Mr Black said that the net zero industrial revolution offers businesses the chance to make a positive impact on the planet while future-proofing their own organisations. Black’s own business, Eco Group, is launching a hydrogen separation system at its HQ in Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, this summer, in collaboration with climate tech company Levidian.
The collaboration with will see the first remote deployment of the LOOP technology in the UK, producing hydrogen on site for use in R&D projects across a variety of sectors.
“As a clean, low carbon energy source, hydrogen will play a crucial role in the UK’s transition to net zero” said Mr Black. “As a business we have been following the development of this technology for several years and our collaboration with Levidian offers a practical decentralised energy solution for businesses and industry. With the increasing pressures of rising costs, supply chain issues and a challenging labour market, the thought of adding net zero to your to-do list can seem overwhelming but it is essential to future-proofing your business. The question businesses should be asking themselves is not whether they should implement a net zero strategy but whether they can afford not to. Actively demonstrating your commitment to reducing your carbon footprint will help retain staff and clients, win new customers and contracts, and attract talent to your organisation. By seeing net zero as an opportunity rather than a challenge, you can make a positive impact both on the planet and your own business value. It’s not just good business sense, it’s a chance to do business for good and with purpose.”
Mr Black’s comments follow the publication last month of the Mission Zero report by former energy minister MP Chris Skidmore. Commissioned by the UK Government last year, it is based on more than 1,800 responses from business and climate experts, making it one of the largest engagement exercises on net zero in the UK.
The report stated that net zero was the economic opportunity of the 21st century and included recommendations to back businesses in net zero transition.
The UK Government has also announced that it will be creating a new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, which will focus on security of energy supply, ensuring properly functioning markets, greater energy efficiency and seizing the opportunities of net zero to lead the world in new green industries.
“SMEs are the main drivers of job creation, innovation and growth in the UK economy and they have the potential to be the catalyst to achieving the UK Government’s net zero target by 2050 (2045 in Scotland)” Mr Black added. “We know that policies and regulations need to change to make net zero adoption easier for SMEs and we’re meeting regularly with representatives from Government and local authorities to push for change across a range of sectors and areas.”
Multi-disciplined solutions business, Eco Group, supports businesses and organisations across the UK on their net zero journey through its EcoGoZero range of carbon mitigation solutions which includes EV charging stations, off-grid lighting and energy decentralisation.
The Levidian LOOP10 system with fully integrated hydrogen separation which is due to be deployed at Eco’s HQ uses a patented low temperature, low pressure process to crack methane into its constituent atoms, hydrogen and carbon, without the need for catalysts or additives - decarbonising methane-rich gas to deliver hydrogen and graphene on site.
Following the initial deployment of the LOOP10, Eco will work with clients and partners to deploy larger LOOP units, creating decentralised hydrogen hubs. A single LOOP1000 reduces CO2 equivalent (CO2e) by approximately 2,400 tonnes per year. The project is being backed by business and community development agency, South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE).
The ultimate objective is to develop hydrogen hubs which will enable businesses and industry to reduce their carbon footprint through self-producing hydrogen for their own use, which supports the decarbonisation of the economy
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