Net Hero Podcast – With Sumit Bose

Are we ready to harness the full potential of solar energy?

In this week's Net Hero Podcast, Physics Professor at the University of Oxford, Henry Snaith spoke to Sumit Bose about his revolutionary solar technology

6 whizzy water-saving ways, for businesses

Save water, save energy and cut carbon emissions – from sinks, to toilets and more, hear how to tap into the opportunities out there, with the multi award-winning team – and official water partner of Future Net Zero - at business water retailer Water Plus
 
Water can be a forgotten utility, though by controlling it businesses – including SMEs and larger – can often reduce their water consumption and other utility bills.
And getting started with water-saving is easy too – plus water efficiency actions don’t need to cost the earth.
As for the potential out there – well, a pub that runs accommodation for hire, saw the average flow rates through taps decrease from an average 13 litres a minute to an average 2.4 litres a minute, an 81% water saving, with new water efficient showerheads cutting flow rates from an average 11 litres per minute, to an average 7 litres per minute.
These are low-cost steps, that can deliver a big result around using less water and less energy.
Hear more about the opportunities with water out there – in this podcast. Plus, there’s more on the Future Net Zero site here.
There are carbon emissions linked to all water used at businesses, so reducing water used, cuts carbon too.
You cannot go Net Zero without looking at water and finding smarter ways to use it, reducing overall use – which gives a big boost to efficiency.
Businesses and the those in the public sector interested in the additional water tracking and services Water Plus can provide, including water audits, can email: hello@water-plus.co.uk .
 

Food for thought, how food waste should be part of your Net Zero plans

Sumit speaks with Sophie Truman from Too Good To Go, a B Corp trying to tackle food waste.
We will release episodes on our usual channels a week later if you're unable to register to our early access platform, visit.
To read the full article visit.
For any enquiries, please contact: nethero@futurenetzero.com

Will financing save the sustainability sector?

In this week's Net Hero Podcast, Sumit Bose spoke to Chief Executive Officer of DAI Magister, Victor Basta about funding for sustainability companies.
We will release episodes on our usual channels a week later if you're unable to register to our early access platform, visit here.
To read the full article by our producer Garima Satija, visit: Net Hero Podcast
For any enquiries, please contact: nethero@futurenetzero.com

Can boosting biodiversity reverse climate change?

In this week’s podcast, Sumit Bose interviewed Emma Toovey, Chief Ecology Officer at Environment Bank, about nature recovery projects We've introduced a new viewing system for our podcasts to give you early access.
We will release episodes on our usual channels a week later if you're unable to register to our early access platform, visit here.  To read the full article by our producer Garima Satija, visit: Net Hero Podcast

What’s the best way to decarbonise?

In this week's Net Hero Podcast, Sumit Bose interviewed Javier Cavada, CEO of Mitsubishi Europe, Middle East, and Africa, about the current state of electrification
We've introduced a new viewing system for our podcasts to give you early access. We will release episodes on our usual channels a week later if you're unable to register to our early access platform, visit: Net Hero Podcast
To read the full article by our producer Garima Satija, visit: Net Hero Podcast: What’s the best way to decarbonise?

Hydrogen: the marmite of net zero!

In this week's Net Hero Podcast, Sumit Bose speaks to scientist at the National Physical Laboratory, Ali Al-Sikab on the role of hydrogen in a net zero future
We've introduced a new viewing system for our podcasts to give you early access. We will release episodes on our usual channels a week later if you're unable to register to our early access platform, visit: Net Hero Podcast
To read the full article by our producer Garima Satija, visit: Net Hero Podcast: Hydrogen – The Marmite of Net Zero

Is your thermostat smarter than you?

In this week's Net Hero Podcast, Sumit Bose spoke to Ian Rose of smart thermostat company Passiv UK about decarbonising heat at the lowest cost to consumers
 

Abracadabra! Ordinary plastic turns biodegradable!

In this week's Net Hero Podcast, Sumit Bose speaks to Executive Director at Symphony Environmental Michael Stephen about technology that turns ordinary plastic biodegradable

Home EV charging upgraded!

Investing in at-home charging infrastructure can help you save over £1000 a year compared to public charging, said Michael Goulden, Co-Founder of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure supplier, Kerbo Charge.
In this week's episode of the Net-Hero Podcast, Michael told us: 'Around 40 percent of residents in the UK and 60 percent in London, don't have driveways.
'And the problem for those people is that the average price of a slow neighbourhood charger in the UK is 55p a kilowatt hour. That works out to be more expensive per mile than a petrol car.
'So there is a lack of incentive for people to move to electric - new EVs are more expensive at the moment and the cost of using a public charger is more expensive than running your petrol car.
'And it is the residents in cities that we want most to move to EVs that are most reluctant. They are the most vulnerable to air pollution.
'Data tells us that about 300,000 people in the UK died prematurely because of air pollution. And pollution from cars is a big part of that.'
Kerbo Charge provides at-home charging infrastructure without the need for a driveway.
He said: 'So we know that people want to be able to charge at home and it's about getting the power safely from their house to their car.
'The product that we've developed is a through pavement EV charging channel.
'We've talked to councils and they told us that it needs to sit flat with the pavement so it doesn't create a trip hazard. We only want the cable to be going in when the resident is charging and then they need to be able to take it out. It needs to have a lid with a self-closing design so it can't be left open by accident and it needs to be able to bend with the pavement surface. And we made a product that does just that.'
Michael told us that the infrastructure can also be used for flats.
He said: 'We've developed something for people living in flats especially those on higher floors, which is a sharing app.
'The way this works is if the ground floor flats can hook up their power to a charger and then run that through the Kerbo Charge channel, then anybody in the block of flats can borrow the power supply.
'The app records exactly how much electricity is used and then the owner of that flat is paid for the cost of electricity before they pay their bill.'
Although the cost of installing EV charging infrastructure is expensive, Michael tells us that government subsidies and the long-term benefits of having at-home charging can help.
He said: 'There is now a government grant for everyone in the UK and it is £350 off the price of your charger once you get one of these channels.
'So that helps bring the bundled price down. So if you get the channel that is about £1000 and a charger would be about £900 fully installed, you take £350 off that.
'But with chargers you can get a subscription service and that, coupled with the fact that at-home charging is cheaper than public charging, will pay itself back.
'There are also councils that are helping with the cost of installing Kerbo Charge. So in Nottinghamshire, they are putting our units in for free. In Reading and Milton Keynes, they are expected to subsidise the costs. So there is allocation of cash for local authorities to help EV drivers.'
Watch the full episode below and don't forget to register to the Big Zero Show Online: 100 days of Labour event.