Net zero: Looking for green shoots in the desert sands

Global opinion remains divided as to the success of COP28 and what actions will follow the gathering of world leaders in Dubai to make a real difference in tackling climate change.

However, for an intrepid band of Lancashire based low carbon tech firms, the summit proved a great success in showcasing their products and knowledge and opening doors to possible new markets and collaborations.

The world-leading development work being carried out in Lancashire in the sector, including the RedCAT technology hub, was also highlighted.

And discussions took place on how countries in the developing world can access the county’s low carbon technologies as they battle the impact of global warming.

The Lancashire delegation to the UN’s gathering was led by East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce and supported by the LEP.

The county’s flagbearers included Green Shield Group, sustainable energy experts based in Ribble Valley and LiNa Energy, a Lancaster business specialising in low-cost solid-state sodium battery technology.

They were joined by Ryse Energy, based in Blackpool, a global leader in off-grid renewable energy solutions, which has an office in the UAE and a strong track record in delivering wind turbine technology.

IoT Horizon, based in Rawtenstall, which works to help companies improve indoor air quality, reduce energy consumption and improve sustainability, was also part of the delegation.

Carbonbit, sustainability experts from Lytham, took its work developing carbon capture to Dubai, along with Isentra, a Chorley business looking at the decarbonisation of refrigeration and heat pump machinery.

Property retrofitting expert Qwala, headquartered in Preston, made up the businesses in the delegation, which also included Lynne Gillen, export manager at the Department for International Trade, Miranda Barker the chamber’s chief executive and Stephen Sykes, its director of sustainability.

Stephen Allen, director of operations at Isentra, says: “We are actively looking to get into overseas markets. The visit really opened my eyes as to what is possible on the international stage.

“It was also really helpful in introducing us to businesses nearer to home in Lancashire and the possibility of future collaborations here.”

Collaboration was high on the agenda of Dylan Jordan, chief innovation officer at Carbonbit.

He says: “The big thing for our perspective was meeting international businesses and talking about possible collaboration. It has allowed us to open conversations.

“It also gave an opportunity to see what other companies working in the carbon capture field are doing, to get their different perspectives and a view on the landscape.”

Deyrick Allen, founder of IoT Horizon, left Dubai with a future meeting with a company based in the city pencilled in the diary. He says: “The visit helped open up discussions and was also a chance to talk to other organisations working in our sector.

“And it was really interesting to hear from other nations and to get their take on the climate emergency.”

Ged Heffernan has founded a number of Lancashire green tech enterprises including the Preston based River Power Pod, which is behind the development of an in-stream hydro-turbine that can bring power and clean water to remote parts of the world.

He is now working, with the support of RedCAT, which he helped found, and Liverpool John Moores University, to develop a 3-D printed version of the turbine which would allow communities in countries like Kenya to create them on the ground.

Ged believes that form of tech-transfer is vital and offers huge opportunities. Unable to travel to Dubai he was given virtual access to COP28 and says: “It was good to see such a lot of people working very hard to reach agreement and wanting a policy that would have a real impact.

“There was passionate debate but the summit also showed how difficult it is to get a policy that works across the globe.”

Miranda Barker says the COP28 visit was a success in terms of Lancashire’s global visibility and the valuable contacts made during the time spent in Dubai.

She met with a range of politicians and leaders including the government’s energy and net zero secretary Claire Coutinho and her Labour shadow Ed Miliband. They have both expressed a keen interest in visiting the county to discover more about the net zero work being done here.

Miranda says: “The visit was a success in showcasing Lancashire as a low carbon tech centre of excellence, with visits to come from national politicians from both sides, and our voice being heard on global climate concerns.

“We also had conversations about the importance of getting the technologies we have in Lancashire to the places in the world where they can do some good, without imposing a debt burden on those areas.

“We need some grown up thinking around green tech equity so ‘Global South’ nations can fight their own climate change battles using Lancashire green innovations.”

The COP28 deal was the first to note the need to move away from the fossil fuels that drive global warming.

However, countries at the most risk from climate change, along with other groups, had wanted it to go further with a commitment to “phase out” fossil fuels. The agreement includes global targets to triple the capacity of renewable energy such as wind and solar power, and to double the rate of energy efficiency improvements, both by 2030.

It has also called on nations to speed up low-and zero-emission technologies such as carbon capture and storage.

Following the developments during the conference closely, Stephen Sykes believes it will be business and not politicians who will lead the way. He says: “The attitude is we will just get on with it because we can’t wait for you.”