplishments under her remit include leading the company’s 2022 brand refresh to match its extensive growth. As well as developing a strong look and feel and strategic messaging to place Bramble Energy as a leader in its industry and the Clean Tech sector as a whole, this also involved the design of Bramble’s new headquarters, reflecting company ethos and values, helping to drive productivity.

Additionally, under her leadership, Bramble made the Deloitte UK Fast 50 2023, one of the UK’s foremost technology awards programmes and was announced as the Regional Winner of the South East, further proving the company’s commercial viability.

Marnie has also spearheaded communications around numerous government funded projects including HEIDI and SuRV and is at the forefront of Bramble’s women in engineering initiative, passionate about supporting and attracting female talent to the industry.

Dr Vidal Bharath, COO at Bramble Energy, adds: “We’re thrilled to celebrate Marnie’s promotion today. As we position the company for fast growth, rapid innovation and enhanced commerciality, her leadership and strategic vision will be vital in building that momentum.”

For more information about Bramble Energy visit: www.brambleenergy.com

 

Acquisitions & Partnerships, Energy, News

Domis appoint Stuart Energy As their preferred power generator specialists in the UK

North-West based power generator firm, Stuart Energy, has today announced a strategic partnership with one of the UK’s fastest-growing national construction companies, Domis.

Stuart Energy will now deliver power-generation requirements to Domis construction sites throughout the UK. Together, the partnership is set to create an enhanced proposition within the property sector, with both firms aligned in values, quality and service excellence.

High-profile projects will include Fusion M1 in Deansgate, Luminar Village in Trafford, Obsidian in Salford and Gary Neville’s £400m St Michael’s development to name a few. Mr Neville’s Relentless Developments hopes No.1 St Michael’s will become “the first fully Net Zero Carbon commercial development in the city”.

 

Domis have grown their operations phenomenally in the last seven years. Given the high-profile nature and size of the projects in their portfolio, partnering with a company that shared similar values was an important factor, amongst others, during the tender process.

 

Rory O’Donoghue, Construction Director at Domis said: “We knew that Stuart Energy was the right fit for us. They stood out immediately. As a business, they prioritise their people – customers and employees, pride themselves on the quality of their products and are champions of sustainability – all qualities we liken to and admire.”

 

Similarly to Domis, Stuart Energy have continued to bolster their operations of late, particularly in the North. Their projects include powering the £1.3bn Manchester Airport transformation programme, providing power to the HS2 contract, as well as working on the new A66 road infrastructure programme with Kier Highways as part of the levelling up, which is valued at £1.6bn.

Increasing energy efficiency, diversifying energy sources and creating a culture of sustainability has helped the firm to build on their success.

 

Fred Stuart, Founder and Chairman of Stuart Energy said: “Sustainability and environmental impact is a key priority for us. We saved our clients over £1million in fuel costs this year with our battery system and last month helped clients save close to £300k in fuel savings, as well as 441 tonnes of Co2 used, which is the equivalent of driving around the earth 400 times in an average car!

“We are delighted to have been selected by Domis for their power generator needs. The quality of our products ensure that our customers receive the optimum product features, which include fuel efficient engines, super silenced, leak free and whisper-quiet generators. We were also the first company in the UK to introduce the Fuel Saving and Carbon Reduction Battery Energy Storage system.

“This is a strong partnership with some incredible projects in the making and we look forward to working with the Domis team.”

 

The partnership is already underway and will see Stuart Energy working on a property portfolio worth £800million.

Energy, Green Energy, News, Sustainability

Scottish Government Approves 228MW:456MWh Smeaton Battery Energy Storage System

Kona Energy, a leader in energy storage development, is pleased to announce that the Scottish Government has granted consent for the construction and operation of the Smeaton Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), a 228MW:456MWh project near Dalkeith, East Lothian. This development is set to significantly contribute to the decarbonisation of the UK grid, achieving estimated carbon savings of roughly 15,368 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year.

The Smeaton BESS will store energy from renewable sources and release it during peak demand, reducing grid constraints and lowering energy costs for consumers. The project’s strategic geographical location will play a critical role in enhancing grid resilience and supporting the UK’s transition to a zero-carbon future.

 

Using the same methodology as previous Kona assessments, the Smeaton BESS is expected to save 15,368 tonnes of CO2 equivalent in its first year. This is the equivalent of offsetting the emissions from 17,328 average UK homes – not including heating.

The Smeaton BESS is strategically positioned to particularly reduce energy constraints and related costs on the UK grid. National Grid ESO estimates show that constraint costs could reach as high as £3bn in 2029, with the bulk of this coming from curtailing wind in Scotland.

Projects such as the Smeaton BESS are vital in bringing these costs down, reducing bills for consumers and preventing the waste of clean energy generation.

 

With the nearby Torness nuclear power station due to shut down in 2028, the project will also play a key role in improving local network stability.

The project aligns with Kona Energy’s ongoing work with the Electricity System Operator (ESO) and National Grid to mitigate energy constraints and improve network stability. Kona jointly wrote a proposal paper illustrating how ESO can use batteries to rapidly reduce the public cost of constraints. This was done in partnership with Zenobē, Eku and Field in response to the ESO’s Constraints Collaboration Project.

 

Kona Energy, advised by Opus Corporate Finance LLP, will shortly be seeking investment to bring the Smeaton BESS project to market. To support the project’s delivery, Dr Lu Zhang, previously with Hithium, a leading Chinese cell manufacturer, has joined Kona Energy as Technical Director. Dr Zhang’s expertise will be vital in maximising the project’s potential and ensuring its successful and speedy implementation.

 

Andy Willis, Kona Energy Founder, commented:

“This is fantastic news, adding to Kona’s growing portfolio of work. This project represents a significant step forward in decarbonising the UK’s electricity grid while providing tangible and real benefits in terms of cost reduction and energy security. We are eager to collaborate with investors and partners in order to deliver this project on a rapid timescale.”

“Tackling constraint costs is vital in not only bringing down consumer bills and preventing the costly waste of clean generation, but also for retaining public trust in reaching Net Zero. The huge financial burden of prohibiting wind turbines from operating is becoming a more relevant topic in the wider debate – rightly so. Our industry must do more to tackle this, and projects such as the Smeaton BESS will help to significantly reduce the waste involved.”

“Its strategic location will give it a unique role to play in drastically slashing constraint costs and consumer bills – that was one of the key reasons why our development team was so enthusiastic about the project’s potential.”

“I’d like to thank the Scottish Government for their positive engagement on the project, and look forward to working with them again in the future in order to deliver our shared Net Zero goal.”

Energy, Green Energy, News

Government must do more to unlock hydropower potential, says BHA

The British Hydropower Association has today called on the Government to do more to unlock the potential for Hydropower and Pumped Storage Hydro (PSH), if the UK is to reach its net-zero target by 2030.

It follows the announcement today (Wed) by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, to increase the budget for this year’s renewable energy auction by £500 million, taking it to over £1.5 billion.

 

Kate Gilmartin, CEO of the British Hydropower Association, said: “Although the BHA welcomes the UK Government’s clear commitment to deliver more renewable energy generation to meet their target of decarbonising the grid by 2030, this is only one piece of the puzzle.

“Large scale generation is hampered by grid constraints and unlocking Pumped Storage Hydropower will be key to reducing curtailment and rebalancing costs.

“There is still no support for sub-5MW generation like Hydropower which will be critical to decarbonising across the distribution network as rural communities look to decarbonise transport and heat, putting significant additional load on the grid.

“The Government must follow up with an holistic approach that factors in the entire network and the ramping up of electrification of transport, heat and industry.”

Earlier this week the BHA and Scottish Renewables signed a joint letter to Mr Miliband, as well as his cabinet colleagues Ian Murray, the Secretary of State for Scotland, and Jo Stevens, the Secretary of State for Wales, urging the UK Government to support the deployment of long-duration electricity storage (LDES), including pumped storage hydro (PSH).

In the letter, co-signed by many major developers of PSH in the UK, the trade bodies call on the UK Government to urgently introduce a ‘cap and floor mechanism’ for LDES to enable the delivery of the PSH pipeline which currently stands at more than 9GW of capacity, including several shovel ready projects.

 

The ‘cap and floor’ is designed to unlock investment by striking a balance between commercial incentives and appropriate risk mitigation for project developers. The ‘floor’ provides a minimum revenue certainty for investors, with a regulated limit, or a ‘cap’ on revenues to avoid excessive returns to developers.

With the delivery of a LDES ‘cap and floor’ mechanism, PSH can play a key role in supporting the UK Government’s net-zero targets and helping secure Britain’s clean energy future.

 

PSH is essential for storing energy from variable renewable sources like wind and solar, ensuring power availability when demand is highest.

To enable the delivery of the LDES ‘cap and floor’ mechanism, the industry is urging the UK Government to:

  • Publish its response to the 2024 LDES consultation by August, confirming the decision to develop a cap and floor mechanism.
  • Commit to establishing a policy framework by the end of 2024, with a consultation on the scheme’s detailed design in early autumn.
  • Commit to opening the first application window for LDES technologies in early 2025 at the latest.

 

 

Image: Ian Murray with Kate Gilmartin at the BHA’s recent event

Energy, Green Energy, News, Renewable Energy News, Sustainability, Technology, Wiltshire News

Renewables company Sinewave chooses Mintivo as strategic IT partner to help home in on £100 million turnover target

RENEWABLES company Sinewave has appointed Mintivo as its strategic IT partner to help reach its £100 million turnover target within five years.

The Swindon-based independent connection provider designs and builds electrical infrastructure solutions for major EV charging stations, Renewable sites and has more than 2,500 maintenance sites across the UK, including supermarkets, factories and battery storage sites.

Sinewave CEO Adam Woodley said the nine-year-old company chose Chippenham-based Mintivo, which offers managed IT support, consultancy, cyber security and automation, because of its track record in helping companies push their boundaries through strategic IT development.

“We need an IT partner who is going to push us to make sure that we’re at the top of our game and that we’re not falling behind the competition,” he said. “Having someone that’s agile, forward thinking, also growing and can understand us as a business is really important.

Sinewave, which became B-Corp certified in 2022, is one of the top UK companies helping lead the charge into renewable energy and its 60 per cent growth over the last year reflects the surge in sustainable projects as industry gets to grips with climate change.

“We’re in the energy transformation sector and if you look at the government’s agenda, if you look at net zero targets, existing energy sources are all turning green,” said Mr Woodley.

“We’ve grown because of this pace of change and the increasing size of the projects we are undertaking. If you go back five years we were looking at five megawatt solar parks, we’re now connecting solar parks that are 120 megawatts, so significantly bigger. That drives the opportunity for growth that we have.”

Its work includes connecting large-scale projects that are helping convert traditionally diesel-powered vehicles, like buses, HGVs and shoreside maritime equipment, to cleaner electricity. It is currently engaged on an £11 million contract in Stockton-on-Tees that includes three solar parks and eight kilometres of cabling.

“Our involvement in these projects is the infrastructure, bringing in electricity from the grid,  connecting the renewable energy sources up so it can then power them and then bringing those renewable energy sources back onto the grid,” said Mr Woodley.

The company has around 40 staff at its Swindon base and 50 more engineers working remotely around the UK. It is forecasting £35 million turnover this year but Mr Woodley said its ambition is to keep growing on the back of the sustainable energy boom. “We have a target to be a £100 million business in the next five years, with a headcount of around 250,” he said.

Mintivo is charged with keeping Sinewave’s remote staff connected and its workforce management system resilient. “The workforce management system runs our end-to-end process, from bid management right through to contract management, deployment of field engineers and down to the final invoicing,” said Mr Woodley.

“We have a lot of field-based staff who may not come into the office, in some cases for months on end, so making sure their connectivity, their support, is there is really important to us.

“If we lose a couple of hours because of an IT outage or there’s an issue with systems that means we lose data, we’re not going to be compliant on projects. We are also measuring our carbon footprint across all of our projects to be able to offset. Every project we do is carbon neutral.”

Mintivo Managing Director Alex Jukes said the two companies are aligned in their values because they are of similar age and size. “We understand the challenges they have because we’ve been going through a similar journey ,” he said.

“We’re fortunate because Sinewave is so forward thinking, they’ve got a very clear vision for the future. We will be advising Adam and his team on how IT can support them, what routes will be the right ones and then help them to make the right decisions in getting there more efficiently from an IT point of view.”

Mintivo is already helping Sinewave migrate to a fully cloud-based system and exploring the use of AI to help staff work more efficiently. “We’re looking at AI to streamline some of our existing processes to make sure that we’re making the systems work harder for us and allowing our team to concentrate on the more technical and enjoyable aspects of their jobs,” said Mr Woodley.

Mr Jukes said: “We’re excited to be working with a company like Sinewave. Our responsibility is to use our strategic knowledge to ensure the opportunities to leverage technology better are efficient, scalable and secure.

“We’re going to be focused on the future with Sinewave and how we can help push them forward.”

Find out more about Sinewave at sinewave.co.uk and about Mintivo’s services at Mintivo.co.uk.

—

Pictured: Mintivo Managing Director Alex Jukes, left, with Sinewave CEO Adam Woodley

Energy, Green Energy, News, Scotland, Sustainability, Wales

UK Government must invest in hydropower, industry tells Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero

  • British Hydropower Association and Scottish Renewables leading calls for a ‘cap and floor’ mechanism to accelerate investment and demonstrate a “step-change” in decision-making 
  • UK has a pipeline of more than 9GW including several ‘shovel ready’ projects, but inaction has been costing consumers

 

The British Hydropower Association and Scottish Renewables have written a joint letter to Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ian Murray, the Secretary of State for Scotland, and Jo Stevens, the Secretary of State for Wales, urging the UK Government to support the deployment of long-duration electricity storage (LDES), including pumped storage hydro (PSH).

In the letter, which is co-signed by all major developers of PSH in the UK, the trade bodies called on the UK Government to urgently introduce a ‘cap and floor mechanism’ for LDES to enable the delivery of the PSH pipeline which currently stands at more than 9GW of capacity, including several shovel ready projects.

Ian Murray & Kate Gilmartin at the BHA’s recent event

The ‘cap and floor’ is designed to unlock investment by striking a balance between commercial incentives and appropriate risk mitigation for project developers. The ‘floor’ provides a minimum revenue certainty for investors, with a regulated limit, or a ‘cap’ on revenues to avoid excessive returns to developers.

With the delivery of a LDES ‘cap and floor’ mechanism, PSH can play a key role in supporting the UK Government’s net-zero targets and helping secure Britain’s clean energy future.

PSH is essential for storing energy from variable renewable sources like wind and solar, ensuring power availability when demand is highest.

 

To enable the delivery of the LDES ‘cap and floor’ mechanism, the industry is urging the UK Government to:

  • Publish its response to the 2024 LDES consultation by August, confirming the decision to develop a cap and floor mechanism.
  • Commit to establishing a policy framework by the end of 2024, with a consultation on the scheme’s detailed design in early autumn.
  • Commit to opening the first application window for LDES technologies in early 2025 at the latest.
Ian Murray addressing the BHA’s recent event in his first official ministerial engagement

Ian Murray MP recently attended a high-profile BHA event in his first official engagement since being appointed to the UK cabinet where he indicated that the UK Government understood the importance of ‘cap and floor’ and said it “was key” to securing investment in new projects.

 

Kate Gilmartin, CEO of the British Hydropower Association, said:

“With economic growth and renewable energy at the centre of the new government’s agenda, there is an opportunity to demonstrate a step-change in decision-making after years of delay and uncertainty.

“By prioritising the urgent delivery of a cap and floor mechanism, we can send positive signals to international investors and trigger large-scale capital projects and job creation.”

Claire Mack, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said:

“The UK Government has set a bold and ambitious target of achieving clean power by 2030. To deliver on this target, it is essential that Long Duration Electricity Storage is deployed at pace alongside renewable generation.

“As a well-established technology with a multi-gigawatt pipeline and several ‘shovel ready’ projects, Pumped Storage Hydro is a key technology to smoothly integrate the increase in generation we require, help reduce system costs and deliver huge economic benefits across the country.

“However, despite the extensive benefits of these projects being clear, the lack of policy support has meant that no new Pumped Storage Hydro capacity has been built in the UK for over forty years. By urgently delivering a cap and floor mechanism for Long Duration Electricity Storage, the UK Government therefore has an opportunity to put an end to years of delay and uncertainty and unlock the investment required for these projects to play their crucial role in enabling Britain to become a clean energy superpower.”

Cruachan Dam

The Scottish Renewables report, ‘The Economic Impact of Pumped Storage Hydro’, indicates that six PSH projects under development could deliver £5.8 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) and create nearly 15,000 jobs by 2035.

Additionally, a Department for Energy Security and Net Zero analysis estimates system savings of up to £24 billion from deploying up to 20GW of long-duration electricity storage.

 

The BHA and Scottish Renewables represent developers with a combined pipeline of more than 9GW of new PSH projects, offering over 190GWh of storage capacity. Many of these projects are described as “shovel ready,” awaiting only the implementation of an appropriate cap and floor mechanism to enable deployment.

 

Articles & News, Energy

Sunpower Services and Swanley Town Council Team Up to Join the Sustainable Energy Revolution

Sunpower Services and Swanley Town Council have joined forces in an eco-friendly alliance to help transform Swanley into a leader in sustainable energy, whilst saving money.

This progressive partnership has commenced with the completely free installation of state-of-the-art solar panels at Swanley Park, where the rooftop of the soft play area and cafe now showcase cutting-edge renewable energy innovation, in the form of PV solar panels. A greener future is welcomed, as Sunpower Services lights up Swanley with the power of the sun.

Sunpower Services, based in Strood, Kent, are currently the only company in the UK to be offering businesses free solar panel installation. This initiative marks a comprehensive solar energy programme, that aims to reduce carbon emissions and energy costs, and set a benchmark for renewable energy adoption in the region.

Solar panels offer several key benefits, highlighting why more community areas should consider embracing this technology. They generate power on-site, leading to significant cost savings by reducing electricity bills and transmission costs, which is crucial for community centres and public facilities aiming to manage their budgets more effectively.

Given these benefits, installing solar panels in community spaces not only supports financial and environmental goals, but also fosters a sustainable future for everyone involved. With the panels being installed at no charge, Sunpower Services are certainly making waves in reducing carbon emissions in the UK.

Swanley Town Council is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 as part of its ten-year plan. The installation of solar panels at Swanley Park is a significant milestone in this journey.  The collaboration with Sunpower Services not only supports this goal but also demonstrates the feasibility and benefits of solar energy for other councils and businesses.

Ryan Hayman, CEO of Swanley Town Council, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership:

“Swanley Town Council are proud to be the first authority in the country to partner with Sunpower Services to install panels at Swanley Park on our Soft Play Centre and Café. These panels help us towards our pledge to be carbon neutral by 2030, as part of our ten-year strategic plan. Working with them has been a pleasure, and we look forward to expanding our solar portfolio working alongside them in the future.”

This partnership between Sunpower Services and Swanley Town Council is just the beginning. Both parties are committed to expanding the solar energy initiative, with plans to install additional panels across various council properties. This expansion will further solidify Swanley’s position as a leader in sustainable energy, and inspire other communities to follow suit.

 

About Sunpower Services

Sunpower Services is a leading provider of solar energy solutions, specialising in the installation of photovoltaic (PV) panels for commercial and public sector clients. With a focus on sustainability, innovation, and customer satisfaction, Sunpower Services is dedicated to helping businesses and communities transition to renewable energy sources.

Click this link to view Sunpower Services’ YouTube Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@SunpowerServices

 

Energy, Green Energy, News, Renewable Energy News

Vertus Energy secures €8.75m seed funding to drive delivery of European renewable energy agenda

  • Proven technology receives further backing from global to scale carbon negative energy production, set to revolutionise the Waste-to-X* sector.
  • New funding powers expansion, aligning with ambitious EU targets, making biomethane more economically viable and accessible, contributing to the global transition towards a more resilient, versatile and sustainable energy system;.
  • Expansion secures path to first commercial scale unit in Europe. 

 

London, UK, GMT 27 June 2024: Vertus Energy – a Waste-to-X* industrial biotech startup specialising in advanced control of bacteria behaviour – has closed a EUR 8.75 million seed funding round, it was announced today.

The funding, led by prominent global investors Energy Capital Ventures®, joined by Blackbird, the Amadeus APEX Technology Fund and Aussie Angels, alongside all their existing investors, will be used to scale the firm’s flagship product, BRIO, into pilot projects.

BRIO – a product of extensive research and development – is a revolutionary biogas technology that:

 

  • Generates biomethane up to 3 times faster than currently possible
  • Boosts energy production by up to 60% from the same amount of waste
  • Is flexible, having the potential to service the entire industry, at every scale
  • Easily retrofits into existing anaerobic digestion plants
  • Is highly adaptable to diverse systems – controls existing bacteria rather than by introducing new bacteria, enabling the potential to utilise any waste stream.

 

The new funding will be directed towards accelerating the adoption of the BRIO technology in commercial units across various applications, from full scale wastewater treatment plants to the large-scale biogas plants, that are integral components of the renewable energy ecosystem.

The global biogas market is projected to grow at around 5.2% annually from 2020 to 2030, reaching $86.7 billion by 2030. Europe is expected to be one of the major players in this field, having set biomethane production targets to reach 35 billion cubic metres (bcm) per year by 2030.

 

Vertus Energy is a Waste-to-X industrial biotech startup specialising in advanced control of bacteria behaviour. Encouraged by the region’s ambitious biomethane production agenda, the company made the strategic move of establishing its regional HQ in Vienna, Austria, to expand influence across the breadth of Europe and the UK, where existing AD plant infrastructure increased by 30%  to reach a total of 1,322 biomethane-producing facilities by April 2023.

 

Leading the operations from the UK, Co-founder and COO, Benjamin Howard will focus on delivering Vertus Energy projects across Europe and implementing a strategy for global commercialisation.

“Vertus Energy is determined to radically improve access to sustainable energy and help Europe meet its renewable energy objectives,” he says. “Thanks to the backing of our proprietary BRIO technology by world-class investors, we’re able to deliver some key objectives.

“We’ve already established relationships with global players, who have recognised how the technology can help them to meet their renewable energy goals and are genuinely excited by what we can deliver. It’s an incredible time for us as we partner with companies to pursue an enormous common benefit, impacting on global energy equity, sustainability and resilience. BRIO is the first of many innovations we’re working on; but our purpose remains the same. ‘Delivering Energy Justice for All’.”

 

Vic Pascucci, Managing General Partner and Cofounder of Energy Capital Ventures, comments: “As the only venture capital fund solely dedicated to green molecules™, we have devoted the last several years to analysing technologies and start-ups in biogas, biomethanation and renewable natural gas.  It was abundantly clear from our exhaustive due diligence that Vertus Energy’s technology, commercial progress and team were far superior to anything in the market.  We backed Vertus Energy because they have a fantastic team, clearly demonstrative technology and verifiable results that vastly surpass competitive options.”

 

For Wolfgang Neubert, General Partner at the Amadeus APEX Technology Fund, it was the scientific data that drew them to invest. He comments: “We were impressed by Vertus’ commitment to deep-tech innovation and their solid foundation of scientific data. It aligned perfectly with our focus on supporting companies that are not only driven by innovation but also committed to sustainability. Looking through a long-term lens, we are excited by BRIO’s potential for further advancements in the biogas market and look forward to uncovering those broader possibilities, with Vertus being positioned at the forefront of the sustainable energy push.”

 

Energy, Green Energy, Hospitality, News, Sustainability

Highlands Hotel Reaches World ‘Green’ Final

Pioneering Energy Centre gets Worldwide Recognition

A highlands hotel that built a pioneering Energy Centre will take its place amongst global names after being short-listed in the first World Sustainable Travel and Hospitality Awards.

 

The family-run Glen Mhor Hotel in Inverness developed Scotland’s first ever Water Source Energy solution centre in 2021, in a historic conservation area, saving 250 tonnes of carbon per year.

It initiated its own Climate Action Plan and has introduced programmes to promote inclusion and positive mental health, with its 146 employees each having an individual Green job title.

Now its climate action and people initiatives have been rewarded with listings in three categories for the worldwide award; the only business in Scotland to be named, and one of only two in Britain.

 

Selected from hundreds of entries, the Glen Mhor will now go up against international chains, resorts and famous names in the global vote, which is now open to everyone.

Voting will close on 2nd August and the winners in each category will be announced in the inaugural ceremony in Belize on 27th September.

 

The Glen Mhor Hotel, which also uses its £8m Energy Centre to produce malt whisky and craft beer at its on-site Uile-bheist Distillery and Brewery, scored high with judges on three aspects.

Its nominations are for World Leading Sustainable Energy Efficiency Initiative, World leading Sustainable Water and Waste Innovation and the World’s Leading Sustainable Employer.

 

The Award categories were chosen to reflect the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and will be contested by brands such as Accor, Radisson and Mandarin Oriental.

 

Victoria Erasmus, Sustainability Director, Uile-bheist distillery, Inverness.

“When we evaluated our business with a desire to future-proof with renewable technology and practices, we knew we had to take bold steps in order to achieve our net zero goals,” recalls Victoria Erasmus, Sustainability Director.

“Our Energy Centre and sustainable technology had never been used before and we had the challenge of building during lockdown in a historic conservation area and during the Covid pandemic. Despite the challenges and the risks, we were driven by the urgency to address a global climate crisis.

“As a smaller player among these fellow nominees, I am incredibly proud of our team’s efforts and honoured to have been shortlisted. This recognition is a testament to the fact that everyone in the hospitality industry, not just the large chains and resorts, can make a significant impact on sustainability and climate change. The journey has been challenging, but this acknowledgement is the ultimate reward for our hard work and dedication.”

 

The Glen Mhor’s Energy Centre was showcased as an exemplar at the All Energy Conference in Glasgow in May.

When it became operational, it removed 20 gas boilers from the hotel and provided a new water source for heating and hot water.  Electricity usage was reduced by solar panels and the Glen Mhor will be carbon neutral by 2030.

 

As well as transforming operational practices, the 126-room hotel by the River Ness has won praise for its staff initiatives, with 20 trained mental health first aiders, sensory recruitment practices and measures to promote inclusion in hospitality.

“Sustainability is at the heart for our staff and training,” explained Victoria. “In our business, every role is a green role, designed with environmental responsibility in mind. This approach is essential for transforming both attitudes and operational practices.”

 

The only other UK entry is Weeva Limited UK in the World Leading Sustainable Technology category. Members of the public can vote by visiting https://wstha.com/

 

Appointments, Business, Employment, Energy, Job Opportunities, Jobs

250 new jobs created at Consumer Energy Solutions

SWANSEA-BASED energy efficiency firm Consumer Energy Solutions (CES) has recruited 250 new staff so far this year as it experiences growing demand for its products and services.

The recruitment drive follows the opening of two new offices in Swansea’s SA1 waterfront area at the end of 2023 as the company addresses those growing demands.

The fast-growing company now has a workforce of more than 700 people, supporting customers in energy-proofing their homes to reduce their carbon footprint, and ultimately, their energy bills.

The new hires span across various departments, including administration, customer service, finance, people services, heating, insulation, renewables and electrics.

Lewis John, Managing Director, Consumer Energy Solutions, said: “At CES, we are deeply committed to fostering economic growth and prosperity in the regions where we operate.

“Our investment in expanding our workforce underscores our belief in the potential of local talent and our commitment to providing meaningful employment opportunities.

“By nurturing a skilled and diverse team, of which we have massive ambitions to grow even further, we not only strengthen our ability to deliver exceptional service to our customers but also contribute to the vitality of the communities we serve.

“We firmly believe that by investing in people, we can drive positive change and make a lasting impact on both the environment and the economy.”

Established in 2016, Consumer Energy Solutions (CES) delivers money-saving energy efficiency improvements to homes across South Wales and the South West.

 

Current Consumer Energy Solutions career opportunities can be found here: https://careers.consumerenergysolutions.co.uk/

For more information, visit: https://www.consumerenergysolutions.co.uk/