Bristol's year as UK's first European Green Capital celebrated

Celebrate Bristol’s
year as the UK’s first
European Green Capital
For the latest news and events,
visit bristol2015.co.uk
/Bristol 2015 /@bristol_2015
Green
Tech
2015
#Greentech2015
Innovation for
a better future

2 #Greentech2015
FOREWORD
www.bristol2015.co.uk 3
CONTENTS
Contents
Bristol and the surrounding region has a rich history of
technological innovation. The nation’s most famous engineer,
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, is closely associated with the city.
We witness his entrepreneurship and technical excellence on
a daily basis: the Suspension Bridge, the Floating Harbour, SS
Great Britain and the Great Western Railway.
This proud tradition has continued
over the centuries, now in areas of
advanced engineering and aerospace,
high technology, ICT (information
and communications technology)
and microelectronics, digital and
creative, city innovation and, most
recently, clean technology.
As an engineer and as a businessman
I have found this heritage inspiring.
It helps to make Bristol the ideal
place to base an innovative,
technologically driven company.
I see Garrad Hassan, now part of
DNV GL, as a microcosm of the local
innovation and entrepreneurship.
We are part of the vibrant sustainable
energy sector which has made this
region the national centre for green
technology and business.
This guide to a selection of the
exciting technology companies in
Bristol and the surrounding region
is a celebration of green technology
based here. Bristol is European Green
Capital 2015 and this provides a great
opportunity to showcase the expertise
and successes of these companies. I
hope that you find their contribution
to the nation’s economy inspiring and
see it as proof of how the region is
leading national and international
innovation. For Venturefest many
of them are gathered in Brunel’s
very own Engine Shed. He will be
keeping an eye on us all!
Andrew Garrad
Chairman, Bristol 2015
Foreword
FOREWORD..........................................................................................................................................2
CONTENTS...........................................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................4
THE RISE OF SUSTAINABLE TECH IN THE WEST OF ENGLAND..................................................5
ADVANCED ENGINEERING
Airbus...................................................................................................................................................7
CFMS.....................................................................................................................................................8
DNV GL.................................................................................................................................................9
RegenSW & Marine Energy Accelerator Programme (MEAP)................................................10
National Composites Centre........................................................................................................ 11
Renishaw...........................................................................................................................................12
Stirling Dynamics............................................................................................................................14
CITY INNOVATION
FirstGroup.........................................................................................................................................16
Fusion Processing........................................................................................................................... 17
Keynsham Civic Centre..................................................................................................................18
HAB Housing.....................................................................................................................................20
Skanska.............................................................................................................................................21
Warm Up Bristol..............................................................................................................................22
Wessex Water...................................................................................................................................23
DIGITAL & CREATIVE
Bristol City Council.........................................................................................................................25
Crocodile...........................................................................................................................................26
Green Running.................................................................................................................................28
Power Up Bristol.............................................................................................................................29
Playwest............................................................................................................................................30
Simpleweb and The Curve............................................................................................................32
HIGH TECH
Atkins ................................................................................................................................................34
Bristol BlueGreen............................................................................................................................36
Western Power Distribution.........................................................................................................37
FINANCIAL INNOVATION
Bath & West Community Energy.................................................................................................39
Triodos.............................................................................................................................................. 40
Clean Energy Prospector...............................................................................................................42
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS....................................................................................................................43

THE RISE OF SUSTAINABLE TECH IN THE WEST OF ENGLAND
4 #Greentech2015
INTRODUCTION
The 2015 International Green Technology Festival,
held as part of the Bristol 2015 European Green
Capital celebration, involved a series of events
and activities designed to promote innovative and
successful green technology from the region.
Greentech is at the centre of
economic growth for Bristol and Bath.
Environmental challenges are now
core to the requirements of many new
technologies. It is now increasingly
accepted that commercial technology
development has to also be green and
sustainable. It is no longer a trade-off,
but part of the core requirements.
This collection of company profiles
offers an insight into some highlights
of the region’s strengths in greentech.
It cannot be comprehensive, but it will
provide an indication of the growth
opportunities in the Bristol area and
for Great Britain to create jobs and
inward investment.
The companies are grouped in the
following five sections:
zz Advanced Engineering – to
recognise the region’s aerospace,
engineering, materials and
manufacturing heritage and
strengths in innovation.
zz City Innovation
– the city is
a test-bed for many future city
innovations combining cutting-edge
advanced engineering, digital and
high technology.
zz Digital innovation – drawing
on the region’s expertise in
high performance computing,
silicon chip design and
software development.
zz High Technology – a significant
growth opportunity for the region
covering ICT, microelectronics and
their combination in robotics.
zz Financial Innovation – finance
is required to bring forward new
greentech products and services,
and we have pioneers in the region.
I hope you find some inspiration
and opportunity in this greentech
introduction to the region.
Introduction How the rise of sustainable tech
in the West of England is great
news for our economy
As the companies featured here show,
entrepreneurs and businesses in
the West of England are increasingly
focusing their attention on the
significant commercial opportunities
being offered by greentech, that is the
technology which makes a positive
change by reducing our impact on
the planet. And it’s a great place for
them to do it, as McKinsey & Co. and
the Centre for Cities stated in a report
last year “Bristol & Bath is the only
fast growing & globally significant
tech cluster in the UK.”
Greentech is profitable because it
makes sound business sense. Today,
the conservation of natural resources
and the use of renewable resources
is seen as a business imperative,
not just because it is good for the
environment but because there
are commercial opportunities and
business risks in corporate supply
chains that are over-exposed to
needing energy, water or other
scarce resources.
In 2015, as part of Bristol’s European
Green Capital year, the city has had
the opportunity to shine a light on
its existing greentech businesses,
as well as helping to create new
ones. A great example of this was
Bristol 2015’s Green Capital Digital
Challenge where teams competed
to develop apps and games that
tackle environmental challenges.
Not only are these greentech
companies improving our everyday
lives, but they are helping to
bring jobs and investment to the
region which in turn is great news
for our economy, both regionally
and nationally.
Sonny Masero
International Greentech Advisor
Bristol 2015 European Green Capital
“Bristol & Bath is the
only fast growing &
globally significant
tech cluster in the UK”
McKinsey & Co. & Centre for Cities, 2014

6 #Greentech2015
Bristol and the West of England has long been a home for innovative
engineering. The advanced engineering and manufacturing technologies being
used in the region cover an incredibly diverse range of disciplines. This includes
composite materials; low-carbon fuels; metal 3D printing; Unmanned Aerial
Vehicles (UAVs); and cleantech from the energy and water sectors.
The action to reduce environmental impact is a thread which runs through all
of these technologies; and this is increasingly a prerequisite for 21st century
engineering. The companies profiled here are just some of the many in the
region using these new advances in engineering to make greentech even
more efficient and profitable.
Fact 1:
The South West is the first region in the UK to be designated
as a marine energy park
Fact 2:
The world’s first series production electric plane was designed and
engineered by Airbus
Fact 3:
The headquarters of the largest renewable energy consultancy
in the world is located in Bristol
Advanced Engineering
Makers of the world’s first series production electric plane
www.airbus.com
@Airbus
The world’s first series production
electric plane, the E-Fan, has been
designed and engineered by Airbus,
who has a significant engineering
centre in Filton. It’s extremely efficient
and almost silent in flight, as well as
producing nearly zero CO2
emissions.
Airbus General Manager Mark
Stewart says: “We are leading the
way in environmental performance.
As an industry we have reduced
CO2
emissions by more than 70%
in the last 50 years.”
Airbus plans to produce the E-Fan
2.0 by 2017, and it will be followed by
the 4.0. The 2.0 will be powered by
batteries alone, and is likely to weigh
less than 600kg and able to fly for up
to 5 hours. The 4.0 on the other hand,
will be a 4-seater hybrid training
aircraft with an additional combustion
engine to provide extended range.
The designs for the aircraft have won
several awards, including the Personal
Aircraft Design Academy (PADA) award
in 2014 and a 2015 iF DESIGN AWARD
within the mobility category for the
E-fan 2.0 – chosen out of nearly 5,000
entries from 53 countries.
Airbus

8 #Greentech2015
DNV GL
Encouraging and supporting growth in renewable energy
www.dnvgl.com
@DNVGL
DNV GL, the largest renewable
energy consultancy in the world,
is head‑quartered in Bristol.
Leading the way in encouraging new
innovation and investment into the
renewable energy market, a big part of
DNV GL’s involvement has been in the
development of wind farms.
Earlier this year Dr Andrew Garrad,
founder of renewables consultancy
Garrad Hassan (now part of DNV
GL), was awarded the AIOLOS award
for his career-long services to the
development of wind energy.
DNV GL also recently developed
an innovative Operations Control
Room containing a complete suite
of information about the portfolio of
wind farms it manages. It supplies a
variety of analytical tools that monitor
the wind farms for alerts that require
investigation and diagnosis.
Its commitment is strong, especially
in the face of challenges to the
renewable energy industry. Regional
Communications Manager Ali
Ghezelbash commented: “Renewables
face different pressures. Global
economic pressures and a shifting
energy policy landscape have led to
reduced levels of subsidy in many
leading national markets.”
Nonetheless, DNV GL have recently
released a manifesto announcing
commitments to work with industry
partners in a number of areas
including improving the efficiency of
existing processes. It’s hoped that
these actions could have the potential
to achieve reductions in the cost of
off-shore wind energy by up to 25%.
Supercomputer simulations supporting leaps
forward in renewable energy applications
www.cfms.org.uk
@CFMSuk
The Centre for Modelling and
Simulation (CFMS) uses a high
performance computer to reduce a
company’s product development costs
and the time it takes to get it to market.
Encompassing aerospace, renewable
energy, civil engineering, utilities and
transport, the CFMS is working on
numerous projects where, as Chief
Operating Officer, Sam Paice tells us,
“For every piece
of new equipment
introduced, there is a
focus on techniques
that will improve
performance and
energy consumption.”
For example, The Simulated Wake
Effects Platform for Turbines (SWEPT)
project has CFMS investigating
innovative hardware to support the
use of Computational Fluid Dynamics
(CFD) software in wind turbine
simulations, making them more
efficient and affordable.
Sam explains: “This will provide the
industry with an advanced toolset
to design larger turbines and larger
arrays of turbines, which reduces
financing cost and allows energy
primes to cut carbon emissions and
design better wind farm layouts.”
The potential savings for companies
using CFMS’s energy efficient tools
is impressive, Sam says, as “Even
a moderate user of simulation can
equate to power savings of the order
of £100,000 per year.”
CFMS

10 #Greentech2015
National Composites Centre
Green innovation in advanced materials and composites
www.nccuk.com
@NCCUKinfo
Based at the Bristol and Bath Science
Park, the National Composites Centre
(NCC) brings together top engineering
companies and academics to
accelerate innovation in the use of
advanced materials in composites
manufacture and product design.
Composites, with their strength,
durability and low weight, provide
some of the UK’s most innovative
engineering solutions: from reducing a
vehicle’s fuel consumption, providing
ways of producing greener energy,
to reducing maintenance costs in
bridges, roads and railways.
Within automotive, for example, EU
manufacturers will have to achieve
fleet average carbon dioxide (CO2
)
emissions of 95g/km (around one
third less than today’s average).
Much of this will be achieved by the
use of lighter-weight materials and
structures. The NCC is working with
a number of companies to provide
technology development advice for
more efficient engines which, together
with lighter structures, will save
millions of tonnes of greenhouse
gases from being released into the
atmosphere.
The NCC will also be helping the UK
reach its target of generating 15% of
its total energy needs from renewable
sources by 2020 by collaborating
with renewable energy developers to
innovate the next generation of large
wind and tidal devices.
RegenSW & Marine Energy
Accelerator Programme (MEAP)
www.regensw.co.uk
@RegenSW
With a wealth of tidal energy
resource available right on our
doorstep in the Bristol Channel,
South-West renewable energy experts
RegenSW is working towards giving
the region the priority focus for the
development and deployment of
marine energy technologies.
As a member of Bristol City Council’s
Marine Energy Accelerator Programme
(MEAP), RegenSW is instrumental in
the programme’s aims to support
the development of the marine
renewable energy sector in the
Bristol City Region.
RegenSW’s Offshore Programme
Manager Ian Godfrey tells us: “If fully
exploited, marine renewable energy
could eventually supply as much as
20% of UK electricity demand, saving
30 million tonnes of CO2
emissions
each year when compared with
fossil fuel generation.”
MEAP builds on four previous years
of support for the sector through
Bristol City Council’s Offshore Energy
Programme and includes the Bristol
Tidal Energy Forum – a technical,
international and industry led
network and bi-annual conference.
The programme also integrates with
the wider South West Marine Energy
Park (SWMEP), a programme for
marine technology development,
especially green energy-generation
projects, established by the
Department of
Energy and Climate
Change (DECC)
back in 2012.

12 #Greentech2015
They’ve been a success for dentists
too, providing many other benefits
including a better fit. Chris tells us:
“We make thousands of metal teeth
every month in Gloucestershire.”
Makers of the world’s first metal 3D-printed bike
www.renishaw.com
@renishawplc
Global engineering company
Renishaw has developed the world’s
first metal 3D-printed bike frame
for bike designer and manufacturer,
Empire Cycles – producing a leading
mountain bike that’s 33% lighter than
the original and extremely strong.
Based in Gloucestershire and
specialising in everything from
scientific measurement and
calibration to 3D printing and
advanced materials, Renishaw is
the UK’s only manufacturer of a
metal-based additive manufacturing
machine that prints metal parts.
As additive manufacturing is
developed further, it’s hoped that it
can be used across a wide range of
applications to provide a number of
environmental benefits including a
reduction of waste in manufacturing,
lighter weight products and an
increase in strength.
Some examples of where it could
be used in the future include the
manufacture of more environmentally
friendly vehicles and transport as
well as developing even lighter bikes
that will encourage more people
to get into cycling.
Extending additive manufacturing
techniques across a wide range
of industries, Renishaw has also
used this process to machine
non‑precious metal alternatives
for use in dental crown and bridge
frameworks. The process is called
LaserPFM and produces crowns
and bridges that are free from
metals such as nickel, beryllium and
cadmium – making them a much
more environmentally friendly and
cost-effective alternative to cast or
machined semi-precious metals.
Renishaw
Empire Cycles
“Advanced manufacturing
has produced a mountain
bike that’s 33% lighter
than the original and
extremely strong”

www.bristol2015.co.uk 1514 #Greentech2015
There is a wide range of city innovation technologies already present in Bristol
& Bath. Companies based here are helping create smart, green cities in many
different ways: smart lighting; green buildings; smart meters; energy efficiency;
hybrid vehicles; intelligent mobility; renewable energy; power management;
green & digital street furniture; and open data. The Bristol & Bath region
also has several city innovation hubs that help accelerate the take up and
implementation of these forms of innovation like Bristol & Bath Science Park;
Filwood Green Business Park and Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone.
The advantages for cities embracing greentech in terms of reduced costs,
emissions and even congestion are clear. Here are a few of the many companies
based in the Bristol region already utilising innovative greentech to make
our cities a better place to live.
Fact 1:
The European Commission awarded Bristol the title of
European Green Capital 2015
Fact 2:
The first VW Beetle to run on bio-gas from human sewage
was created in the region
Fact 3:
The region has one of the largest council-owned solar panel
systems in the UK
City Innovation
Advanced engineering for environmentally friendly
waste water treatment
www.stirling-dynamics.com
@StirlingDynamic
Stirling Dynamics provides advanced
engineering design services to
customers in the aerospace, marine,
defence and energy sectors.
Recently, Stirling teamed up with
green start-up Industrial Phycology
to provide engineering expertise to
its innovative and environmentally
friendly method of using algae to
convert waste water from sewage
works into biomass and fertiliser.
The algae consume the nutrients and
minerals in the waste water, while also
absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2
), to
grow and reproduce. This algae
biomass can then be used as a
renewable fertiliser or as biomass to
create sustainable power – while
reducing CO2
emissions which
contribute to climate change.
The algae is grown in a bespoke
industrial photobioreactor using
advanced LEDs provided by Stirling
Dynamics. The company is also
supplying the advanced control
system and systems integration.
Stirling’s Energy Business Manager,
Peter Stirling, tells us: “The process
has been proved at lab and pilot
scale, and we’re preparing to
commission a full-scale demonstrator
system, funded by DECC and West of
England LEP. This will let Industrial
Phycology demonstrate the technology
to industry, and move closer to
commercialisation of the system.”
Stirling Dynamics

16 #Greentech2015
CITY INNOVATION
CITY INNOVATION
Eco-friendly transport for an eco-friendly city
www.firstgroup.com/bristol
@FirstBSA
Transport operator FirstGroup provides
travel solutions for 1,000s of people
every day. It operates trains, buses
and coaches across many UK cities
and towns – so it understands the
need to have as minimal an impact
on the environment as possible.
For example, working with
Avonmouth-based Wessex Water, First
West of England is trialling a brand
new Bio-Bus powered by sewage and
food waste on a route in Bristol. The
Bio-Bus is fuelled by bio-methane
gas, a by-product of Wessex’s sewage
processing, which is how it’s gained
its friendly nickname, the ‘poo-bus’!
Having garnered some really great
feedback already from passengers,
the team at FirstGroup are
considering introducing more bio-
buses to their fleet in the future.
Using bio-gas replaces the need
to use diesel fuel produced from
finite oil deposits. It also creates
less pollution and emissions which
This isn’t the only innovative green
transport technology FirstGroup
has utilised. Take the micro-hybrid
Wright Streetlites buses, which are
currently used by First in Bristol.
These buses can harness power
from their own braking system and
use it to power lighting and passenger
information systems. This makes
them some of the most fuel-efficient
diesel buses in the world.
Tech innovation for safer, more cycle friendly cities
www.fusionproc.com
@FusionProc
Cycling is one of the most
environmentally friendly ways to
travel and is great for your fitness too.
Yet to encourage confidence and get
more people on their bikes, we need
to make our roads safer – for drivers
as well as cyclists.
Fusion Processing has potentially
solved one of the biggest safety
concerns for cyclists on the road
with the Cycle Eye – a custom camera
which can be placed on the sides
of cars, vans and buses, alerting
the driver to any cyclists coming
up alongside the vehicle.
Jim Hutchinson, founder of Fusion
Processing, explains: “There are
many causes of collisions between
bicycles and large vehicles, but a
common factor in many collisions
is that the driver is unaware of the
presence of the cyclist.”
The Cycle Eye is unique in that it can
reliably identify cyclists against the
background of road clutter and other
vehicles, quickly alerting the driver.
Today, there are already five cameras
being trailed on buses in Bristol, a
further two on buses in London, with
others fitted to a fleet of trucks and
vans from a major UK retailer.
Jim has high hopes for the impact
Cycle Eye will have on our roads
and the environment: “We hope
that widespread use of CycleEye
will greatly reduce the numbers of
collisions, saving lives and reducing
the number of injuries sustained by
cyclists. The improved safety will lead
to more people feeling confident
enough to cycle in the city.”
Fusion ProcessingFirstGroup

18 #Greentech2015
CITY INNOVATION
CITY INNOVATION
Bath Council’s flagship civic centre provides for
the community
www.bathnes.gov.uk
@bathnes
As part of a wider development
plan for Keynsham town centre,
which has ambitious aims to boost
the local economy and greatly
contribute to carbon dioxide (CO2
)
emission reduction targets, the
Keynsham Civic Centre was opened
in the summer of 2014. Reducing CO2
emissions is important for tackling
global climate change.
The centre has one of the largest
council-owned solar panel systems
in the UK, and produces enough solar
energy for all its needs as well as
generating excess energy which can
be sold to create additional savings.
The council offices within the centre
have already achieved an outstanding
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
rating of 5, which is equivalent to
almost zero CO2
.
The flagship building also benefits the
local community; 50% of the site has
been given over to new public space,
including a new library and market
Keynsham Civic Centre
square. The centre has also created
a range of new jobs needed to staff
the shops and services that are
housed in the building.
For the council teams occupying the
offices of the civic centre, having the
opportunity to work inside such a
unique and innovative building has
created a real buzz.
Corporate Sustainability Manager,
Jane Wildblood explains: “It’s a really
beautiful building to work in and it’s
fantastic to know that it’s got such
a low carbon impact. There’s a real
sense of pride in what we’ve achieved
and how we can now use that to
inspire developers and partners
to do the same.”
All images ©AHR Architects

20 #Greentech2015
CITY INNOVATION
CITY INNOVATION
Skanska
Constructing with green technology to cut schools’
energy costs in half
www.skanska.co.uk
@SkanskaUKplc
Skanska, one of the world’s leading
project development and construction
groups, has been employing
innovative green technology to build
sustainable schools in Bristol for a
number of years now – building and
refurbishing 43 schools since 2007.
Committed to using cutting-edge
technology, Skanska achieved a Green
Guide rating of A+ for the straw bale
construction of May Park Primary in
Bristol, which was not only deemed
a zero carbon frame but was a first
for this method of construction in
the industry. It’s a method that has
helped to cut the energy use of the
school in half. Skanska also installed
solar panels on its roof, which has
generated over 20% of the school’s
annual electricity requirement.
During the construction of its first
South West school build, Bristol
Brunel Academy, the Skanska
group implemented many green
technologies which have been utilised
in further school developments since
– including biomass boilers designed
to generate 80% of the school’s
heating, intelligent lighting systems
and toilets flushed entirely from
rainwater using a harvesting system.
Skanska’s Bristol Project Manager,
John Brennan tells us: “We know that
sustainable buildings offer healthier
environments as well as cutting
costs, so we build to some of the
highest green standards.”
Bespoke sustainable home design
www.habhousing.co.uk
@HABHousing
HAB Housing is flipping traditional
home development on its head.
Speaking to Communications and
Sales Director Simon McWhirter about
HAB Housing’s ethos, he explains: “We
adopt an intelligent balanced, holistic
approach in line with One Planet
Living principles and we’re committed
to ensuring that our homes are
economic and efficient to run.”
HAB Housing’s first project, The
Triangle, uses a smart heating system
generated via an air source heat
pump and distributed via under
floor heating. The homes also have
mechanical ventilation and heat
recovery systems.
Other features include a communal
kitchen garden and a car club to
help reduce emissions. The green
technology used at The Triangle won
the 2012 RIBA award for Sustainability.
Homes from their second project,
The Applewood, trialled Moixa AC-DC
systems which store electricity from
the home’s solar panels to power
lighting. This not only reduces the
consumption of energy, but also
reduces household energy bills.
With plans to develop up to 1,000
homes per year by 2019, many more
will be offered the opportunity to
own one of these award-winning
homes in the near future, with
potential projects in the pipeline
from Bristol to Bicester.
HAB Housing

22 #Greentech2015
CITY INNOVATION
CITY INNOVATION
Offering funding to make your home more
energy efficient
www.warmupbristol.co.uk
@bristolenergy
Warm Up Bristol is a four-year Bristol
Council initiative focused on ensuring
that Bristol’s homes are as energy
efficient as possible.
With help from a £7.3m grant from the
Department of Energy and Climate
Change (DECC) and Energy Company
Obligation subsidies from EDF, Warm
Up Bristol is able to assist Bristol
householders (including people who
rent) through the process of making
their home more energy efficient.
This includes initial assessments and
advice on grant funding available, to
providing quotations and arranging
the final installation of improvements.
Assessments are subsidised at just
£49 and there are up to 45 measures
on offer ranging from solid and cavity
wall insulation to double glazing,
draught proofing and new boilers.
The scheme has only been running
for a couple of months, but already
3,000 householders now understand
the energy efficiency of their homes
and a further
283 have
completed
installations.
“We want to
empower as
many people
as we can to improve the efficiency
of their homes and, where possible,
enable people to generate their
own energy,” says Mareike Schmidt,
Energy Service Manager. “We hope to
install around 30,000 energy saving
measures over the next four years.”
Transforming waste food and water into bio-methane gas
– fuel for the city
www.wessexwater.co.uk
#wessexwater
Wessex Water’s subsidiary company
GENeco, a waste-to-energy business
based at Bristol sewage treatment
works in Avonmouth, built a gas-to-
grid plant to inject gas generated
from treating sewage and food waste
into the national gas network. The
use of this bio-gas can reduce carbon
dioxide emissions and air pollution
as well as avoiding the use of finite
natural gas and oil.
Ian Drury from Wessex Water explains:
“Enough gas is produced to supply
more than 8,500 homes in Bristol.”
Also, working alongside transport
group First, they launched the Bio-Bus
– the first bus in the UK to run on the
gas generated from sewage and food
waste (see page 16).
Wessex Water also recently launched
the Bio-Bug – the first VW Beetle to
run on bio-gas produced from human
sewage, which can run for a whole
year on the waste flushed down the
toilets of just 70 homes!
Another green solution from
Wessex Water is its use of specialist
robots to gain access to maintain
underground sewers. The robots
reduce the need for the heavy
machinery required to dig up the
road – so not only is that great news
for road users, it also reduces cost,
materials and CO2
emissions.
Wessex WaterWarm Up Bristol
BristolCityCouncil/WarmUpBristol

DIGITAL & CREATIVE
24 #Greentech2015
Bristol City Council
Using Bristol’s open data to support positive
environmental action
https://opendata.bristol.gov.uk/
@BristolCouncil
As part of the Bristol Open Data
project, Bristol City Council, in
partnership with leading platform
developer Socrata, has developed
a pilot scheme to open up council
data to the general public.
Kevin O’Malley, Bristol City Council’s
City Innovation Partnership
Development Manager explains:
“Bristol has long recognised the
potential of open data and has been
actively involved in releasing data
and encouraging its reuse since 2010.”
Some of the most visited areas
on the site are visualisations of
environmental datasets like the
City Centre Congestion Map, a graph
showing the number of installed solar
panels generating electricity and a
map showing the
levels of hourly
nitrous oxide (NO2
)
as a measure of air
quality in the city.
Clearly there is a public appetite for
getting the lowdown on and improving
Bristol’s environmental impact.
The council recognises this: “We
are opening up a wide range of
environmental datasets to support
positive action and initiatives to
reduce impact,” says Kevin. “One of the
datasets we have been capturing is
air quality and we have been working
with the Open Data Institute to use
this information to inform the council
of the optimal bus routes to utilise
hybrid rather than diesel buses.”
It’s an on-going scheme, as Kevin
explains: “We intend to continue to
load more and more data into the
platform, incorporating data from
other authorities and agencies to
give a rounded picture of the City.”
The Bristol region is one of the most important digital hubs outside of London.
Digital and creative innovation centres based in the area, like the Pervasive
Media Studio, Bristol Games Hub and the Engine Shed, ensure that there is an
established ecosystem for new digital and creative businesses.
The innovation shown here comes from both large and small businesses
showing the diversity in the region: big data; open data; games with social
purpose; and consumer digital innovation. All of these fields can be used
to power greentech innovation, as the following creative companies show.
Fact 1:
Over 500 million people a month see digital content produced
in Bristol & Bath
Fact 2:
The region’s Digital and Creative sector is expected to create 17,000
new jobs over the next 15 years
Fact 3:
The Bristol 2015 Green Capital Digital Challenge tasked digital companies
to develop apps, games and websites that tackle environmental issues
Digital and Creative

26 #Greentech2015
DIGITAL & CREATIVE
DIGITAL & CREATIVE
Sustainability solution expert Kevin
Ramm, who was part of the winning
Crocodile team, explains: “We were
shocked to discover that every school
day in the UK, around 40% of primary
school children are dropped off by car.
High traffic volumes cause continued
poor air quality in UK cities, linked to
asthma and other health problems.”
Kevin adds: “By catalysing more
active travel for children, Crocodile
should also bring health and
fitness benefits, and increase social
interaction between children.”
The app could also have an expected
educational benefit: research has
shown that children who walk, scoot
or cycle to school arrive more alert
and ready to learn.
An app to encourage kids to walk to school
www.crocodile.org.uk
@crocodileapp
Crocodile is a mobile app that hopes
to revolutionise the school run,
encouraging children to walk to school
to reduce road pollution and increase
child fitness. The project is the winner
of the £50,000 Bristol 2015 Green
Capital Digital Challenge grand prize,
a Bristol 2015 initiative to encourage
digital companies to develop software
applications and games that tackle
environmental challenges.
Walking buses and cycling trains
offer a greener and more active way
for pupils to get to school safely, by
foot or by bike, escorted by adult
volunteers. Much like a regular bus or
train, there are pick-up times as well
as designated stops along the route.
The Crocodile app allows parents to
view the walking bus routes nearest
to them, book their child into their
preferred route for their children’s
school, check progress on the day
and confirm that their child has
arrived at school safely.
Crocodile
“An app that encourages children to walk to school to
reduce road pollution and increase child fitness”

28 #Greentech2015
DIGITAL & CREATIVE
DIGITAL & CREATIVE
Power Up Bristol
The eco-friendly puzzle game
www.natalt.co.uk/project/game-power-up-bristol/
@PowerUpBristol
Power Up Bristol is a green-energy
focused puzzle game for mobile
devices. It was shortlisted for the
Bristol Green Capital Digital Challenge
which asked Europe’s brightest minds
to develop new ways for software to
tackle environmental challenges.
James Parker, part of the team of six
who created the game, explains: “We
created a light-hearted puzzle game
which challenged players to power
their town (in this case, Bristol) in the
most efficient way possible.”
In the game the characters need
to generate and connect electricity
for cities without creating too much
pollution. At the same time they will
also have to avoid crazy obstacles
like zombie attacks!
James says, “The game makes use
of a cast of lovable characters – The
Power Pack – to gently make players
aware of the choices that need to be
made when balancing power supply
and usage against the environmental
impacts of those choices and the
well‑being of the population.”
The Power Up team have created a
prototype version for any town so that
each version of Power Up [Your Town]
can include local characteristics.
Fellow team member Nat Al-Tahhan
adds: “Our primary aim for the game
was that it would be fun, first and
foremost, and that through creating a
game that people genuinely enjoyed
we would be able to use it as a
mechanism for delivering a variety
of messages about how people can
approach the issues of energy use
and supply in their own lives.”
Helping you to better understand your electricity
usage at home and at work
www.greenrunning.com
@GreenRunningUK
Green Running provides a range
of products to help businesses and
individuals monitor, analyse and
manage their energy consumption,
enabling them to make savings, lower
their carbon footprint and achieve
sustainability targets.
Its products are unique in that they
work together to measure energy
usage on a second-by-second basis.
This allows individual electrical
appliances to be monitored in the
home as their unique electrical
patterns and footprints can be
recognised. Green Running products
can tell you anything from how much
energy your kettle is using when you
make a cuppa to the cost of running
your freezer for a month.
By being able to see how much
energy appliances are using in real
time, and the cost associated with
that usage, enables individuals to
identify and reduce wastage, choose
more energy efficient products and
learn more about how their energy
bills are calculated.
Founder Peter Davies tells us: “This
is a fantastic tool for demonstrating
the cause and effect of using electrical
appliances, educating individuals on
the cost and environmental impact of
their energy usage and encouraging
behavioural change.”
He adds, “For future generations,
this means that they will get a true
understanding of how their behaviour
affects their carbon footprint and
see all the benefits associated with
being more sustainable.”
Green Running

30 #Greentech2015
DIGITAL & CREATIVE
DIGITAL & CREATIVE
Making games to spread awareness about food waste
www.playwe.st
@PlaywestHQ
Playwest are a graduate-driven
videogame studio in Bristol that is
on a mission to create ‘games that
develop you’. Earlier this year the
company put together a team that was
shortlisted for the Bristol 2015 Green
Capital Digital Challenge. Participants
had just 48 hours to design a website,
app or game that highlighted or
solved environmental issues.
For the challenge, Playwest came
up with an impressive retro-themed
game called Super Trash Heroes where
players have to tackle food-waste
related challenges to progress to the
next level. Waste is the bad guy in this
highly imaginative game, especially
if there is the chance for it to be
re-used or recycled. This means the
game characters are breaking open
rubbish bags to collect good food to
power their vehicle one minute and
over-taking dirty rubbish trucks taking
waste to landfill the next.
Playwest
Team member Andy King explains:
“Games are powerful and persuasive
experiences, especially when shared;
yet are so often overlooked or
misunderstood. With Super Trash
Heroes we are creating a videogame
to facilitate the removal of the
cognitive and behavioural barriers
to issues around food waste, because
to change our future, we’ve got to
reach the next generation.”
Andy is confident the game is a
force for good: “We truly believe
we can raise the level of practical
awareness by busting myths around
food waste and empowering people
who might otherwise have ignored
the issue to act.”
“Busting myths
around food waste and
empowering people who
might otherwise have
ignored the issue to act”

www.bristol2015.co.uk 3332 #Greentech2015
DIGITAL & CREATIVE
Numerous high-tech companies have established research centres in the
Bristol region to innovate in Information & Communications Technology
(ICT). However, the successful growth of the ICT sector has brought its own
green issues. For example, the Internet, including ICT, already consumes 8%
of the UK’s power and increasing consumer and business demand means
this will grow. This means energy efficiency is now an integral requirement
for innovations in ICT.
It’s not just energy though, high tech industries offer numerous ways to
prosper in greentech, from utilising the benefits of driverless cars to combat
pollution, to monitoring and storing power to increase efficiency to save costs
and reduce waste. The following are some high-tech companies operating in
the Bristol area that are already leading the way.
Fact 1:
There are over 18,000 engineers employed in Bristol and Bath
Fact 2:
The joined up nature of the high-tech cluster mean green innovators
have a wealth of experience to draw upon
Fact 3:
”Bristol & Bath is the only fast growing & globally significant tech cluster
in the UK” McKinsey & Co. & Centre for Cities, 2014
High Tech
Sharing the world’s energy expertise with businesses
www.thecurve.thecrowd.me
@thecrowd
Bristol web design agency Simpleweb
is working with business community
The Crowd on The Curve, a peer-to
peer platform to share ideas and
innovations around environmental
and social sustainability.
The initial focus of The Curve
is sharing information between
businesses about energy investment
projects, both energy efficiency
and renewable energy. By creating
an easy-to-use online platform to
share experiences The Crowd aims
to accelerate the uptake of these
projects by more businesses. Luke
Clarkson, The Crowd’s Business
Development Director explains:
“There are now many ways that
companies can reduce carbon whilst
making an attractive return, but the
problem is that most companies
are yet to find them.”
He adds: “The aim for The Curve is
to make the world’s energy expertise
accessible to every organisation. We
believe it will transform the way that
expertise is shared and exponentially
accelerate the take up of cost-
effective energy investments, which
will improve energy security, reduce
carbon emissions and create jobs.”
Simpleweb is taking care of all
aspects of technical development
and providing business development
advice and support where possible.
Mark Panay, the company’s founder
explains: “Simpleweb and The Crowd
share a passionate belief that sharing
ideas and innovations is key to the
future of profitable and socially
responsible businesses. Simpleweb
believes that the team behind
The Crowd, and their established
network of organisations, have the
potential to make a real impact on
sustainability in business.”
Simpleweb and The Curve

34 #Greentech2015
HIGH TECH
HIGH TECH
Research and development into cleaner driverless
cars in Bristol
www.atkinsglobal.com
@atkinsglobal
The VENTURER consortium, made up
of a range of South West academic
organisations and companies from
across different sectors, has secured
funding from the UK government’s
innovation agency Innovate UK to
test driverless cars in the Bristol
region. Cars that can drive themselves
promise to create improvements in
road safety, reduce traffic congestion
and air pollution, and have the
potential to help reduce carbon
dioxide (CO2
) emissions which
Atkins, one of the world’s most
respected design, engineering and
project management consultancies,
is leading the extensive research and
development needed for the project.
Atkins
Atkins is looking into all aspects
of public reaction to the driverless
car – including concerns about how
driverless cars will respond in real-
life road situations such as when
encountering cyclists, pedestrians
and other drivers.
A big part of this is the VENTURER
car trial, which is due to continue
for 36 months in the Bristol Council
and South Gloucestershire Council
regions. Bristol-based company
Fusion Processing is also part of
the VENTURER consortium and is
providing their technology to help
manage these real-life road situations.
Project Manager, Carolyn Mitchell,
explains: “Using safe on-road trials
of cars and electric passenger
pods, alongside an accurate virtual
simulation, VENTURER will gain an
in-depth understanding of public
attitudes and reactions to inform
public policy and signpost the
way towards a safe and managed
transition to driverless cars.”
She adds, “With the development
of testing facilities for autonomous
vehicles and their related
technologies in the Bristol area,
the VENTURER will boldly go where
no car has gone before!”
Atkins
Atkins

36 #Greentech2015
HIGH TECH
HIGH TECH
Voltage management for effortless energy savings
www.bristolbluegreen.com
@BlueGreenSES
Bristol BlueGreen (BBG) has a mission
to become the leading voltage
management provider for domestic
and light commercial applications.
BBG’s product works by stabilising
voltage in properties to a point at
which all applications are designed
to operate efficiently. Chief Executive,
Rick Smith, explains: “There isn’t
enough emphasis on energy demand
reduction. For every 1kWh of electricity
not used we can reduce traditional
generation by 2.5kWh: the difference
is lost in generation and transmission
(largely as heat). BlueGreen reduces
electricity consumption without the
need for behavioural change. We see
this as not only a great environmental
opportunity but also a great
commercial opportunity.”
BBG has also placed its product into
the heart of tomorrow’s intelligent
home by integrating its voltage
management with energy monitoring
and wireless communications. Rick
tells us “It gives guaranteed savings,
and lower energy consumption.”
The positive environmental effects
of BlueGreen are also impressive
with a number of trials and studies
on the predecessor to BlueGreen
demonstrating a reduction in
electrical consumption typically
around 9 to 10%.
BlueGreen can also reduce the
carbon footprint of the average
home by 4 tonnes over the 25-year
life of BlueGreen (the equivalent of
taking one small car off the road
for one year). In addition, homes
with BlueGreen fitted benefit from
longer life in light bulbs and other
appliances, creating less waste.
Battery storage to capture excess household-produced
solar power
www.westernpowerinnovation.co.uk
@WPDUK
South West electricity Distribution
Network Operator Western Power
Distribution (WPD) is the largest of
its kind in the UK. Responsible for
the operation and maintenance of the
distribution network from 230 volts
up to 132,000 volts, it covers the South
West, South Wales, and the Midlands.
Having such a large network comes
with many challenges, with high
demand and generation putting
great pressure on electricity networks.
A potential solution is WPD’s Sola
Bristol project. This is a research
and development project that has
the potential to not only reduce
pressure on the network but also
to reduce unnecessary energy usage
and electricity bills.
The Sola Bristol Project, which started
back in 2012, entered the data analysis
phase last year and is funded by
Ofgem’s Low Carbon Networks Fund.
It’s trialling a system that links the
solar panels of 26 Bristol homes, five
schools and an office to their own
individual battery storage systems.
The batteries are charged by the solar
panels at low demand periods so that
the stored energy can be used by the
household at peak demand times
or exported to the local network.
Homeowners are then rewarded by
a variable tariff for exporting their
stored power and supporting the
network during peak times.
You can follow the progress of the
project, which will be running until
November 2015, by reading the early
learning reports on WPD’s website.
Western Power DistributionBristol BlueGreen

38 #Greentech2015
Bath & West Community Energy
Community-owned clean energy for the South West
www.bwce.coop
@BWCE
Bath and West Community Energy
(BWCE) was set up in 2010 as a
Community Benefit Society with
a vision to create a financially
sustainable, community-owned
energy enterprise.
Through its 13 solar energy projects, it
is delivering renewable energy, energy
efficiency and energy supply services
via a strong community model that
will maximise local investment,
strengthen the local economy and
build community resilience.
Its solar energy projects range from
8KW to 2.34MW installations. Eight
of these benefit local schools with
free electricity, while its biggest,
the Wilmington Farm Solar Array
near Bath, is an impressive ground-
mounted solar array. To date, the
BWCE’s projects have generated
1,886,177 KWh of clean electricity –
enough to power nearly 500 average
households for a year and saving
over 1m tonnes of CO2
.
Community Manager Peter Andrews
comments: “The feedback from
our community has been amazing.
We have had three public share
offers each of which has been
oversubscribed raising over £3 million.
In addition we have been able to
contribute £25,000 to the BWCE
Community Fund which is giving
grants to other low carbon projects
in and around our area.”
BWCE has no plans to stop there
though, with plans this summer to
build a waterwheel on the River
Avon. Peter adds: “In the not too
distant future we hope to be able to
supply our members and the public
with electricity generated from the
installations that they own.”
Bristol is a hotbed of greentech innovation, and more and more companies are
realising it makes sound sense to offer financing in this lucrative business area.
This includes banks seeking to progress social, cultural and environmental
sustainability through offering finance opportunities, or companies enabling
communities to generate their own green electricity to save home owners
and businesses money while also saving the planet.
The kind of financial innovation in greentech already in existence in the Bristol
region proves profit and principles need not be mutually exclusive, and the
companies over the following pages are some of its pioneers.
Fact 1:
The estimated size of the retrofit market in the West of England
is c£600m creating an estimated 800-1,600 jobs over a 10-year period
Fact 2:
Bristol’s banking and insurance sector contributed £1.8B to the
economy in 2011
Fact 3:
Bristol is a leading financial services centre with many major
international and national companies locating head offices here
Financial Innovation

40 #Greentech2015
Investing in a greener future
www.triodos.co.uk
@triodosuk
Triodos is a global pioneer of
sustainable banking; its mission is to
make money work for positive social,
environmental and cultural change
by connecting savers and investors
who want to help make the world
a better place.
Triodos Renewables PLC, managed
by Triodos Bank, invested in its
first South West project in 2012 – a
four 2.05MW wind turbine site at
Avonmouth, which provides enough
power to produce the average annual
electricity needs of 4,500 homes.
With offices in Bristol, Triodos have
played a great role locally. Head
of Communications Lisa Stanley
comments: “In our twentieth
anniversary year we are delighted
to support Bristol as European
Green Capital and the myriad
opportunities this will bring, both
in terms of awareness of sustainable
banking, Bristol’s role as a leading
European sustainable city as well
as the increasing numbers of
visitors to Bristol and the bank,
from both near and far.”
Triodos
The impact Triodos’ sustainable
banking has made is also clear. By
the end of 2014, Triodos Group and
its climate and energy investment
funds were financing 379 different
environment projects across Europe,
contributing to a generating capacity
of 2,100 MW of energy, or enough
energy to meet the electricity
needs of the equivalent of 1 million
European households during the
year. So for each European customer,
Triodos financed the electricity
needs of 1.9 homes.
“Contributing to the
generation of electricity
needs equivalent to
1 million European
households”

Acknowledgements
42 #Greentech2015
Finding smarter ways to get households producing
more green energy
www.cepro.co.uk
@ceprouk
Bristol-based Clean Energy Prospector
(CEPRO) is developing smarter ways
to get more people generating solar
energy. Originally set up to provide
busy people with the information to
make informed choices towards a low
carbon society; it has recently begun
to focus on the deployment and third-
party ownership of renewables.
Third-party ownership is where
generation equipment such as solar
panels are provided to households
and businesses with no upfront cost.
This encourages adoption, with the
owner recouping their investment and
making a financial return as the asset
generates energy over its life.
Using a model that addresses
the two key barriers preventing
individuals and organisations from
deploying solar panels, the cost and
responsibility of the new technology,
CEPRO has also designed Simtricity.
Simtricity is an online smart meter
platform that supports organisations
deploying commercial and domestic
rooftop solar panels. Funders and
developers can use the platform to
create and operate businesses that
generate income from these panels. It
also provides residents with tools that
visualise the savings they’re making.
Co-founder of CEPRO, Damon Rand
explains: “Before Simtricity, operating
a large rooftop solar portfolio
required significant resources and
deep industry experience which
is why third-party ownership has
mostly been restricted to large solar
installers. With Simtricity even small
community groups can run free solar
schemes in their communities.”
CEPRO is also excited about its big
future plans, which will also see the
company developing support for
heat and power microgrids.
Clean Energy Prospector Acknowledgements
Bristol 2015 Official Partners
Bristol 2015 Official Supporters
Bristol 2015 Official Partners
Bristol 2015 Official Supporters
TechSPARK is the information
hub for all things tech in
Bristol, Bath and the West of
England region.
www.techspark.co
Designed by:
www.barryhalldesign.com
Printed on 100% de-inked
pulp recycled fibre which is
FSC certified.
Produced by:
Green cities –
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