Member Article

Businesses keen to generate own energy

Small to medium sized businesses are showing more interest in generating their own energy, research shows.

The report from energy supplier Opus Energy shows one third expect to introduce solar panels, wind turbines or anaerobic digestion.

38% of respondents expect to be generating their own renewable energy within five years, as many acknowledge the revenue opportunity, despite recent cuts to feed in tariffs.

Younger business owners in the 18-34 bracket were more likely to make the investment sooner.

Charlie Crossley Cooke, managing director of Opus Energy, said: “There’s real dynamism in the SME sector from people who are genuine entrepreneurs and we expect to see more examples of SMEs powering other businesses as well as their own.

“Opus Energy encourages businesses to take full advantage of the subsidies available and start generating their own renewable energy. It’s an investment in their business’ future: a way to reducing overheads and to make savings on their energy costs.

“With so much talk around the consumer energy sector, we need to be championing the cause for business.

“Small to medium size business has been coined by the government as the backbone to economic recovery in the UK, but so far we are not seeing the support required to help business owners get to grips with energy costs and innovative solutions such as renewables.

“We need more carrot than stick when it comes to the Government’s intervention in renewable energy generation.”

Craig Birch, a Lincolnshire farmer, who also runs a green waste composting business, installed a wind turbine on his land in May 2011.

He is now generating between £40,000 and £50,000 per year, and the equivalent amount of power needed to run half his village.

Mr Birch commented: “We produce all our own electricity for our farm and composting facility from the wind turbine.

“It is the icing on the cake in our target of helping towards reversing climate change. Councils and businesses are all more willing to do business with us knowing the commitment we have shown towards environmental issues.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .