British energy company Good Energy has launched a new initiative which ‘twins’ some of its business customers with an independent generator so they can better understand how their power consumption is fully matched by renewables.
‘Power Partners’ links the customer with one of the company’s more than 2,000 independent generators across the UK, such as solar farms, wind turbines and hydroelectric schemes.
One of the first partnerships sees IMG, a global leader in sports, events and media, twinned with Albourne Estate near Brighton, which has an array of solar panels across its vineyard.
The electricity used by IMG’s world-class studio and production facilities will be matched via Good Energy with the power output of the Sussex site.
Tom Parsons, Good Energy’s head of sales and origination, said: “We’re proud to be supported by customers who want to play their part in tackling the climate crisis by sourcing their power from nature.
“This new initiative allows us to take it a step further by matching some of our business customers with a generator, building a closer relationship and raising awareness of where their electricity comes from.
“The grid is interconnected so clearly there isn’t a direct physical link between the partners, but it’s a much more engaging way of demonstrating our commitment to renewables.”
Albourne Estate is a family-owned vineyard and winery overlooking the South Downs, just a few miles outside Brighton. A total of 159 solar panels generates enough power for all the estate’s needs, with the surplus sold to Good Energy.
Vineyard owner Alison Nightingale said: “We have panels across the roofs of the winery buildings which generate 38,000kWh a year.
“It’s a great feeling to know we’re not only powering all our own operations through sunshine, but we’re also generating a surplus which is contributing to the overall growth in green energy use by others. Everyone benefits – and we’re helping to protect the planet too.”
IMG Studios, located in Stockley Park on the outskirts of London, is the most connected broadcast hub in Europe and distributes more than 35,000 hours of global content every year, including international programming for the Premier League, English Football League (EFL), Major League Soccer (MLS), DP World Tour golf and The Open, among many others.
The entire facility is run by renewable energy as part of the company’s commitment to create, produce and distribute world-class content in the most sustainable way possible.
Brian Leonard, head of engineering at IMG Studios, said: “When you look at the list of a hundred things you can do, your choice of energy supplier is probably the most important decision you can make.
“Thanks to Good Energy and Albourne Estate, we can be the leader in being a production partner with sustainability at our heart.”
