24 May 2013
Guardian Sustainable Business Awards highlight GG Eco Solutions/Culford School Case Study
The Guardian Sustainable Business Network presents case studies from the most innovative and impactful entries to the Guardian Sustainable Business Awards. GG Eco Solutions and Culford School are delighted to be showcased as pioneers in the field of renewable energy partnerships.
Click here to see the full article by Katherine Earley, copywriter and journalist specialising in sustainability.
8th February 2013
Kimbolton latest woodchip-heat partner for GG Eco Solutions
GG Eco Solutions announces new contract, over 20MW under discussion, 'the time is now'
GG Eco Solutions (GG Eco) announced an agreement today to fund and operate a new renewable energy system to keep Kimbolton School pupils warm next winter. Kimbolton will cut equivalent CO2 emissions by 95%, save the equivalent of 90,000 litres of oil per year, reduce energy bills and avoid capital outlay.
Subject to planning permission, GG Eco will supply renewable heat in the second half of 2013 on a 15 year contract, using sustainable local wood chip. This will save emissions equal to a car driving 1.4 million kilometres a year.
GG Eco Solutions is a business with one focus: to design, own and run biomass (wood) heating systems for commercial and education-sector customers on long term contract. They successfully installed a similar system at Culford school, near Bury St Edmunds, in March 2012 and currently have proposals in active discussion with a combined output of over 20,000 kilowatts (20 Megawatts). The systems normally run on wood chip from local forestry and woodland.
The Kimbolton agreement
An independent Cambridgeshire boarding school founded in 1600 with around 950 pupils, Kimbolton will pay only for the heat they use, on an index-linked contract which should cost them less to run than their current fossil fuel systems, with savings expected to grow each year based on current projections of fossil fuel and wood chip prices.
Greg was keen to emphasise the timeliness of this decision. ''We're excited that Kimbolton have joined us - our other customers have been very pleased with their decision to do so. With current projections for fossil fuel prices and the various government incentives and emissions penalties in place, it seems that many people have already realised that the time to go green really is now'
15th October 2012
Culford School receives RHI accreditation
The 990kW boiler installed at Culford School in Suffolk has received its RHI accreditation – and is one of the first in the country of this size to be approved. This means that it will start to receive payments now!
The boiler – which is owned and operated by GG Eco Solutions on an ESCO – was installed in March of this year. Since then it has supplied 1.1 million kWh of renewable heat to the school, saving them cost and reducing their carbon emissions.
Greg Hilton GG Eco Managing Director says “We are delighted to receive the RHI accreditation. Although the application is a time consuming process, the strength and breadth of our team means we have the skills for it to be done reasonably painlessly”.
9th October 2012
GG Eco Solutions announces strategic relationship with sister company Forest Fuels
In October 2012 GG Eco Solutions announced their strategic relationship with Forest Fuels – one of the UK’s top specialist fuel suppliers. Forest Fuels has a network of 15 wood chip and pellet depots predominantly in the east, south and south-west of the UK.
Greg Hilton, Managing Director of GG Eco Solutions, commented: “We are very excited about the prospect of working more closely with Forest Fuels. This is a strategic alignment with a great specialist sister company with many years’ expertise. It means we have even greater security of wood-fuel supply and assists in supplying customers from local depots, which sustains local jobs and reduces road miles.”
The following is an extract from a press release by GN Energy Solutions on 9 October 2012:
“…Forest Fuels was acquired by GN Energy Solutions, and this newly formed holding company is also in the process of acquiring GG Eco Solutions.
Commenting on the Forest Fuels acquisition, Peter Solly, Managing Director of Forest Fuels, said: “We are delighted with the transaction, which positions the group firmly at the forefront of the wood fuel sector. Forest Fuels has witnessed significant growth over the last few years; so this acquisition serves as both a logical and evolutionary step for us. All of the Forest Fuels staff will remain in post, including myself and Founder and Director Sam Whatmore. Forest Fuels looks forward to continuing our development as a quality, reliable supplier of premium grade wood fuel from a network of local depots. This will add considerably to our strength and resources going forward”.
June 17, 2012
Official launch of the Culford biomass energy system
The official launch of the Culford School biomass-fuelled district heating system took place on Friday, 15th June, comprising a presentation by Greg Hilton, MD of GG Eco Solutions, and a tour of the biomass facility in operation. This was followed by a lunch kindly hosted by Culford School.