Last week Gren convened a vibrant, positive workshop for senior executives from a range of key institutional energy users in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, UK. These executives – and other attendees from across the city government ecosystem – shared a commitment and goal to provide affordable, reliable, low-carbon energy for their tenants, customers, stakeholders and citizens, and to exploring and confirming Energy on Clyde as that solution. 

Representatives from Glasgow Housing Associations, the relevant Glasgow National Health Service Trust, Glasgow-based Universities, the City Council, Region, and Scottish Government, plus the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce explored with Energy on Clyde the practical steps they would individually and collectively need to take to be part of Energy on Clyde as it expands locally-generated low-carbon heat services across the city over the next 3 years and beyond.

Participants heard from Gren UK CEO Mike Reynolds – alongside Energy on Clyde delivery partner Scott Lutton from Vital Energi – on the strong progress of the Gren investment in construction of the state-of-the-art  South Clyde Energy Centre (SCEC) as it moves towards full operation in 2027, and the benefits to be realised for the city as a whole from a strong cohort of institutions being part of Energy on Clyde as ‘pioneer’ adopters of the energy solution.

The remainder of the workshop saw participants working together to explore and understand how their institutions can most effectively engage with Energy on Clyde as they select the best low-carbon energy solution for themselves and the city – hitting their own decarbonisation goals as well as Glasgow City Council and the Scottish government’s ambitious net zero targets. 

• A commitment to sharing effective business-case-building mechanisms across the group
• Identification of opportunities to strengthen information sharing on energy demand across the city and Energy from Waste low-carbon solutions
• Enthusiasm for moving quickly towards decision making to ensure maximum advantage from the South Clyde Energy Centre starting full operation from 2027
• Ensuring close collaboration between government stakeholders managing sustainability and funding programmes and the potential early adopters pioneering Energy on Clyde
• A focus on articulating the clear and specific long- and short-term benefits of this project to Glasgow’s housing tenants, healthcare users, students and citizens

Energy on Clyde – and Gren UK – thanks all the participants for their time and enthusiasm, and particularly the University of Strathclyde for hosting the event at its brilliant Technology and Innovation Centre facility in the heart of the city.

If you are a company or institutional energy manager in Glasgow, please feel free to get in touch with Energy on Clyde to learn more about the journey to ‘energy on’.