EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
STEVE HOY , CEO AT ENOSI
powering the factory and offices . In other words , Hunter Douglas is sharing its surplus solar energy directly with its staff .
At Enosi , our reason for being is to democratise access to clean energy . Many of the enterprises we work with want to make a meaningful contribution to tackling climate change but previously found it difficult to do so in a practical way .
Media statements and public commitments might make people feel ‘ warm and fuzzy ’, but these do little unless there are concrete actions behind those words . And because the world of carbon targets and emissions goals is so opaque to the general public , it is relatively easy for companies to make grand-sounding announcements that don ’ t mean much – like buying cheap carbon offsets from overseas – without actually reducing the business ’ carbon footprint or reducing emissions within its ecosystem .
One practical solution we advocate is sharing renewable energy with employees . While it ’ s not economically feasible for businesses to have solar panels installed at all their employees ’ homes , our Powertracer technology makes it possible for enterprises to share the solar power generated at the worksite . Not only does this give employees access to cheaper energy , with tracing technology , they can also be sure the energy they ’ re using is generated from renewable sources .
A perfect example is NSW manufacturer , Hunter Douglas . Under a new employee energy plan , its staff can take advantage of the company ’ s 800kW factory rooftop solar system during the weekend and after hours when the system is not
This is made possible with the Powertracer platform that tracks energy from ‘ source to socket ’ and integrates with the participating energy retailer , Simply Energy , which uses the platform to calculate the discounted energy bills for Hunter Douglas ’ staff .
Direct energy sharing uses Enosi ’ s technology to match the excess solar generated on the factory roof with energy consumed by the employees at home , and then applies a discount to that amount . Consequently , employees can choose clean energy while also paying some of the lowest electricity prices in the state .
This model is similar to corporate healthcare schemes which might offer employees cheaper health insurance , gym memberships or access to special events . The employer may forgo the small feed-in-tariff they would otherwise receive , while the employees save on their bills . While not everyone is able to install a solar energy system at home , through this approach everyone has access to renewable energy .
Ultimately , democratising access to renewable energy will play the biggest role in tackling climate change . Unless everyone has the ability to choose renewable energy over fossil-fuel generated power , we ’ ll never be able to achieve net zero , let alone ‘ true zero ’.
‘ True Zero ’ is our term for the end-game when fossil fuel generation has been levered out of the market . This means accepting that green energy certificates artificially shift claims of renewable consumption across time and even across the globe . If we want truly clean energy , we have to use 100 % clean energy when it is produced . Traceability makes this possible . www . intelligentcxo . com
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