
IKEA, the National Institute for Agricultural Botany (NIAB), and innovative start-up Agri-Grub, will be sharing how sustainability could help SMEs save money, boost productivity and become more resilient after COVID19 at a free webinar organised by Opportunity Peterborough in October.
The event will help SMEs get more value from their resources, and even find new uses for waste streams through the concept of circular economy. The circular economy aims to move society away from the ‘take-make-dispose’ model — where raw materials are collected, transformed into products, and discarded as waste — into one where resources are used for as long as possible and productive uses are found for waste streams.
This event is being run by the Circular Peterborough team at Opportunity Peterborough which runs the city’s circular economy programme in partnership with Peterborough City Council. The team works with businesses of all sizes, but in response to COVID-19 recovery, the workshop will be for SMEs.
Delegates will hear from businesses in the area who have benefitted from adopting circular principles, and some of the commercial opportunities for waste streams:
- Start-up, Agri-Grub, which is turning AM FRESH’s waste fruit into protein and pest control
- IKEA is reusing, repurposing, and recovering materials.
- the National Institute of Agricultural Botany will also discuss how plant resources could provide renewable materials to businesses across all sectors to reduce the use of plastic and non-biodegradable materials.
There will also be time for delegates to discuss how their businesses could use circular economy principles, and the opportunities and barriers they may face. The Circular Peterborough team will use the feedback to adapt city level strategies and to tailor long term one-to-one business support for delegates.
Tom Hennessy, chief executive of Opportunity Peterborough said, “COVID-19 created huge disruption across supply chains, and has really tested business’ resilience. We want to rebuild the economy quickly, but we also want to keep this growth sustainable. With the circular economy, we can help businesses improve their operations while also protecting our environment.
“Any SME is welcome to attend, whether they’re new to the circular economy concept, already planning to make changes, or are looking for extra inspiration on their circular journey.”
The webinar will run 10.30am-12.00pm online on 14 October 2020. Delegates will receive a link directly. For event and registration details visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/going-circular-how-sustainability-can-boost-business-growth-after-covid19-tickets-121711017931
- Low carbon, smart energy scheme in Peterborough aims to deliver a significant drop in CO2 emissions by 2030, while cutting energy bills by up to a quarter.
- Scheme could be rolled out to other UK towns and cities to help UK achieve its Net Zero ambitions
- Project is being led by Peterborough City Council, whose partners include SSE Enterprise, Element Energy, Cranfield University, Smarter Grid Solutions and Sweco UK.
Today (23rd July 2020), sees the launch of plans for the largest smart city-wide, low carbon energy system in the UK.
Launched at an online event, Peterborough Integrated Renewables Infrastructure project (PIRI) aims to deliver a significant drop in CO2 emissions by 2030, while cutting energy bills by up to a quarter. Peterborough is one of the fastest growing cities in the UK and is facing a significant increase in energy demand as the city continues to grow.
The two-year project has been granted funding from UK Research and Innovation, alongside corporate investment, to design a low carbon, smart energy system for the city. The partnership includes Peterborough City Council, SSE Enterprise, Element Energy, Cranfield University, Smarter Grid Solutions and Sweco UK.
PIRI combines a next generation heat network, electricity network and electric vehicle infrastructure under one smart holistic scheme. If successful, the scheme could be rolled out to other cities and towns, to help the UK realise its ambitions of Net Zero by 2050.
The project over the next two years will deliver cleaner, cheaper energy and the benefits of the scheme include:
- Locally produced, cleaner energy and heat from waste and with services being low carbon driven
- Multi-utility infrastructure delivery, meaning lower costs and lower bills for consumers
- Integrated billing and service for heat, electricity and mobility (such as electric vehicle charging) so customers can benefit
- Low carbon technology made available at cost-effective connection cost
- Transparent tariff setting will generate long-term savings for local authorities
The PIRI project brings together energy generation, demand and storage, thereby unlocking efficiencies not deliverable under existing, traditional energy systems. It is envisaged to be especially effective in areas where the electricity network is constrained; as well serving as a blueprint for other urban locations across the UK.

Elliot Smith, PIRI Programme Lead at Peterborough City Council, explains; “This is a highly innovative project — one of the most ambitious nationally and one which could become the most significant in the UK’s transition to low carbon infrastructure. For Peterborough, it has substantial benefits and supports the sustainable growth of the city.”
Professor Philip Longhurst, Head of the Centre for Climate and Environment Protection at Cranfield University, said: “For the UK to achieve its ambitions of Net Zero, we are going to have to do things differently. These plans announced today for the PIRI project show how local low carbon, smart energy systems could be used across the UK for the benefit of both the environment and consumers. At Cranfield, we pride ourselves on the practical
application of our low carbon technology research and our close links with industry, PIRI is a fantastic example of that in action.”
Neil Kirkby, Managing Director of SSE Enterprise, said: “SSE Enterprise sees PIRI as a progressive project that will showcase the potential of smart urban energy systems and help drive local decarbonisation in a commercially viable manner. It builds on the ‘whole system approach’ that our distributed energy business offers; where we look to integrate different energy elements into one investable solution and thereby make savings for customers. As PIRI develops we’ll be able to show how city living and regeneration can be enhanced and we expect this project to serve as a blueprint for other urban locations across the UK.”
Dr Tanja Groth, Director of Urban Energy at Sweco UK, said “To maximise benefits to consumers and businesses while addressing the climate emergency we need to move away from incremental improvements to isolated energy segments and instead move towards transformational change to the whole energy system. PIRI is applying best-practice innovation in a city-scale energy regeneration project, demonstrating that this approach not only delivers aggressive reductions in carbon but provides resilience, lowers consumer energy costs and provides wider societal benefits such as improved local air quality, more efficient use of local resources and stimulates the local economy.”
Shane Slater, Element Energy’s founding director and Smart Energy Systems team leader, said: “Our future energy supply can be clean and cost-effective, but this comes with the key challenge of greater variability in renewable energy generation. Element is delighted to be part of PIRI, which will demonstrate how balancing energy supply with demand from a diverse range of users of heat, transport, and electricity in Peterborough, across day-to-day and seasonal variations, can deliver an efficient energy infrastructure that will be clean, secure and affordable for decades to come.”
Dr Graham Ault, Director at Smarter Grid Solutions, said, “Locally led solutions to the climate challenge are essential and the leadership and ambition being shown in Peterborough is exemplary. The design of smart, flexible, clean and decentralised energy systems is both challenging and a great opportunity. Our work across the UK, Europe and US is showing us the core role and high value of our software products for flexible, intelligent control of energy assets required in smart local energy systems. We welcome the opportunity to harness what we have learned about the management, grid integration and market interconnection of distributed energy resources and bring this to the design of the Peterborough system alongside all the project partners.”
Rob Saunders, UKRI — Challenge Director, leading the £100m ‘Prospering from the Energy Revolution programme’, said, “PIRI brings together a highly ambitious, forward –ooking city like Peterborough, with the best innovations in Smart Energy by one of the UK’s leading SMEs in this sector — Smart Grid Solutions, with the deep network experience of SSE, a combined knowledge of Cranfield University and Element Energy, and the delivery track record of a large organisation like Sweco. This project is set up really effectively, to be able to deliver this complex, system project.”
Pictured (l-r): Steve Bowyer, Chief Executive of Opportunity Peterborough, John Holdich, Leader of Peterborough City Council, Emma Gilthorpe, Executive Director of Expansion at Heathrow, Mayor James Palmer, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, Cllr Peter Hiller, Portfolio Holder for Growth, Planning, Housing and Economic Development at Peterborough City Council.
Scroll down to see more images from the event.
- Today (6 June 2018), Mayor James Palmer and representatives of Heathrow Airport, will be hosted by Opportunity Peterborough at the Roxhill Peterborough Gateway site
- The Peterborough site is one of two from the East of England in the running to help deliver expansion
- Heathrow expansion is set to create up to 12,900 new jobs and generate up to £15 billion of economic benefits across the East of England
On Friday (6 July), Emma Gilthorpe, Executive Director of Expansion at Heathrow will be joined by Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, James Palmer, as she visits the Roxhill Scheme at Gateway Peterborough. The site is one of the two longlisted sites in the East of England. The visit is part of a nationwide tour of 65 sites still in the running to be offsite construction centres for Heathrow expansion.
Four sites across the UK will eventually be selected as Heathrow logistics hubs. The sites will be used to pre-assemble components of an expanded Heathrow before transporting them in consolidated loads to the airport. Logistics Hubs are essential in ensuring Heathrow expansion delivers for the whole country by spreading jobs, boosting productivity and modernising the construction industry outside of London and the South East.
This will be the first time representatives from the UK’s only hub airport have returned to East Anglia since an overwhelming majority of MPs speaking on behalf of constituencies across the UK, aligned to different parties voted to support expansion. These sites are bidding to potentially become off-site construction centres, giving the East of England the opportunity to help deliver Britain’s new runway.
In March, Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye was joined by Brandon Lewis MP for Great Yarmouth for visited Peel Ports Great Yarmouth. During the visits, the prospective bidders have the opportunity to showcase the unique strengths of their sites.
Heathrow expansion is set to create up to 12,900 new jobs and deliver up to £15 billion worth of economic growth for the East of England. In addition to the jobs boost from the potential logistics hub, Crossrail services are set to reduce journey times from Shenfield to Heathrow.
Last week’s parliamentary vote on the Airports National Policy Statement has cleared the way for Heathrow expansion to become Government policy, marking the end of the debate on the new runway and granting permission for the project’s delivery. These continued site visits are just one of the ways that Heathrow is working to kick start the delivery of one of the UK’s largest infrastructure projects.
Emma Gilthorpe, Heathrow’s Executive Director of Expansion, said:
“We’re thrilled to be back in the East of England following the overwhelming backing Parliament gave Heathrow expansion last week. It is brilliant to see, first-hand, the potential role the region could play in delivering Britain’s new runway.
“These hubs will ensure an expanded Heathrow delivers for all of Britain, transforming construction across the UK and creating a skills legacy for future generations. When chosen, the final four sites will kick start the job creation and economic benefits that expansion will bring. We are looking forward to meeting the team at Opportunity Peterborough and seeing what the site in Peterborough has to offer.”
James Palmer, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said:
“Heathrow expansion is an opportunity to boost productivity and equip British workers with new skills. The billions of pounds of private investment to fund expansion will deliver massive benefits all over the UK before the new runway is even operational. I am delighted that Heathrow has longlisted a site in Peterborough and we’re keen to demonstrate why our area with its thriving supply chain should play a part in the construction of one of the country’s most crucial infrastructure projects.”
Chief Executive of Opportunity Peterborough, Steve Bowyer, said:
“We’re delighted to be hosting the team from Heathrow today to showcase why Peterborough would make the perfect location for a logistics hub. As a forward-thinking, future city, Peterborough has excellent transport links, gigabit speed internet connectivity and a host of successful world-class businesses operating across all sectors – particularly manufacturing and engineering. Add to that our fantastic talent pool of skilled workers and our ever growing University offer, and the city’s case for being a logistics hub location is very compelling indeed.
“Peterborough has a strong track-record of securing new investment; in fact just this week the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has confirmed the city is its preferred location for its new head office. Securing a Heathrow logistics hub would be a huge boost to the local economy and testament to the city’s longstanding reputation as thriving business destination.”
Sites in the East of England longlisted for Heathrow’s Logistics Hubs:
Promoter |
|
Site Name |
|
Site Location |
|
Opportunity Peterborough |
|
Roxhill Scheme At Gateway |
|
Peterborough |
|
Peel Ports Group |
|
Peel Ports Great Yarmouth |
|
Great Yarmouth |
|
For more information visit: https://your.heathrow.com/takingbritainfurther/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Heathrow_Logistics_Brochure_25.04.17.pdf