UK Business Information / Environmental technologies
The UK government's commitment to cut carbon emissions by 60% by 2050, and its £500 million funding of energy R&D in the last few years, has seen a rash of green technologies and companies emerge. Forward-thinking regions of the UK are seizing on this fledgling industry and seeking to become centres of excellence in the research and design of low-carbon technologies.
Major companies are now looking to the UK as a leader in green technologies. Being an island, the UK serves as a perfect testing ground for innovative technologies involving wind and wave power. Britain's history of advanced manufacturing and stellar R&D facilities gives companies the confidence to invest in long-term energy projects.
North East
For almost a decade, the North East has been the leading region for the development of offshore wind power in the UK. In 2000, the first offshore wind turbines in Britain were installed just off the coast of Blythe, 10 miles North of Newcastle.
US giant Clipper Windpower has been involved in the region ever since. The company choose Blythe to build the largest offshore wind turbine in the world and Clipper is working closely with the New and Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC), located in the area.
NaREC’s independent bladetesting facility is capable of testing some of the world’s largest wind turbine blades. The centre's main purpose is to achieve new breakthroughs in product design and manufacturing techniques relating to green technologies.
The North East benefits also from the Centre for Renewable Energy, an R&D department at Durham University. Durham is consistently ranked in the UK's top 5 universities and its research department helps advance the region's case to be the UK leader for renewable energies.
recently announced plans for the UK’s first wind turbine training tower, to be built in the North East, strengthen this case even further.
East Midlands
Like the North East, the East Midlands is a region of the UK harnessing its skills in manufacturing to meet the need for innovative green technologies. The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has been established in the region to speed up the development and deployment of low-carbon technologies in the UK, and around the world.
Some of the biggest businesses in the world are involved in the ETI. Among them, BP, EDF, E.ON, Rolls-Royce, Caterpillar and Shell, demonstrating the seriousness with which these companies are taking green technologies and the esteem they hold the UK's R&D industry.
The region's expertise is bolstered by the Systems Engineering Innovation Centre (SEIC) at Loughborough University. A veritable R&D institution in its own right, SEIC is working closely with businesses, the UK government and the ETI to tackle the problem of climate change and drive forward green manufacturing in the region.
