News and Events
Region’s best win South West Green Energy Awards
The region's sustainable energy stars are celebrating their success after winning top honours in the 2008 South West Green Energy Awards, organised by Regen SW.
The seven category winners, each taking home a coveted Green Energy Award, represent the best examples of sustainable energy in the south west, with awards going to businesses, local authorities, community groups, renewable energy schemes, and influential individuals from across the region.
The winner of the awards, which were presented at a glittering gala dinner on 25 November at the Bristol City Centre Marriot Hotel, were:
South West Sustainable Energy Champion: Kate Hall (Dorchester, Dorset)
Best Business Innovation: Forest Fuels (Beaworthy, Devon)
Most Proactive Local Authority: Bristol City Council (Bristol)
Best Sustainable Energy Community: Bovey Climate Action (Bovey Tracy, Devon)
Best Large Renewable Energy Scheme: Wessex Water, advanced digestion (Bath)
Best Small Renewable Energy Scheme: Okehampton Business Centre (Devon)
Best Housing Scheme: Ecos Homes, Stawell development (Nr Bridgewater, Somerset)
Sponsored by Ocean Power Technologies, the South West Green Energy Awards recognise the increasing importance that renewable energy and energy efficiency play in South West England in providing solutions to the threat of climate change. With the recently-proposed 15 per cent renewable target for the UK, there is an increasing political focus on these issues, and the awards recognise the pioneering role that south west businesses, housing developers, individuals and community groups are playing in helping reach these targets. Previously, the awards have concentrated solely on renewable energy, but this year many of the awards include energy efficiency too.
Cheryl Hiles, acting chief executive at Regen SW, said: "To meet the EU 2020 renewables target, we will have to reduce heat and power demand dramatically and increase the deployment of all renewable technologies. This is a significant challenge, but the winners of the South West Green Energy Awards demonstrate what a strong position the region is already in to take this on.
"Alongside all of the other finalists, they are exemplars in their field, and the high-quality work they carry out shows just how quickly the sustainable energy sector is developing in the south west."
The winners were chosen from a high-quality shortlist of entrants from across the region by an independent panel of judges who have expert knowledge in sustainable energy.
THE WINNERS: PROJECT DETAILS
South West Sustainable Energy Champion
Winner: Kate Hall (Dorchester, Dorset)
Kate Hall has devoted a huge amount of time and energy to increasing the uptake of renewable energy across Dorset, and was instrumental in the development of the Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole Renewable Energy Strategy. Her tireless work has helped to raise the profile of renewable energy in Dorset, while her enthusiasm, leadership and motivation have brought together a range of stakeholders to coordinate activity on renewable energy. This has put the county in a very strong position to move forward, achieve more community renewables installations, and develop robust planning policies. Kate's passion and enthusiasm have helped achieve recognition for sustainable energy in Dorset, well beyond the requirements of her day-to-day role.
Runners up
Keith Wheaton-Green and Melanie Sealey
Best Business Innovation
Winner: Forest Fuels (Beaworthy, Devon)
Forest Fuels Ltd has grown to fill an identified gap in the market to supply high-quality woodfuel to the growing biomass market in the region. Prior to Forest Fuel's service, no single company had acted to provide fuel supply contracts throughout the region. They revolutionized the supply of woodfuel in the south west by providing professional long-term contracts, developing a highly-flexible mobile chipping service, and establishing six depots for local handling, storage and delivery. This has brought confidence to those considering installing biomass boilers. It is an exemplar model for biomass development, and without Forest Fuels' presence, many of the projects that proceeded in the last year may not have done so.
Runners up
Nu-Heat training facility, Zenex Energy Saving Boilers, and Alvesta Anaerobic digestion unit
Most Proactive Local Authority
Winner: Bristol City Council (Bristol)
Bristol City Council has dramatically increased its work on sustainable energy, putting an increasing numbers of policies in place. These include a target to reduce the council's carbon emissions by three per cent year-on-year, the introduction of a self-funded energy management unit, and the setting up of a climate change select committee, which had the task of reviewing all the council's actions with regard to climate change. It has promoted and installed an expanding cluster of biomass boilers, driven forward the development of two 3 MW turbines at Avonmouth docks, and its recycling scheme has included 93 projects that save 1297 tonnes CO2 a year. The council is also supporting the growth of the sustainable energy sector through the BETS (Bristol Environmental Technologies and Services Sector) initiative.
Runners up
Swindon Borough Council and Torridge District Council
Best Sustainable Energy Community
Winner: Bovey Climate Action (Bovey Tracy, Devon)
Bovey Climate Action works to reduce carbon emissions in its own community, including schemes such as ‘Wastewatchers'. This provides free home-energy audits to measure a household's carbon footprint, and resulted in an average of a 13 per cent reduction in carbon emissions per house. It is also driving forward a plan for a community-scale combined heat and power plant, managing a ‘Hamster' project that loans energy display monitors to pupils at local primary schools, giving free low-energy lightbulbs to every household in Bovey that completes a home energy conservation form, and raising awareness through a various initiatives.
Runner up
Randwick Village Hall
Best Large Renewable Energy Scheme
Winner: Wessex Water, advanced digestion system (based in Bath, Somerset)
In 2008, Wessex Water commissioned its first Acid Phase Digester (APD) at its Avonmouth sewage sludge processing plant. This is one of only a few such advanced plants operating in the UK. The plant, which treats around 33,000 tonnes of sewage sludge per annum, had previously processed sludge using mainly Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion and by liming. The results of the new APD process and technology have been astounding; energy production has increased by around 65% from 14.3 GWh/annum to 23.6 GWh/annum, while at the same time, the CO2 emission rate of the plant has been reduced by over 75% and the amount of liming required has been reduced significantly. The residue treated sludge is high in valuable organic matter and nutrients and is recycled locally to agriculture.
Runners up
CLP Wind Farm at Roskrow Barton and Kernock Biomass plant
Best Small Renewable Energy Scheme
Winner: Okehampton Business Centre (Devon)
The Okehampton Business Centre is a beacon of sustainable construction in the region and is accredited with both BRE BREEAM and ICE CEEQUAL excellent awards. Built between spring 2006 and summer 2008, the project consists of a centre housing 13 offices and three workshops for new and emerging businesses. Renewable energy is generated from a 45 kW biomass boiler, a 6kW turbine and a 50 m2 photovoltaic array, which will offset 55% to 90% of the building's annual carbon dioxide emissions. Through a careful liaison and sighting process, the project successfully obtained the first planning permission for a wind turbine that the local authority has ever granted. The building also incorporates a wealth of sustainability and energy efficiency measures, from high levels of insulation to a sustainable drainage system. The Okehampton Business Centre provides a local showcase for a range of technologies and the learning from this exemplar project is being widely disseminated.
Runners up
The Rolle Estate Office at Clinton Devon Estates and Woolsery Village Hall
Best Housing Scheme
Winner: Ecos Homes, Stawell development (Nr Bridgewater, Somerset)
Stawell is a housing development of five dwellings on a brownfield site in Somerset, built to level five of the code for sustainable homes, with onsite PV cells and biomass technology. Onsite energy production should equate to half the yearly electricity needs of each household. The properties also offer superior insulation as well as maximising thermal mass, solar gain and natural light to reduce energy demand. Site management was provided by Ecos Homes with local subcontractors being used and trained where necessary to allow the skills base to remain locally. Post-occupancy monitoring will enable ongoing evaluation of the design principles employed. Technical tours and open days have been held throughout the build to inform and generate discussion and membership of national organisations used to allow knowledge to permeate further afield. Ecos aims to show that building at code five can be commercially viable, raising the bar within the development sector.
Runner up
9 Haystone Place, Plymouth
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors
South West Green Energy Awards
The South West Green Energy Awards have been running for five years and are organised by Regen SW. They are open to private organisations, individuals, home owners with renewable energy schemes, and local communities. The awards cover the counties of Gloucestershire, Bristol, Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall.
For more information and images, please visit: http://regensw.co.uk/south-west-england/green-energy-awards/.
About Regen SW
Regen SW, which receives its core funding from the South West of England Regional Development Agency, is the sustainable energy agency for South West England. Regen SW's purpose is to speed up the transition to a low carbon economy in the South West England. It works to accelerate the uptake of renewable energy, champion energy efficiency initiatives and to grow the region's sustainable energy businesses.
The South West RDA has invested more than £3.3 million of funding to Regen SW since 2002.
About Ocean Power Technologies
The Green Energy Awards are sponsored by Ocean Power Technologies (OPT). OPT is a leading renewable energy company specialising in cost-effective, advanced, and environmentally sound offshore wave power technology. The electrical power generated by OPT's technology is key to meeting the energy needs of utilities, independent power producers and the public sector. OPT's PowerBuoy® system extracts the natural energy in ocean waves, and is based on the integration of patented technologies in hydrodynamics, electronics, energy conversion and computer control systems. The PowerBuoy is a "smart" system capable of responding to differing wave conditions. The result is a leading edge, ocean-tested, proprietary system which generates reliable, clean, and environmentally-beneficial electricity.
About the South West RDA
The South West RDA leads the development of a sustainable economy, investing to unlock the region's business potential. It works in partnership with public, private and social purpose organisations to drive up the region's productivity by giving people the skills they need, encouraging enterprise, improving infrastructure, regenerating places, and promoting the strengths of the region. For more information see www.southwestrda.org.uk
For further information
Please contact James Reddy, Regen SW communications manager on 01392 474322/07967 835947 or email jreddy@regensw.co.uk
