EEDA supported training helps Essex business

The pace of technology development often implicates decision-making; it’s easy to feel burdened by constant demands to upgrade. One Essex business used EEDA-supported training to make the right decisions for its future.

Liz Lake is the owner of chartered landscape architects & urban design practice - she recognises the importance of training. “I want highly trained staff because I want a reputation for excellence.”

Liz used the Towards 2010 programme, co-financed by EEDA & the European Social Fund, to part-fund training in CorelDRAW. The opportunity to fund local and specific training was a particular advantage of the programme. The funding also helped the company learn about Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping software. “GIS programmes are the future, but for a company like us they’re a big investment,” said Liz. “We had to decide when to invest. I made an informed choice. As a small business, it was too early for us. We could have wasted a lot of money by investing at the wrong time so Towards 2010 was invaluable.”

Towards 2010 enabled LiZLaKe to make the transition to computer based design quickly. It also saved the company from burdening itself with investment in other technology too early.

From: http://www.eeda.org.uk/4362.asp

Packaging optimisation for cost savings and the environment

September 23, 2009
9:00 am	to	12:30 pm

Event Type: Workshop
Start Date: 23 September 2009 - 09:00
End Date: 23 September 2009 - 12:30
Venue: Hylands House, Hylands Park, London Road
Nearest Town: Chelmsford
Venue Location: CM2 8WG

The Earth doesn’t have to cost a packet!

Envirowise and Essex County Council are holding a free event designed to help you stay legal and reduce costs.

Discover all the latest ways to save money and the environment through the use of design management. Delegates are encouraged to bring examples of good and bad packaging for the practical workshop. Be prepared to get involved!

Event Holder: Essex Trading Standards
Contact: 0845 603 7626
Contact E-Mail: TSBusinessSupport@essex.gov.uk

Windier weather brings welcome boost to offshore wind-farms

The news is that it is getting windier down south. This unexpected quirk of climate change has given a welcome boost to offshore wind-farm developers.

Experts have said that as a result the waters off the coast of East Anglia and Essex could be home to many more wind farms.

Research from Atmos Consulting, has found that wind speeds in these areas have been rising so much that wind farms could generate 50% more electricity than imagined a decade ago.

10 GW of offshore projects - enough to power 10m homes - being planned for the southern part of the North Sea could benefit.

Research based on information taken from NASA satellite images found that the average annual wind speed in the southern part of the North Sea has increased from about 7.5 metres per second in 1990 to 8.5 metres in 2008. In comparison, wind speeds in the northern part of the North Sea just off the coast of Scotland, have remained the same during the period.

The good news is that if these trends continue, in a decade the south could be windier all year round than the north and therefore double the power generated by wind farms off the coast of East Anglia and Essex.

New software has been developed by Atmos Consulting to process 22 years of satellite images from space agency NASA. These images measure the size of small, capillary waves on the ocean surface, which indicate the strength of the wind.

In the past developers have relied on wind-speed levels taken on oil and gas installations or have used meteorological masts planted offshore. The Met Office has only limited satellite data to track offshore wind spends in the North Sea but work is underway to produce a comprehensive set of data of the last 30 years. It has been revealed that this would take two years to develop.

Head of offshore renewables at the British Wind Energy Association, Duncan Ayling, said “There have been wind-speed measurements on oil and gas installations that give some localised historic data, but a lot of the rest of it is extrapolation. If this technology provides an accurate measurement, it would be very exciting. More wind equals more money for projects. It would enable wind-farm developers to more accurately forecast revenues and have more certainty about the expected return on their investment.”

From: http://www.guardian.co.uk

Government backs EERA’s £25 million housing renewal and regeneration programme

The East of England Regional Assembly’s Housing and Sustainable Communities Panel put forward sixteen local-authority led projects to the Government.

This includes over £6.6 million for domestic carbon reduction and refurbishment schemes in Essex and Hertfordshire; over £5.3 million for refurbishing properties and restoring long-term empty properties in Great Yarmouth; over £2.2 million towards energy efficiency measures and refurbishment work in Cambridgeshire homes; £1 million to produce a reduction in fuel poverty areas around Luton and Bedford; and £0.5 million to restoring properties in rural Suffolk.

The recommended projects were accepted in full by Housing Minister, Margaret Beckett, in an announcement to EERA last week.

“These improvements will not only benefit individual households, but the region as a whole” said Cllr Susan Barker, Chairman of EERA’s Housing and Sustainable Communities Panel. “Making houses warmer and cheaper to heat will help reduce fuel bills and contribute to improved health and wellbeing. Also, more energy efficient homes mean fewer damaging carbon emissions, which is good for the environment.”

“Reducing the amount of homes that are in disrepair will lead to communities where people are proud to live, making them more likely to there and contribute to the local economy. EERA will monitor the success of these projects, including their outputs and outcomes.”

Internationalising Environmental Solutions

April 16, 2009

East of England International (EEI) in conjunction with EnviroTech is running a one day seminar to introduce new initiatives to help environmental companies in the region.  The programme will provide networking opportunities with like minded individuals, and the chance to have one to one meetings with sector experts.  The seminar will cover the following topics:
 
An introduction to EEI’s new three year programme, backed by £300,000 of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) called Envirotrade.  The programme will provide high level strategic direction from world class consultants, to help environmental companies in the East export into new territories. 
 
The official launch of EnviroTechs Environmental Solutions DVD, which features companies and ideas tackling an array of environmental problems.
 
A preliminary insight into the proposed UKTI National Low Carbon Strategy entitled ‘Taking Low Carbon Mainstream’. 
 
Internationalising Environmental Solutions Agenda

08:45 Registration opens

09:30 Welcome and Introduction
 
09:40 Dr Paul May, Executive Director of Innovation at EEDA.
 
10:10 Envirotrade - ERDF and UKTI National Low Carbon Strategy - John Tingle, EEI

10:40 Environmental Solutions DVD  - Hugh Parnell, EnviroTech

11:10 Tea/Coffee Break

11:30 Ralph Ecclestone, i10. Following its successful funding bid of £192,000 to help regional businesses go low carbon, i10 has launched its ground breaking ‘£1k low carbon voucher scheme’.

11:50 Gareth Jones, Environmental Industries Hub Manager, UK CEED / CSEng. Environmental goods and services sector.
 
12:10 Dr. Carlos Ludlow-Palafox, Director, Enval Ltd. Enval is a company leader in recycling and environmental technologies.

12:30 Guest Speaker TBC

12:40 Question and Answer panel discussion

13:00 Lunch

13:45 Chance to meet with speakers and specific invitees: Envirotech Ltd, East of England International, UKCEED, Environment East, EEEGR, UEA, ExDRA, Beyond 2010 and Essex Innovation Programme.

For further information about this event including the agenda and to reserve your place please visit www.eei-online.com This is now a FREE event, and includes a networking buffet. Spaces are limited so please book early.

Juice Technology Ltd, Hertfordshire Business Wins £40,000 Climate Change Innovation Prize

A Hoddesdon based business with a big idea for tackling climate change has won a Shell Springboard award of £40,000 giving the business a valuable boost in a programme designed to promote the growth of the low carbon economy in the UK.
Juice Technology Ltd received the award for its range of ultra efficient LED lights that promise to reduce energy consumption by up to 90 per cent compared to current incandescent light bulbs, and are a third more efficient than compact fluorescent lamps.

In contrast to many LED light systems, this lighting is flexible, practical, affordable and useable for a wide variety of purposes and places. It can be used in shop displays, offices, kitchens and the living room, and even includes a unique dimming feature currently not available with any similar products. It also has a long life and minimal electrical waste, unlike compact fluorescent lamps which contain mercury.

Shell Springboard gives a financial boost to innovative, commercially viable business ideas that tackle climate change. The programme encourages a positive business response to the challenge of climate change by providing a no-strings financial boost to small ideas with innovative products and services that could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and really make a difference.

Ian Turner, Director of Juice Technology Ltd, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that an independent group of judges has recognised the value of our ambition to deliver significant energy savings through world leading lighting goods. The award will allow us to develop our cutting edge product for EU markets and give it the marketing support it needs to raise consumer awareness.”Duncan Macleod, VP Hydrogen & GTL, Shell International Ltd said: “Congratulations to Ian Turner and Juice Technology Ltd. Their LED light systems, which have genuine commercial potential, could have a significant impact on the UK’s carbon emissions. It’s this kind of cutting-edge innovation that has made the UK a world leader in low carbon technology investment. In a difficult economic climate, it has become more important than ever that we continue to foster such independent entrepreneurialism which is so crucial to the UK economy in the long term.”

According to Shell Springboard’s Race Against the Carbon Pound report the UK’s ‘green’ companies attracted over £1billion of venture capital and private equity investment in 2007: 41% of the EU total. This makes the UK the European leader when it comes to attracting venture capital and private equity investment in low carbon technologies, second only to the United States worldwide.

Juice Technology Ltd competed against eight businesses from across the region on 24th February 2009 in London and will now compete to be named as the overall UK winner in London on the 3rd of March.

Ma (Innovation) 2T4 Ltd, based in Essex, and Alertme.com Ltd from Cambridge also received awards of £40,000, and will go forward with Juice Technology Ltd to the UK final on the 3rd of March.

Source: Shell Springboard

Ma (Innovation) 2T4 Ltd, an Essex Business Wins £40,000 Climate Change Innovation Prize

A Chelmsford based business with a big idea for tackling climate change has won a Shell Springboard award of £40,000 giving their business a valuable boost in a programme designed to promote the growth of the low carbon economy in the UK.

Ma (Innovation) 2T4 Ltd received the award for its mechanism that makes green, hybrid cars with smaller engines even more fuel efficient and powerful. The Supercharger Air Hybrid uses the energy created from braking the car to power the downsized engine, which means a more powerful drive for less carbon emissions. Fitting one of these devices to your hybrid car could produce a substantial fuel efficiency improvement, with up to a 40 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions compared with a standard car.

Shell Springboard gives a financial boost to innovative, commercially viable business ideas that tackle climate change. The programme encourages a positive business response to the challenge of climate change by providing a no-strings financial boost to small ideas with innovative products and services that could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and really make a difference.Jonathan Ma, Business Development Director of Ma (Innovation) 2T4 Ltd said: “We’re very grateful to Shell and the judging panel for the work they’ve put into the Springboard programme and are ecstatic to have won the award. The funding will be transformational for our business and we hope to be able to report back soon on our success in the global market and the CO2 savings we have generated.”

Duncan Macleod, VP Hydrogen & GTL, Shell International Ltd said: “Congratulations to Jonathan Ma and Ma (Innovation) 2T4 Ltd. The Supercharger Air Hybrid not only has genuine commercial potential but could also have a significant impact on the UK’s carbon emissions. It’s this kind of cutting-edge innovation that has made the UK a world leader in low carbon technology investment. In a difficult economic climate, it has become more important than ever that we continue to foster such independent entrepreneurialism which is so crucial to the UK economy in the long term.”According to Shell Springboard’s Race Against the Carbon Pound report the UK’s ‘green’ companies attracted over £1billion of venture capital and private equity investment in 2007: 41% of the EU total. This makes the UK the European leader when it comes to attracting venture capital and private equity investment in low carbon technologies, second only to the United States worldwide.

Ma (Innovation) 2T4 Ltd competed against eight businesses from across the region on 24th February 2009 in London and will now compete to be named as the overall UK winner in London on the 3rd of March.

Juice Technology Ltd, based in Hertfordshire, and Alertme.com Ltd in Cambridge also received awards of £40,000, and will go forward with Ma (Innovation) 2T4 Ltd to the UK final on the 3rd of March.

Source: Shell Springboard

Alertme.com Ltd, a Cambridge business wins climate change innovation prize

A Cambridge-based business with a big idea for tackling climate change has won a Shell Springboard award of £40,000, giving the business a valuable boost in a programme designed to promote the growth of the low carbon economy in the UK. Alertme.com Ltd received the award for its energy management system, which allows home owners to monitor how much energy they are consuming and automatically turn off devices that are not in use through their mobile phones and the web.

The AlertMe Energy system uses “smart plugs” that allow home owners to control and monitor how much power their home appliances are using. Working wirelessly with other smart devices that monitor energy use across the whole home, this information tells you how much you are spending on powering your house, and where. Using manual and automatic controls, AlertMe Energy could save the average home £30 a month on heating and electricity bills, and cut domestic energy wastage and associated carbon emissions by a quarter.

Shell Springboard gives a financial boost to innovative, commercially viable business ideas that tackle climate change. The programme encourages a positive business response to the challenge of climate change by providing a no-strings financial boost to small ideas with innovative products and services that could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and really make a difference.

Duncan Macleod, VP Hydrogen & GTL, Shell International Ltd says: ‘Congratulations to Pilgrim Beart and Alertme.com Ltd. The AlertMe Energy system not only has genuine commercial potential but could also have a significant impact on the UK’s carbon emissions. It’s this kind of cutting-edge innovation that has made the UK a world leader in low carbon technology investment. In a difficult economic climate, it has become more important than ever that we continue to foster such independent entrepreneurialism which is so crucial to the UK economy in the long term.’

According to Shell Springboard’s Race Against the Carbon Pound report the UK’s “green” companies attracted over £1bn of venture capital and private equity investment in 2007: 41% of the EU total. This makes the UK the European leader when it comes to attracting venture capital and private equity investment in low carbon technologies, second only to the United States worldwide.

Juice Technology Ltd, based in Hertfordshire, and Ma (Innovation) 2T4 Ltd in Essex also received awards of £40,000, and will go forward with Alertme.com Ltd to the UK final.

Source: Shell Springboard

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