COMMERCIAL FOCUS: Health crisis calls for radical new solutions at Low Carbon Scotland event

Low Carbon Scotland 2018 is a unique annual conference that addresses Scotland’s current carbon position and facilitates input from and discussion among those leading and driving the policies and proposals.

This year posed the question: “Smart, connected, ‘low carbon’ communities – what are they and how are they created?” 
Lee Etchells, founder and chief executive at 3ppp (Public-Private-Partnerships) which organises Low Carbon Scotland and Low Carbon Britain explains: “A main focus of the conference was to discuss how the public sector can reduce their carbon emissions, looking at the third report on proposals and policies for the Scottish Government’s Climate Change Plan (RPP3) which was introduced in in February this year and which stimulated discussion as to how this could be improved and delivered”.

The sense of urgency at Dynamic Earth was palpable – and for good reason. The consensus among scientists and economists regarding the social and economic cost of carbon is that the damage done by carbon dioxide emissions will become critically detrimental by 2050 – unless we effect fundamental behavioural change. 

Scotland is tackling the challenge with impressive vigour. As long ago as 2009 the Scottish Government passed the most ambitious legislation anywhere in the world to address this problem, with its Climate Change plan planning a reduction in emissions of 66 per cent by 2032.

Low Carbon Scotland addressed many of the crucial components that would drive this transition to a low carbon Scotland with speakers representing solar power; grid facilitation; smart cities; sustainable housing and sustainable transport among them. And Paul Wheelhouse, the Scottish Government Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy did not duck the challenges – but emphasised the opportunities.

“As we are all too aware, the problems are too big to be addressed by government alone,” he emphasised. “That the solution relies on a partnership with individuals, businesses and third sector organisations and the wider public sector cannot be overstated.”
 

SENSE OF URGENCY: Low Carbon Scotland 2018 was well-attended by industry leaders and policy drivers.

Scotland, he added, is in the top three out of the 28 EU countries in the reduction of emissions. The Climate Change Plan, he admitted, is an ambitious one. 

“Using 1990 as a baseline we will reduce our emissions by two thirds by 2032 with a commitment to report on our progress every year.  Scotland has shown great leadership and our electricity system continues to shine a light for other sectors to follow”. 

Addressing transport, Wheelhouse said there was a determination to transform the way that we travel, with Scotland becoming a safer and friendlier place for pedestrians and cyclists. “Our plans for electric vehicles and infrastructure mean that we will phase out the need to buy petrol and diesel a full eight years ahead of the UK. 

The minister pointed to significant investment in key areas: “Earlier this month the First Minister launched the Energy Efficient Scotland Route Map and Transition Programme and not only will this help to eradicate fuel poverty but will encourage an entire low carbon services sector and we are investing at least £500 million in that programme between now and 2021”.

In the current year, he added, the Scottish Government will invest £146.1 million in energy efficiency. “In terms of Scotland’s homes and buildings, by the end of 2021 we will have allocated more than £1bn since 2009 to tackle fuel poverty and improve energy efficiency in more than one million homes throughout Scotland.”

The Government has also invested more than £85 million since 2007 in loans supporting Scottish households, businesses and organisations finance the implementation of energy efficiency and renewable measures and the development of district heating schemes, supporting more than 5,200 applicants. 

The transition to an environmentally and socially sustainable economy may look daunting, he added, but also represents a huge opportunity for a healthier fairer and more prosperous country and society. 

“The low carbon sector in Scotland employs almost 50,000 people. The whole economy cost of our energy efficient Scotland programmes is between £10-£12bn and will generate thousands of jobs,” he said.

CUSTOMERS SHOULD EMBRACE LATEST INNOVATIONS IN ENERGY USE MONITORING

THE Scottish Government’s Paul Wheelhouse had stressed that there will have to be changes to our electricity and gas networks and that choices regarding energy will be more flexible than in the past, with the development of carbon capture and storage technologies driven by technological innovation, smarter networks and the growth of the digital economy.

Paul Eggleton, director of Low Carbon Scotland platinum partner Mitie Energy, the UK’s largest facilities management company took up the digital theme and highlighted that in addition to achieving sustainability goals, digital solutions could also significantly enhance business performance. 

He pointed to the importance of analytics, helping customers understand where and when they were using energy through remote monitoring. The Mitie Connected Workspace (MCW) he said is a platform of inter-connected products and services with data at the core which is produced by apps, sensors and other sources and is analysed and interpreted – and over time is able to both predict problems before they arise and highlight opportunities in advance. 

He pointed to a customer who needed to grow and operate in a sustainable way and required an analytical-based solution to reduce utility costs and enhance comfort. “The buildings were connected and optimised via our Remote Operating Centre, resulting in savings of £307,000 in the first 15 months and Mitie implemented solutions that saved this customer around £5 million in five years.”

Frank Mitchell, the CEO of SP Energy Networks told the conference: “The electricity grid is changing – and customer behaviours are changing with it”. He highlighted the Green Economy Fund that ScottishPower launched in March.  SP Energy Networks is teaming up with the Scottish Government, Energy Regulator Ofgem and independent academic advisers to fund initiatives focused on decarbonisation of transport and heating in Scotland that can also promote economic growth.

The company has pledged to contribute up to £15m over the next two years. Mitchell said: “This is a call out to communities and businesses to come forward with their own ambitious plans that support Scotland’s low carbon future and create jobs in our communities”. 

The priorities of the fund include: supporting the uptake and infrastructure provision of electric vehicles; providing local solutions to match generation and demand; tackling fuel poverty and targeting vulnerable customers and the creation of low carbon jobs. “This isn’t just about a green project but creating and accelerating a green economy,” he concluded.  

CUTTING EMISSIONS FROM TRANSPORT MUST BE A PRIORITY TO CREATE A CLEANER COUNTRY

IN 2016, transport became the largest greenhouse gas emitting sector in the UK, at 26 per cent edging energy supplies into second place at 25 per cent. The Scottish Government’s ambitions to expand the electric charging infrastructure and introduce Low Emissions Zones in our cities was highlighted, while others at the conference spoke of the challenges of driving toward a cleaner Scotland.

Ellie Grebenik, senior manager at the Energy Savings Trust’s Scottish Transport programme said there was a need to challenge the status quo and overcome the barriers to a greater Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) uptake – among which are the perceived cost of vehicles and range anxiety. 

However, almost 60 vehicles are on the Office for Low Emission Vehicles’ approved list and eligible for a plug-in grant, while all major manufacturers are committed to producing models of ULEVs. Plus, there are interest free low carbon transport loans up to £100,000 available to Scottish businesses and £35,000 to residents with significantly increased funds becoming available this financial year and 50 per cent to 100 per cent grant funding for charging infrastructure.

“ULEV driving requires a change in some driving habits to maximise use of the technology and FuelGood fuel efficient driver training is available,” she added.

APT Controls Group develops solutions around the safe movement and management of vehicles and people for the future urban environment. Chief technical officer Tom Buck, also speaking as a board member of the UK Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Association (UKEVSE) had an encouraging message for the ‘range anxious’. 

“The media generally still focus on why we will fail rather than the we have to gain – but there’s something they have got right: there’s no point in separating the charging infrastructure and cars. And up to 90 per cent of the cars on the market or coming on to the market today can use the existing charging infrastructure.” 

Plus, he said, 94 per cent of trips were less than 25 miles, with 3 per cent between 25 and 50 miles and another 3 per cent above 50 miles. With our current car usage, he stressed, EV’s are a practical option. Also cost was not necessarily a deal breaker when it came to electric vehicles.  “The average price of a new car in 2015 was £30,000, so anyone in that market can afford to buy and electric car.” However, as only a third of cars are bought new that means 66 per cent are bought on the second-hand market, which will take time to catch up.  

So, asked Buck, what does this mean? “On current evidence it is perfectly possible for 90 per cent of workers to go fully electric using AC charger if we have the right infrastructure strategy. We shouldn’t pretend that there aren’t challenges.” He added: “Driving an electric car requires a lot more thought and planning and while 80 per cent of charging will take at place at home, not all people have access to off-street parking and we have to work to find solutions for real-world users.”

However, with air pollution resulting in 40,000 premature deaths in the UK every year and only active smoking killing more people, the ‘as you were’ option is quite simply no longer an option at all. 

HERALD CLIMATE FOR CHANGE

THE Herald is media partner for Low Carbon Scotland, highlighting its commitment to the Climate for Change campaign a project working with partners to increase awareness about the need for decarbonisation and providing a platform in the Herald, Business HQ magazine and online via heraldscotland.com to share their knowledge and experience and experience.
 

Lee Etchells of 3ppp explained: “We decided to partner with Climate for Change as we strongly believe that more attention needs to be focused on highlighting successful projects across the world which can be used as knowledge transfer in educating those who don’t really understand the dramatic impact and effect which climate change is having upon everyday life.  

“Scotland is a world leader in tacking climate change and its transition to a more prosperous, low carbon economy is already under way … it’s now time for other countries and governments to take note and then 
follow suit”.