Despite Americans becoming increasingly sceptical about man-made climate change, Al Gore does not despair as you’ll discover in this great radio interview by Mike Williams for BBC One Planet.
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Category Archives: Energy efficiency
Why cutting carbon is good for you
I believe that good business goes hand-in-hand with positive social and environmental actions, which is why we chose to be Planet Positive.
Planet Positive certification is an international recognition of the highest sustainability standards. Planet Positive has measured the carbon footprint of our business ( it is 8.81 tCO2e ) and we have made a commitment to reduce emissions by 5% on an annual basis. One way that we are cutting carbon is through technology. Cloud-based apps enable our consultants to work smarter, reduce our impact, and make time for the important stuff that matters, like family and children. We think this is a good way to run a business, just like our friends over at Planet Positive and Salesforce.com who made this short movie to show that cutting carbon and good living go hand-in-hand.
IPSO shines a light on Solar
IPSol provides testing, certification and consultancy services to the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry writes Tim Carter of IPSO Ventures.
While its customers are the manufacturers of the solar panels you see on roofs and in solar farms, the value of what it does cascades through the supply chain all the way to the beneficiaries of the clean energy that is generated. The economics of solar electricity production rely in significant part on the long-term performance of the panels, generating day-in-day-out for 15-25 years. Such assurance comes in the shape of an international system of certification that rigorously assesses safety, performance and reliability.
IPSol has recently been recommended for accreditation to test these international standards by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service. It is the first such lab in the UK, and competes with only a handful of specialist providers around the world. Partnered with the Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology (CREST) at Loughborough University, it is also able to provide bespoke testing and measurement for clients developing new PV products, including thin film and concentrator panels. A consultancy division completes its service offering, allowing IPSol to advise on aspects of solar PV from manufacture to design, installation and monitoring.
So why did we invest?
A couple of years ago IPSO Ventures looked to make its first play in the clean energy market. While solar was and remains an attractive sector, even then there were a reported 150+ privately-backed solar PV technology companies globally. So IPSO looked further for its opportunity in this gold rush, eventually focussing on the significant unmet needs in testing and certification. IPSol was the result, and its timing could not have been better.
UK solar, long a small backwater of the fiercely growing global clean energy market, was finally poised to enter the mainstream. In April last year the government introduced a ‘feed-in tariff’ for the generation of clean energy, including solar PV. A similar subsidy in Germany has given it the largest installed PV capacity in the world, and that despite no more sunshine than in the UK. From just a few installed MW of PV capacity at the introduction of the tariff, the UK now has around 500 MW. The growth potential of IPSol lies in international growth and this massively expanding, but naïve, national market, which requires testing and advice.
IPSol did not find easy traction with the venture capital community, not being based upon disruptive technology and a 20x return. However, for those with knowledge of the solar PV market the business’s solid fundamentals, lower risk profile and high capex spend proved an attractive package. Following seed investment by IPSO, the company raised £400k in finance late last year predominantly from angel investors. The company is currently considering raising growth capital, enabling it to take full advantage of the current expansion in its customer base.
Greenpoint becomes Planet Positive
Planet Positive
We’ve measured our carbon footprint – and we’ve made a commitment to reducing our emissions by 5% on an annual basis with Planet Positive.
In becoming a Planet Positive certified business, we have had our footprint independently measured and reported by Planet Positive. It stands at 8.81 tCO2e. We have joined pioneering companies like Land Securities and Deloitte in precisely measuring our carbon footprint and taking steps to reduce it.
As part of the certification, businesses make an investment into approved sustainability projects through the Planet Positive Foundation, a UK-registered charity.
Greenpoint has chosen to support the Planet Positive Schools Programme engaging children and their families with sustainability and creating links between businesses and schools.
“We believe that good business goes hand-in-hand with positive social and environmental actions,” said Michael Saxton, Director of Greenpoint. “Achieving and maintaining our Planet Positive certification demonstrates our commitment to reduce our carbon emissions and environmental impacts. Our employees are a major part of this activity and, along with Planet Positive, they will help us create a better way of doing business.”
The certification is based on the internationally recognised Planet Positive Protocol, which brings together sustainability methodologies from around the world. The Protocol is administered by an independent Technical Committee of academics and experts to ensure that it is always at the forefront of best practice.
Martin Goodman, Executive Chairman of Planet Positive, said: “Planet Positive is about taking action. We are delighted that Greenpoint PR has shown leadership and become Planet Positive certified. They can prove their commitment to the environment by cutting their carbon emissions, saving energy and saving money. Being green is good for employees, good for sales and good for business. Greenpoint is now part of the solution.”
Planet Positive is an international certification and environmental management system for businesses, products, buildings and services. Certification demonstrates a company’s commitment to environmental sustainability to employees, stakeholders and customers.
Planet Positive goes beyond compliance into proof of action, behaviour change and encouraging business to support local and global sustainability projects. The Planet Positive Foundation, a UK registered charity, has been established to develop, promote and fund sustainability projects locally, nationally and internationally.
Sustainability Benefits Exceed Expectations
A survey by Accenture indicates that the majority of businesses think that the benefits resulting from their sustainability initiatives have exceeded expectations. Although, the research also showed that a hard core minority of businesses does not see sustainability as a critical or strategic investment.
The survey of 247 board level decision makers including CEOs in the US, UK and China, were asked their views and opinions on sustainability in the business sector, why and how they are changing to become more sustainable and what they see the government’s role in sustainability is.
The survey revealed that 72% think the benefits of their sustainability initiatives exceeded expectations. Only 4% failed to meet expectations.
The survey indicated that 93 percent of respondents say their company currently has sustainability initiatives. The most common focus areas are reducing the amount of electricity used and green IT (both cited by 51 percent), followed by sustainability talent and skills initiatives (47 percent) and then, the development of sustainability based new products and services (44 percent).
“It’s clear that sustainability is no longer merely a matter of compliance, but a proactive way to energize commercial strategy,” said Bruno Berthon, managing director, Accenture Sustainability Services. “Measuring sustainability performance and results is the first practical step business leaders need to make, but requires new skills and proven methodologies. Get it right and sustainability champions can form a business case, galvanize internal support and actively secure shareholder support.”
The survey highlights a disparity between assumed and actual drivers of sustainability initiatives. Companies expect that business in general will be driven by three key external factors: investment pressure, regulations and customer expectations. In reality, however, the top motivations are a genuine concern for the environment and society (cited by 53 percent) and reducing energy and material costs (50 percent). Also important are customer expectations (47 percent) and an opportunity for higher margins and business growth (45 percent).
Cost is the most significant barrier to sustainability initiatives, with 43 percent of respondents identifying it. Other key barriers include the inability to measure sustainability initiatives (31 percent), the lack of government / local government incentives (30 percent) and the belief that one company can’t make a difference to global warming (29 percent).
When asked who should be more responsible for ensuring progress is made in a sustainable way, 41 percent say businesses should, versus 36 percent who think government should be more responsible and 23 percent who identify individuals. Almost half (47 percent) of respondents think that business is doing the most to promote sustainable progress, against only 28 percent who think governments are and 26 percent who identify individuals.
Accenture carried out the survey in advance of Sustainability 24, a global broadcast that brought together businesses and local government leaders from around the world to demonstrate best practice in sustainability. And similar themes were explored at the ULI Trends Conference in Amsterdam, which Greenpoint PR promoted to media, ULI members, private and public sector stakeholders.
A version of this article was first published in Human Resources magazine (July 2011).
Storing up problems for the future
Late last year I wrote about the coalition government’s plans for the UK Energy Policy on the LessEn website, highlighting its planned investment of £200 billion in the sector by 2020. The UK has ambitious environmental targets. It aims to decarbonise the UK economy by 2030 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.
Now, a report from the Energy and Climate Change Committee, which is made up of MPs from all parties, has raised concern about the UK’s Energy Policy. MPs argue that National Policy Statements (NPSs) need to encourage the ‘right kind of investments’. The committee is concerned that due to the need for new energy infrastructure, renewables will be crowded out in favour of easier and cheaper options.
The primary concern is over a potential ‘dash for gas’ as utility companies see this as a quick fix. According to data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, power from a natural gas -fired power plant costs $54 per megawatt hour, as opposed to $176 for energy coming from an offshore wind farm. Although a gas-fired power station emits around half the CO2 of a coal-fired plant, it is still a fossil fuel. If the UK is to meet a target of getting 15% of our energy from renewable sources by 2015, choosing this option would be a retrograde move.
So what gives? It is estimated that around 25% of our energy generation capacity will go offline by 2015 so we need something to replace it. The government must resist taking quick and simple options. As gas-fired power plants can be built within 18 months government and policy makers are sure to be looking to these as a replacement. There are already five applications for such plants under consideration.
We need therefore to look towards the Select Committee for teeth. It argues that we should limit fossil fuel-based generation to no more than is strictly necessary. Otherwise, it concludes we are just storing up problems for the future. And that’s a legacy that no government can afford to shoulder: the price then will be far too high.
New York’s Green Giant
Malkin Holdings, the management team of The Empire State Building, are already among the greenest in the commercial property sector thanks to the massive investment they have made in energy efficient retrofitting. Now, CEO Tony Malkin is now upping the ante with a commitment to buy the landmark building’s energy from renewable sources.
To achieve this, the Empire State Building will purchase 55 million kilowatt-hours worth of Renewable Energy Certificates annually — enough to cover its yearly electricity consumption – from Green Mountain Energy, a renewable power and carbon offset retailer. The certificates are sourced through NRG’s wind power facilities. Tony Malkin believes the move will deliver a competitive advantage in attracting the best credit tenants at the best rents.
Renewable energy certificates are non-tangible assets representing the environmental, social, and other non-power qualities of renewable electricity generation. One R.E.C. is created for every 1,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable power generated, and the certificates can be sold with, or in some cases separately, from the power.
There is some scepticism around R.E.C. sales, notably around their use as a bit of greenwash. The Utility Reform Network, a California consumer advocacy organization, suggests there are two scenarios where R.E.C. sales do make a difference:
(1) The R.E.C.’s are sold under a long-term contract and this long-term contract allows a new renewable generation facility to receive financing and achieve commercial operations. In this case, the long-term R.E.C. deal provides critical revenues that enable the project to be financed.
(2) The R.E.C.’s are sold by a facility with high operational costs and the facility would shut down without future R.E.C. revenues. It is possible that some high-cost biomass plants could meet this criterion if their fuel costs are significant and they lack a sufficiently lucrative energy off-take agreement. The key question is whether the facility is likely to continue to operate based only on energy market revenues (without any R.E.C. sales). In the case of an existing wind project, there is no chance that a R.E.C. deal makes a difference because the operational costs are low and most wind projects receive lucrative federal tax credits based on production over the first 10 years. Once a wind project is online, the facility will continue to operate with or without a R.E.C. deal.
What’s clear is that The Empire State Building’s R.E.C. outlay is significant: it will more than double the amount of renewable power that any other commercial customer in New York City is currently buying.
And open and shut case for energy efficiency
Can you imagine leaving your front door open during the current big freeze to welcome in your neighbours for a Christmas drink? That’s exactly what retailers and restaurants up and down the country are doing to entice customers.
But it’s all a waste of energy and time according to a study by Cambridge University. Not only are so-called ‘open door’ policies hugely wasteful in energy terms and contributors towards generating more carbon dioxide emissions, but also they have no discernible impact upon footfall and can create a working environment which causes discomfort for staff.
Two Cambridge stores took part in the University study: an independent toy shop and a branch of the national stationery chain, Ryman. In both cases, the heating was turned on at the start of business hours and was turned off once the set point temperature was reached. In the ‘Open Door’ tests, the fan heaters above the doors (known as air curtains) remained turned on throughout the whole day. In the ‘Closed Door’ test, the fan heaters remained off throughout the whole day. This methodology mirrored the way that the majority of stores and restaurants up and down the country operate: blasting hot air downwards over an open doorway to woo customers from the street with their warmth.
The energy and carbon savings made the Closed Door approach are nothing short of staggering: 30% in the example of the toy shop and 54% in the case of Ryman.
Kevin McCloud, the well-known TV presenter of Grand Designs, urged all shops to sign up to the Close the Door Campaign. He said: “Leaving the door open in winter to heat the street can double energy consumption and make a pretty job of just heating the planet. So just close the door, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, halve energy bills, and make customers and staff more comfortable into the bargain.”
His words were echoed this weekend by Chris Huhne, the energy secretary, who condemned retailers for their open door policies. He said: “This is irresponsible. Leaving doors wide open wastes energy.”
With major chains trying to be greener, surely closing their doors and switching off equipment would be an open and shut case for common sense energy efficiency. But perhaps what is really needed is a stick. Currently, there is no legislation which forces landlords, occupiers and tenants to regulate the way they operate their stores. They can be built to the highest environmental standards, yet all of that literally can go to waste through daft open door policies. If the government is really committed to reducing the nation’s carbon footprint, they could do no worse than making the high street more energy efficient.
