The Solent is set to benefit from an investment boost of over £1 million to decarbonise industries across the region following a successful bid for national funding.
Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, Lord Callanan visited the Solent to announce the winning projects from the Local Industrial Decarbonisation Plan competition, supporting manufacturers to develop plans for a low-carbon future.
Lord Callanan said:
“Reducing emissions from industry in every corner of the UK will be essential for us to reach net zero. That’s why we are making over £190m available to support businesses big and small in making the switch to cleaner, cheaper energy. I look forward to seeing the Solent Cluster’s plans to cut their carbon footprint, create green jobs and grow the local economy.”
The University of Southampton is a key member of the Solent Cluster, and as part of the government’s £6 million funding for projects across the UK, The Cluster collaboration is in line for up to £757,601 which means that, along with matched contributions from The Solent Cluster members, a total of £1,032,540 will be earmarked for the development of a comprehensive and collaborative plan to decarbonise the Solent region.
Dr Lindsay-Marie Armstrong, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering and Deputy Director of the Sustainability and Resilience Institute, said:
“We are incredibly pleased to have received funds from Innovate UK as part of the Solent Cluster Local Industrial Decarbonisation Plan.
“In partnership with regional industrial partners and local authorities, Professor Craig Hutton, Dr Mohamed Hassan-Sayed and I will be conducting a range of stakeholder engagement workshops to identify various plausible decarbonisation scenarios built up from societal perceptions and policy engagement. The study will work cross-sectorially alongside a more extensive socio-techno-economic evaluation conducted from project partners and will support future regional decarbonisation strategies and decisions with wider perceptions incorporated earlier in the process. This 12-month interdisciplinary project is one of the first successful funding projects that was established through engagement activities from the recently launch Sustainability and Resilience Institute at the University.”
You can read the full story on the Solent Cluster webpages.