Achieving net zero: Bridging the public sector funding gap

It was great to see so many energy and procurement professionals in person at the ProcureX National exhibition at Birmingham’s NEC on 16 September 2021.

With net zero now firmly on the agenda for virtually every organisation we encountered, we had lots of interesting discussions with visitors to our stand. Many were keen to talk about the best path to take, and the latest approaches and technologies worth investigating.

What many in the public sector highlight as a key requirement is getting the right support to secure funding for all the necessary measures that need implementing to hit net zero targets.

For any organisation, a 2050 deadline is daunting enough. But a large number in the public sector – including major areas such as the NHS – are being asked to hit a far more ambitious target of net zero by 2030.

Innovative ways to finance on-site renewable

Exploring the viability for generating renewable energy on-site is unsurprisingly on the radar for many. And our resident solar expert talked about The Key to Solar Success in a presentation on the ProcureX Technology & Innovation stage.

Of particular interest was understanding how a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) can provide funding for the installation of on-site generation – be it for solar, wind, biomass or another energy source. (For more on this, see here for details of free webinar recordings to watch.)

Lack of upfront funding is a common problem, and not just for those in the public sector.

Research we did back in July found that while most organisations are prepared to invest in measures to reduce their emissions, they are also concerned about the potential cost impact on their operations.

The report that accompanied this research, Plot Your Path to Net Zero: A Focus on Funding, provides more insight and ideas into how to finance decarbonisation projects.

Looking at incentives for decarbonisation

For our report A Focus on Incentives for Public Sector Organisations, published in September, we take a closer look at the area of incentives.

As well as exploring what’s available to incentivise sustainable investment currently, we canvassed views from more than 60 public and private sector organisations on the areas where they would welcome greater support and financial incentives.

What it reveals is that the majority of organisations:

• Don’t believe there are enough incentives currently to help them with their net zero plans
• Would like more help from the government to support them in their decarbonisation ambitions
• Favour rewards for good sustainability practice
• Would welcome more incentives around energy efficiency, on-site generation and electric vehicles (EVs)

You can download a copy of the report here.

If you’re not in the public sector, there is also a report geared more to a general business audience here.

No matter what type of organisation or sector you are in, we are here to provide help and support. Visit our website to find out more information and request a call back.