Going Green: Little Green Truck Part 2a

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Little Green Truck: Earning Money from Energy

The Little Green Truck campaign, sponsored by Michelin and Shell

Switching energy supplier has long been a hot topic in consumer markets, where easy price comparison and open contracts facilitate easy moves. It is much harder
to compare energy prices for commercial customers since prices tend to be privately quoted and contracts may be longer term. However, if you are in a position to shop around, it’s worth looking at green energy suppliers. Ecotricity, Greenenergy and Scottish Hydro-Electric are all examples of sustainable power firms. Although their offerings may not be cheaper now, if energy prices continue to climb, they may be cheaper in the long run.

But the real trick is to use roof space on warehouses and offices or overspill parking land as a micro-generation site. Gething says: "Warehouses as energy generators is a very interesting area. For most buildings this isn’t worthwhile but large roof spaces make it viable. Companies should be able to do much better than just generate their own energy – they can sell the excess."

Companies such as Sainsbury’s, Ford and Michelin have already partnered with energy companies at key sites to allow a wind turbine to be erected. All these are with Ecotricity’s Merchant Wind Power project. Ecotricity assesses the site, pays all the capital costs of erecting a wind turbine and handles all maintenance and operational issues. The outcome is cheaper than conventional electricity prices guaranteed for 30 years. Greenenergy will buy any surplus energy you have from a microgeneration plant. The bureaucracy of this kind of transaction can be complex, but usually the power companies will walk you through it.

Photovoltaic cells are also becoming more commercially viable. Gething cites the National Trust project, which has a large photovoltaic array installed on the roof as an example. The investment cost is approximately £450,000, with a 65% grant provided from the Energy Savings Trust. (The Carbon Trust also offers grants.) With the value from its Renewable Obligation Certificate – ie the value of its excess energy – payback for the Trust is 12 years. After that, its energy, in theory, is free.

Supporting the Little Green Truck: Michelin and Shell

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