Discovery Park showcases Kent’s Net Zero ambitions at Energy and Tech Sustainability Expo

Published by

Daniel Face

From left to right: Peter Bridge of Veolia Water Technologies, Simon Barnes of University of Kent, Abbie Kempe of Canterbury Christ Church University, Jane Kennedy of Discovery Park, Amanda Allan of Barclays Eagle Lab, and Professor Peter Griffiths of University of Greenwich

Discovery Park near Sandwich welcomed more than 220 businesses to its first Energy and Tech Sustainability Expo, as Kent hopes to become one of the first UK counties to reach net zero emissions.

Supporting the event were attendees from Canterbury Christ Church University, the University of Kent and University of Greenwich, Barclays Eagle Labs, Cummins, and Veolia.

Visitors were given the opportunity to climb aboard the world’s first hydrogen-powered double decker bus, developed and built by Northern Ireland’s Wrightbus.

Hydrogen represents one of many components in Kent’s diverse energy supply strategy. The county is home to both on- and offshore wind power, solar farms, battery storage, anaerobic digesters, and energy-from-waste and biomass facilities, along with electrical interconnectors which link to mainland Europe.

However, Discovery Park CEO Mayer Schreiber points out that there is still a way to go to meet the Government’s 2050 targets.

He said: “At the moment 80 per cent of Kent’s energy consumption, including gas, electricity, and fuel, is carbon based, which shows the scale of the challenge.

“We’re fortunate on site to have many of our tenants actively seeking a solution to the issue of improving our environmental performance, whether it’s Cummins, ZeroAvia or Grow Up Farms.

“This event highlights the scale of the task we face, but also the commitment to reach the ambitious target, with Kent leading the way.”

Daniel Face

Born and raised in Berkshire, Dan fell into journalism after completing his bachelor’s degree in English at UCL. Writing for The Business Magazine and local Biz News sites has given him the opportunity to chat with all manner of small business owners and share their success stories with a wider audience. Outside of work, Dan enjoys live music, board games and quiz shows, and is making a slow but persistent effort to learn Spanish.