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Stuart O'Brien

5 Minutes With… David Kipling, Onsite Energy Projects Ltd

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In the latest instalment of our energy management industry executive interview series, we spoke to OnSite Energy‘s David Kipling (pictured) about the company, the pathway to Net Zero, the impact of COVID-19 and innovation in the sector…

Tell us about your company, products and services.

DK: The inspiration for OEP came from my previous role where I led a team addressing energy in over 100 manufacturing plants globally. We saw the value of data-led energy analysis but also experienced the ‘glass ceiling’ of payback. My team came up with lots of solutions, but could only execute those with a short payback. With the pressure now on achieving carbon neutral and sustainability, companies are going to have to find a way of doing the longer payback measures that until now sit on the shelf.   That’s what OEP is about – we both identify measures with a data-led approach, but also implement them as a zero capex ‘off-balance sheet’ supply agreement.  This way we can help companies embrace net zero much faster.

We work with energy intensive manufacturing in the main, and cover a wide range of technologies including efficiency measures, onsite generation and heat recovery.  We think its important to identify the most appropriate measures and which will have most impact, so we keep an open mind on what we recommend and are instead guided by the data.  

What have been the biggest challenges the Energy Management industry has faced over the past 12 months?

DK:  Mis-selling. I see a lot of incorrect sizing and false expectations raised by single technology solution companies pushing solutions that aren’t appropriate, are wrongly sized or which just suit them without considering the long term impact on the customer or the career path of the person making the capex recommendation to their management. The proverbial ‘hit and run’. It makes a bad name for the industry when savings aren’t achieved.

And what have been the biggest opportunities?

DK:  COVID-19 (!) and Net Zero. Every significant business now has a sustainability strategy with goals for achieving carbon neutral, but a lot have also had capex cut for at least the next few years because of COVID-19. So the pressure is building for change, and the main obstacles are capex and sometimes innovation. We can help with both of these with our zero capex approach, and enable companies to stay on track or even accelerate their plans.

What is the biggest priority for the Energy Management industry in 2020?

DK: There isn’t much left of 2020 now, but looking to 2021, I would say its going to be  decarbonisation. Companies are realising the values of decarbonising – often because savings can also be achieved in the process.  

The biggest challenge will be decarbonisation of heat – in other words planning to switch from gas to electricity. This will be a massive change for gas hungry businesses. I think this will be the priority in 2-4 years from now. For a lot of businesses that will mean significant additional cost unless they develop a comprehensive approach and plan.

What are the main trends you are expecting to see in the market in 2021?

DK:  Higher focus on energy efficiency. The EU announced energy efficiency as a core priority and I think the UK will too. A lot of companies have bought green tariffs or offsets as a first step to becoming ‘green’ but haven’t addressed consumption within their sites.  With SECR reporting moving to its second year, comparisons and improvements will become more transparent and increase the pressure to act. Also for some climate change agreement targets are starting to be missed, which will lead to higher CCL costs if they don’t act.

What technology is going to have the biggest impact on the market this year?

DK:  Several contenders… much better heat recovery technology is with us enabling waste heat to be used to produce anything from -40oC to +140oC. This can transform the benefits from CHP, which until now has been thought of only for making hot water.  Also I think heat recovery to electricity.  Also I think there will be some innovative applications from artificial intelligence systems starting to make ground.  

In 2025 we’ll all be talking about…?

DK:  Artificial intelligence. That’s not us pretending we know something !  Its software which learns how to improve performance of a building or process by itself. This will take BMS to the next level, and I think you will see applications in compressed air, process management etc.  

Which person in, or associated with, the Energy Management industry would you most like to meet?

DK:  Lisa Rose of Forum Events! Lisa’s enthusiast and is great at making people talk. We need more Lisas! We also need to get back to some face to face networking but that might be a little while off.

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learnt about the Energy Management sector?

DK:  I think people enjoy learning about new technologies. It’s an exciting space which is innovating fast.  It also has a meaningful impact on both business profits and on climate change and sustainability, so the people in the Energy Management space are often driven by the benefits they can deliver.

You go to the bar at the Energy Management Summit – what’s your tipple of choice?

DK:  Mine’s a pint!

What’s the most exciting thing about your job?

DK: Delivering new insights and levels of savings not thought possible.

And what’s the most challenging?

DK:  Countering the “we’ve seen it before” and NIMBYs. Reality is if they saw it previously it has either changed massively or it wasn’t approached in the way we would use it. It doesn’t hurt to take 15 minutes to see if you can learn something.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

DK:  Don’t worry about a “no”, there is someone more deserving coming along!

Peaky Blinders or Stranger Things?

DK:   My TV watching is limited to repeats of Top Gear.

Germany ‘goes aggressive’ on renewables

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The more rigid targets brought around by the latest revision to Germany’s renewable energy act (EEG) in June aims for the country to achieve 65%, instead of the originally targeted 50%, of its electricity consumption comes from renewable sources by 2030.

Such stricter targets would mean that, during 2021-2030, the country’s solar photovoltaic (PV) and onshore wind would need over 2GW and 3GW of annual installations, respectively – a highly optimistic target in such an uncertain scenario.

Making the targets more stringent may be in line with the broader EU green deal agenda and sustainability objectives, but such a call – made a year before elections – may be fuelled by a political motivation rather than be an achievable goal, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. 

Somik Das, Senior Power Analyst at GlobalData, said: “For all of the nation’s renewable sectors to be GHG neutral by 2050, the electricity industry needs to evolve at a much faster pace than has been seen in recent years. Solar PV is now aimed to see a deployment of 18.8GW of capacity from 2021 to 2028, with planned capacity at increments of 1.9-2.8GW. However, with respect to the country’s capacity mix in 2019, Germany would need to add around 4.6GW annually to meet the target. In reality, the average solar PV annual installations are likely be around 1.4-1.5GW, according to GlobalData estimations.”

While annual solar PV installations in Germany have picked up in the last few years, onshore wind installations seemed to be on the back foot and so the faster pace required is even more questionable. 

Das added: “In order to achieve the new target, 16.7GW of onshore wind capacity is planned to be auctioned by 2025. Therefore, to meet the 2025 target, the country would need to conduct more than 4GW of annual onshore wind installations. This is a considerable stretch, as it would mean that the already slumped segment would need to install more than the 3.1GW average seen annually during 2015-19.

“Overall, GlobalData expects, with the current endeavors, generation from renewable energy (RE) is set to shape up to around 50-60% of the overall generation by the conclusion of the decade.”

There’s still time to register for January’s VIRTUAL Facilities Management Forum

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The first Facilities Management Forum of 2021 will be held as a virtual event – make sure you register your place as demand is extremely high!

Facilities Management Forum – January 25th 2021

The event will bring the industry’s leading buyers and suppliers together for business collaboration.

Your bespoke place is entirely free and includes benefits such as;

Prepare for every eventuality – We can build you a bespoke 1-2-1 itinerary of meetings with innovative and budget savings suppliers who match your requirements.
Gaining industry insight – Enjoy a series of topical webinars led by industry thought leaders.
Flexibility – Your attendance is flexible, you can either attend for half a day or the whole duration.
Save time – We will handle everything for you, saving you time and money by arranging all the meetings for you based on your requirements.

Click here to secure your FM Forum free pass.

Don’t miss out – the event has extremely limited places remaining.

Do you specialise in Heating & Ventilation solutions? We want to hear from you!

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Each month on Energy Management Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on a different part of the market – and in November we’ll be focussing on Heating & Ventilation Solutions.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help energy management buyers find the best products and services available today.

So, if you’re a supplier of Heating & Ventilation Solutions and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Lisa Rose on 01992 374077 / l.rose@forumevents.co.uk.

Our features list in full:

Nov Heating & Ventilation
Dec – Utility Management
Jan – Energy Management Systems
Feb – Renewable Energy
Mar – Carbon Managemen
Apr – Metering & Monitoring
May – Water Management/Strategy
Jun – Energy Storage
Jul – Data Collection & Management
Aug- Waste Management
Sep – Solar PV
Oct – Lighting
Nov – Heating & Ventilation
Dec – Onsite Renewables

Widespread ‘net zero’ scepticism among UK public

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The majority of the UK public are sceptical about achieving the net zero target, with 58% believing that it is unlikely that the target will be achieved even by 2050.

Bright Blue, the independent think tank for liberal conservatism, has published analysis of UK public attitudes to the target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, entitled Going greener? Public attitudes to net zero.

The report explores attitudes to the credibility of, responsibility for, and policies to achieve net zero, with key finding including:-

  • National governments are seen to have the highest responsibility for achieving the target. 82% of the public assign them a high degree of responsibility. Strong majorities also think businesses (82%), local governments (78%), and members of the public (74%) have a high degree of responsibility.
  • Public awareness of how various activities contribute to greenhouse gas emissions is generally strong. Although the extent of these perceptions varies between activities, from 77% of the public seeing flying on aeroplanes as a significant contributor to climate to 56% for production of food on farms.
  • A majority of the public think that people will need to undertake a number of changes in their behaviour to help achieve net zero.This includes recycling more (63%), installing better home insulation (53%), reducing air travel (52%) and buying and driving an electric car (52%). Eating less meat was the lowest supported change of behaviour (34%). Only 10% of people thought most people would not have to make any changes.
  • Much of the public are already making changes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A majority of the public (72%) already reuses and recycles more products, while a plurality is buying more locally produced goods (43%), has installed home insulation (43%), used more cycling or public transport (35%) and eaten less meat (35%).
  • The public has a significant expectation of price increases to achieve net zero. They expect prices will go up greatly or slightly on all types of products and services that we have polled if we take action to achieve net zero. Airplane tickets see the greatest expectation in higher prices, with 67% believing they will increase. The public is split on whether they actually would be willing to pay more for these products and services where higher prices would lead to lower emissions. People are most likely to be willing to pay more for products where they also have the lowest expectation of higher prices, such as electronic goods (46% willing to pay more), food (46%) and clothing (45%). In contrast, household electricity and home heating, both of which are most likely to be believed to face price increases as a result of net zero, are also products where a majority of people (52% and 51% respectively) say they would not be willing to pay more for them to lower emissions.
  • The public prefers a ‘carrot’ over ‘stick’ approach to achieving net zero. The public prefers policy approaches which use financial incentives to encourage environmentally friendly practices for individuals (49%) and businesses (45%) over laws and regulations that discourage or punish choices by individuals (34%) and businesses (38%).
  • There are high levels of support for a range of government policies for achieving net zero. This includes requiring firms that work for government to assess and report on their carbon footprint (66%), providing tax breaks for businesses which have cut emissions (59%), introducing a carbon tax (52%), taxing investment in fossil fuels (51%), establishing a new emissions trading scheme for businesses (50%) and installing smart meters in all homes and businesses (49%).
  • There is public support for government subsidies to help with decarbonisation. A majority of the public support government subsidies for installing better home insulation (69%), using an electric car (64%), switching away from natural gas heating in homes (62%) and using cycling or public transport as main methods of travel (53%). But the public opposes government subsidies for reducing air travel, with 35% supportive and 43% opposed, and eating less meat, with 27% supportive and 52% opposed.
  • There is strong support for subsidies for low-income households and small businesses. There is also broad public support for subsidies to help with at least some costs of decarbonisation changes, such as insulation, for low-income households (81%) and small businesses (80%). 27% of the public thinks that low-income households should receive help with all of the costs, and 29% think so about most of the costs, indicating that most of the public would support significant government action. In contrast, only 15% think that small businesses should receive help with all of the costs, indicating that the public wishes to aid them in a more limited manner.
  • The public believes that many businesses aren’t taking enough action to reduce emissions. The public is most critical of airlines, with 50% believing they are not taking enough action. More people are critical than not of: industrial manufacturers, gas companies, car makers, high street shops, electricity companies, container shipping firms, housebuilders, and supermarkets. The farming industry is the only industry that more people believe are doing enough than not enough, with 33% believing they are and 27% believing they are not.
  • There is a high level of support for specific actions by businesses to help achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions as long as they do not impact prices. A majority supports businesses investing profits into sustainable technologies and practices (68%), offsetting greenhouse gas emissions (63%), creating internal targets for achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions (62%), publishing detailed breakdowns of emissions from business activities (62%) and making consideration of emissions a key factor in decision-making (62%). However, support for increasing charges to customers to cut emissions is low (29%).
  • Public familiarity with low-carbon heating technologies remains relatively low. Only 42% of the British public have heard of heat pumps, which is the system with the highest familiarity, in comparison to 46% who have not heard of them. People are even less familiar with hybrid boilers (27%), hydrogen boilers (21%) and heat networks (18%). As such, there is relatively low interest in replacing the existing heating method with a low-carbon heating system such as hybrid boilers (44%), heat pumps (44%), hydrogen boilers (35%) and heat networks (32%). A large number of the public did not provide a response, likely due to the low familiarity.
  • The public prioritises functionality, cost, and ease of use over a low carbon footprint for home heating systems. A majority of the public think that having a residential heating system with a low carbon footprint is important (67%). However, control functions such as being able to use it at any point (86%), heating up quickly (84%) and ownership (75%), are seen as more important as well as being lower cost than alternatives (78%) and being familiar (77%). While reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is a motivating factor for installing a new home heating system for the majority of the public (68%), other factors including running costs (83%), having reliable information (82%), cost of replacement (80%), ease of procuring and installation (77%), and ownership (71%) are more popular reasons.
  • There is a high degree of familiarity among most of the public regarding home energy efficiency measures. Double glazing (88%), loft insulation (87%), wall insulation (85%), energy-efficient lighting (84%) draught-proofing windows (79%) and under floor insulation (77%) are all being widely recognised. Levels of installation of different energy efficiency measures closely follow knowledge of them, with double glazing (51%), loft insulation (46%), wall insulation (39%), energy-efficient lighting (34%) and draught-proofing windows (30%) already being installed by a notable proportion of the UK public.
  • The public sees a range of benefits and drawbacks from adopting these energy efficiency measures. These include making energy bills cheaper (69%), reducing greenhouse gas emissions (52%) and making the house more comfortable to live in (49%) being seen as the most important benefit, while high initial costs (62%), disruption during installation (36%) and future costs in maintaining the measures (31%) seen as the key drawbacks.

Anvar Sarygulov, Senior Researcher at Bright Blue and report author, said: “The changes that need to be made by individuals, businesses and government to help achieve net zero are demanding and disruptive. The public recognises that the government, businesses and individuals themselves have a lot to contribute to help Britain achieve its climate change goals, and are receptive to a variety of policies and behavioural changes to help make it happen. However, if it means increased prices on home electricity and heating, the public are opposed to action.

“Ambitious, sometimes radical, action will be needed across economic sectors. The public will need to accept, and adapt to, significant changes in the goods and services they consume. Many are still unaware of and unprepared for the changes required, especially in the way they heat their homes, to ensure we can reach net zero by 2050. Government and businesses must do more to inform and prepare the public for the changes that need to happen, or they risk the public turning against necessary decarbonisation.”

The full data tables for the polling can be found here.

Facilities Management Forum has gone virtual – Register today!

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The next Facilities Management Forum will be held as a virtual event – make sure you register your place as demand is extremely high!

Facilities Management Forum – January 25th 2021

The event will bring the industry’s leading buyers and suppliers together for business collaboration.

Your bespoke place is entirely free and includes benefits such as;

Prepare for every eventuality – We can build you a bespoke 1-2-1 itinerary of meetings with innovative and budget savings suppliers who match your requirements.
Gaining industry insight – Enjoy a series of topical webinars led by industry thought leaders.
Flexibility – Your attendance is flexible, you can either attend for half a day or the whole duration.
Save time – We will handle everything for you, saving you time and money by arranging all the meetings for you based on your requirements.

Click here to secure your FM Forum free pass.

Don’t miss out – the event has extremely limited places remaining.

IEA and B20 call on the G20 to accelerate clean energy transitions

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The Business 20 (B20) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) have issued a Joint Statement calling on G20 leaders to accelerate clean energy transitions for a resilient recovery, coinciding with a series of G20 Ministerial meetings involving ministers of environment and energy.

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a historic, yet temporary, decline in energy demand and energy-related greenhouse-gas emissions – according to the IEA, global CO2 emissions are expected to be about 8% lower in 2020 than they were in 2019.

However, the pandemic also threatens the pace and scope of energy transitions, with a 20% decline in global energy investments in 2020 according to the same organisation. It says that between now and 2050, $3.5 trillion of annual energy investments are required globally across all energy sectors to meet the targets for a sustainable path, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.

As the world economy and energy systems recover from the crisis, the IEA and B20 assert that G20 Members have a unique opportunity to enact policies that prevent a rebound of CO2 emissions and support a sustainable recovery, while boosting growth and creating new green jobs.

The Joint Statement recommends specific and pragmatic policy options that could spur the much needed investment cycle if G20 countries, namely:

  • accelerate the deployment of existing low-emissions and emissions-neutral technologies, and boost innovation in crucial technology areas including hydrogen, batteries, and carbon capture utilization and storage;
  • enhance energy market stability by improving global energy data transparency and evaluating energy market risks;
  • take necessary steps to secure energy systems and provide access to affordable and uninterrupted flow of clean energy for all;
  • implement energy pricing and tax reforms, using the revenues to finance a just transition.

Yousef Al-Benyan, Chair of B20, said, “The COVID-19 pandemic with historically low energy prices is a unique opportunity for governments to enact policies that steer their clean energy transitions at low financial, political and social cost.”

Dr Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA, added: “Mobilising the critical investments for meeting international energy and climate goals requires a grand coalition spanning governments, companies, investors and citizens. The IEA is pleased to work with the G20 and B20 to accelerate the major deployment of clean energy technologies that we need to build more sustainable and resilient energy systems. Despite the challenges we face from the Covid-19 crisis, stronger clean energy actions and ambitions from a growing number of governments and companies around the world make me increasingly optimistic for the future.”

Image by skeeze from Pixabay 

Solvay and Veolia partner on electric vehicle batteries

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Solvay and Veolia have announced a partnership on a circular economy consortium to offer new solutions that promise better resource efficiency for critical metals used in lithium ion electric vehicle (EV) batteries.

With the number of electric vehicles on the road expected to grow from 8 million in 2020 to 116 million by 2030, the partners state that ensuring stable access to raw materials is a strategic challenge. Furthermore, they claim materials used today in EV batteries are not always recovered at their maximum value. 

Solvay and Veolia, through its subsidiary SARP Industries, say they are already actively engaged in discussions with a car manufacturer and battery cell producers, to coordinate, collaborate and leverage on respective technologies and core competences at each step of the value chain – from access and spent battery feedstock to dismantling, metal extraction and purification. 

Solvay’s role in this consortium is to optimize the extraction and purification of critical metals such as cobalt, nickel and lithium and transform them into high-purity raw materials for new batteries, ready for another fresh start. Solvay is also present in the EV and hybrid battery value chain thanks to its high-performance specialty polymers for binders and separators and specialty additives for electrolytes. 

“I am truly excited about our partnership with Veolia, aiming to take circularity another meaningful step forward towards cleaner mobility,” explained Solvay CEO Ilham Kadri. “At Solvay, our technologies will bring new life to batteries at the end of their cycle. Our unique know-how combining Specialty Polymers, Composites and Mining solutions together with Veolia’s unique experience in waste management, is a fantastic opportunity to build a greener battery ecosystem.” 

In its recycling plant in eastern France, Veolia has already been dismantling batteries for electric vehicles since 2013. The combination of mechanical and hydrometallurgical processes makes it possible to treat the active cells and extract the active metals. These metals are then used by industry and transformed into new materials. Press Release 2 

“The recycling of electric vehicle batteries and the management of the pollutants they contain are major ecological and industrial challenges. By partnering, Veolia and Solvay help develop the recycling value chain and the production of strategic raw materials for the production of new batteries. If today the essential compounds of batteries are mainly imported, tomorrow they will be regenerated in Europe”, said Antoine Frérot Chairman and CEO of Veolia. 

Establishing this partnership is integral to Solvay Group’s sustainability ambitions and its Solvay One Planet commitments. By 2030, Solvay will generate 15% of its revenues from either bio-based or recycled-based materials.

The Energy Management Summit has gone VIRTUAL!

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The Energy Management Summit will be held as a virtual event – bringing the industry’s leading buyers and suppliers together for business collaboration.

Date: Tuesday 6th October

During such challenging and uncertain times, it is key to stay up-to-date with the all the latest industry news and source new solutions for every eventuality.

Your bespoke place is entirely free and includes benefits such as;

Flexibility – Your attendance is flexible, you can either attend for half a day or the full day.
Gaining industry insight – Enjoy a series of topical webinars led by industry thought leaders.
Prepare for every eventuality – We can build you a bespoke 1-2-1 itinerary of meetings with innovative and budget savings suppliers who match your requirements.
Save time – We will handle everything for you, saving you time and money by arranging all the meetings for you based on your requirements.

Click here to secure your free place

Do you specialise in Lighting solutions for business? We want to hear from you!

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

Each month on Energy Management Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on a different part of the market – and in October we’ll be focussing on Lighting Solutions.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help energy management buyers find the best products and services available today.

So, if you’re a supplier of Lighting Solutions and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Lisa Rose on 01992 374077 / l.rose@forumevents.co.uk.

Our features list in full:

Sep – Solar PV
Oct – Lighting
Nov Heating & Ventilation
Dec – Utility Management