HOME OF THE GREEN INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
"The West Midlands low carbon industries are thriving, now outperforming many other sectors of our regional economy. We need to capitalise on this growth and lead a new, green industrial revolution. This time we will grow whilst protecting our natural resources and reversing damage to our planet. Our goal is to reach net-zero emissions by 2041, and we have a clear plan for the first five years, promising to create tens of thousands of new jobs in green industries." Andy Street, Mayor of West Midlands Combined Authority
Smart energy system development
The West Midlands is the leading location in the UK for the deployment of large-scale, place-based energy innovation. Energy Innovation Zones (EIZs), a concept developed in the region by the unique Energy Capital partnership, pioneer smart approaches to energy system development and management.
The region is home to some of the leading minds nationally in energy systems, including the Energy Systems Catapult and the UK BIC, as well as the Universities of Birmingham, Aston and Warwick, that share their expertise through the Energy Research Accelerator to develop the next generation of energy leaders, and demonstrate low carbon technologies that help shape the future of the UK’s energy landscape.
Repowering the Black Country as one of five EIZ investment opportunities
This initiative, supported by UKRI and the local partnerships, will move the region’s industrial areas towards zero carbon by creating local energy hubs. These will showcase Black Country manufacturing technology and use local resources, including commercial waste and renewable energy, to deliver zero carbon power. Investment opportunities lie in the design, planning, construction and operation of the energy hubs. This is proposed as a flexible, multi-site programme and therefore presents a different proposition to the larger scale, fully integrated systems found elsewhere.
Energy storage and resource management
The West Midlands region is home to numerous world-leading circular economy businesses, research projects and industrial ecology expertise. This has much to do with our industrial legacy, track record of innovation and with the fact that it was home to the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme that was are building on.
Three initial clusters of circular economy activities have been identified in Coventry, Wolverhampton and Birmingham focusing on manufacturing, construction, and food systems. These are featured in the West Midlands Circular Economy Route map.
Repowering the Black Country proposes to create strategically selected circular economy zero carbon industrial hubs. A first feasibility study for an initial hub based on aluminium re-processing at Phoenix 10 in Walsall has been completed and the hubs are currently being planned.