According to Renewables Now, the UK public sector could save £375 million per year with the use of modern energy technology. This includes solar installations. The latest findings from Centrica Business Solutions shows that, over a typical 15-year energy contract, these savings could exceed £5.6 billion.
The potential of modern energy use
The Powering Britain’s Public Sector report assessed the economic opportunity of healthcare establishments, universities and defence estate adopting green technologies. When combining these sectors, it was revealed that these contribute over 7.8 million tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. The government wants these sector estates to reduce their emissions by 30% by 2020/21 and achieve net-zero by 2050.
NHS saving
The National Health Service (NHS) has the potential to save an estimated £187 million each year.
“The Government has announced £1.8 billion of extra capital funding for the NHS. Investing a fraction of this in distributed energy technology would not only improve the resilience of trusts but would create long term savings that could be redirected towards new nurses, new infrastructure and protecting vital frontline services,” said Richard Hookway, CEO of Centrica Business.
The benefits
According to the report, there are 7 distributed technology types that could benefit large energy users. These are:
- Energy efficiency
- Energy insight
- Demand-side response (DRS)
- Combined heat and power (CHP)
- Battery storage
- Small-scale power generation (including solar, wind and gas generators)
- Electric vehicle (EV) charging
What’s more, the report also mentions emerging energy technologies. These include hydrogen, green gas, microgrids and stationary fuel cells that could reach the mainstream.
Overcoming obstacles
During the research process, Centrica Business Solutions came face to face with numerous obstacles. These included the low priority of energy projects in the public sector, a lack of awareness in terms of energy efficiency and decentralised energy opportunities, and the long-term policy uncertainty. The authors of the report have suggested ways to unlock the potential, from creating energy-specific capital spending allowances to ensuring a stable and long-term regulatory climate.
Develop your services with training from ECTA
Energy technology is progressing rapidly, which means the way in which homes and businesses function will also change. Staying on top of these developments will allow you to expand your knowledge and expertise to continue providing the best electrical service to your customers. Check out the available renewables courses from ECTA and get in touch to find out more.