News and Events
New survey shows 86 per cent growth for ‘green energy' businesses
A new survey launched today shows that - despite the current economic downturn - sustainable energy businesses are continuing to grow at a dramatic rate, with average increases in turnover of 86 per cent over the past 12 months.
The ‘Economic Contribution of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Sectors in the South West of England' survey, commissioned by south west sustainable energy agency Regen SW, found that the 100 interviewed businesses have created 600 new jobs. Their total turnover has risen from £108 million to £200 million, employment has grown by 40 per cent and turnover per employee has grown from £71,000 to £95,000.
"These results show that the sustainable energy sector is bucking the economic downturn, and creating much needed skilled jobs," said Merlin Hyman, Regen SW's chief executive "Next week the government is due to publish its Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Industrial Strategies, so this is a huge opportunity to put the sustainable-energy sector at the heart of tackling climate change and use it as a key tool for leading us out of the recession."
Merlin added: "This is a fiercely competitive sector worldwide and if we don't match the support offered by President Obama and others we will lose out in the race to lead the shift to a low carbon economy. Programmes such as ‘South West Bioheat', run by Regen SW on behalf of South West RDA, are delivering renewable energy on the ground and stimulating new markets for south west entrepreneurs and businesses - we need to build on these models of what works."
One south west renewable energy business that is bucking the current economic trend is Forever Fuels, a wood fuel supplier that has just set up a primary distribution depot in Avonmouth, near Bristol and is looking to set up a smaller depot in Okehampton, Devon. Five years since entering the wood fuel market, the company is now the largest supplier of wood pellets to the UK biomass market, and in 2008 it accounted for approximately one third of all sales of wood pellets to the UK market. Ian Armstrong from Forever Fuels said: "We see the south west as being at the forefront of renewable technologies in the UK, and an area that will experience a significant increase in demand for wood-pellet powered heating systems in future years."
Key survey facts
To read the full survey, download the document here.
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