Weekly Debrief

Government publishes hotly-anticipated, 238-page Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan compiling its policy vision for meeting the UK's statutory climate targets into the mid-2030s

Women in Green Business Awards 2025: Transport Professional of the Year and Entrepreneur of the Year reflects on her 'quite bonkers' double win BusinessGreen: What does winning these awards mean to you personally and professionally? Diane Gilpin: Shipping's a vast, globally interconnected, complex system produces three per cent of the world's emissions but remains quite niche. The sector's been behind the curve on embracing green development opportunities, but the slumbering giant is stirring, becoming aware of the huge commercial potential and my business Smart Green Shipping is a beneficiary. Smart Green Shipping has designed, developed, built, tested and proven a unique wind-as-a-service product for global shipping, We've been recognised in maritime circles for our pioneering work. BusinessGreen has been my go-to news source for developments in sustainability, innovation, climate science. The women in my team persuaded me to enter the Awards, I was confident there would be no chance of winning but it's great that women's fantastic work in this space is being recognised. I was happy to be in the room. To be named as the Transport Professional of the Year was a huge surprise, I was thrilled. Last year was pivotal for us. With investment from MOL, the world's second largest shipowner, from Drax, the UK's largest renewable energy producer, from the UK and Scottish governments we tested the circular design FastRig on land for safety and robustness, then corroborated our digital prediction tools with the University of Southampton with real world sea trials. My plus one at the Awards Dinner was Dr Jenifer Baxter. As chief engineer at IMechE she'd sponsored SGS to conduct an InnovateUK feasibility analysis that really launched our journey. After I'd collected the Award we were reflecting on the highs and lows we'd shared along the way. (AKA chatting!) So, to be honest I wasn't really paying proper attention when my name was called for Entrepreneur of the Year. That was quite bonkers. Amongst all of those brilliant women, developing so many world-changing solutions in so many important sectors – I was, still am, in a state of disbelief. I am genuinely proud. But it's not a solo race, I've been supported by literally hundreds of people to get here, in recognition I name checked them on the FastRig prototype. Professionally being honoured by BusinessGreen is proving to be very valuable. At an event in Athens the week later a key contact introduced me to an important senior leader as "Entrepreneur of the Year" – I hadn't told him anything about the nominations, or the Awards so, clearly, the Women in Green Business Awards have a powerful international reach. How did it feel to be part of celebration? It was fantastic to be in a room full of such powerful, inspiring green business leaders. That it was women holding the space was such a refreshing change. It's synergistic. You can feel the winds of change! There is so much work to do to affect a rapid and effective green transition in the face of powerful headwinds we need all the talent we can. There was a lot of that green energy in the room last week. The following day I saw a green innovation ‘manel' on LinkedIn it made me both furious and weary. I pointed the event organisers to the Women in Green Business Awards to find panellists for any and every event they might organise in the future. How would you sum up the Women in Green Business Awards night? The buzz was extraordinary. I met wonderful women at the reception and on our table. Conversation was informed, passionate and hilariously irreverent in equal measure. What advice would you give to someone looking to enter the Women in Green Business Awards? Just do it! You'll feel energised. What are your priorities for the year ahead? Our clear objectives for the year ahead, are to raise £10m in Series A funding to scale up globally and complete our first commercial installations. What aspect of the green economy are you most excited about? Greening shipping, without a doubt. It's a brilliantly diverse and interconnected global system. The co-dependency between shipping and big fossil fuel producers delays meaningful climate policy. But I love a challenge. Through deep collaboration across racing, renewables, space, deep tech and shipping; by looking at new materials, aerodynamics, high value manufacturing and marine engineering; bringing in climate, data scientists; engaging with lawyers, insurers, financiers, and crucially shipowners and cargo owners together we've overcome technical, commercial, regulatory and operational barriers. We've created a unique new business model, designed in the circular economy, that de-risks adoption of FastRigs. They can reduce a ships emissions – and fuel costs - by up to 40 per cent a year. De-risking access to the hardware accelerates uptake and reduces emissions faster, whilst making two-and-a-half times the returns for investors. What would your green superpower be? Take a leaf out of nature's book – never give up. Always be regenerating. Want to better understand what is going on at the cutting edge of sustainability? Become a BusinessGreen member - check out our membership options here

Drax Group has moved to strengthen its position in the UK’s energy storage market with a £157.2 million deal to acquire three battery energy storage system (BESS) projects from Apatura.

Partner Insight: To drive systemic change, sustainability needs to shift from a goal to a decision-making capability, writes AVEVA's chief sustainability officer Lisa Wee The decade after the 2015 Paris Agreement brought unprecedented momentum within the business community: net zero pledges, a surge in green tech investment, and the rise of ESG (environmental, social and governance) funds. Even amid shifting global politics in the ten years, corporate commitments remained steadfast. 2025 has ushered in a different dynamic. Some companies have withdrawn their ESG goals, while others turned to 'greenhushing' to avoid potential stakeholder pushback. Targets slipped, commitments softened, and 'sustainability fatigue' entered boardroom vocabulary. The prevailing narrative shifted from corporate urgency to retreat. While some view these cases as a bellwether for corporate sustainability, the reality is more nuanced. Sustainability isn't stalling, it's maturing. That maturity is now demanding systemic change. What systemic change looks like in practice Over the last decade, companies have laid important groundwork to reduce their climate impact. The next chapter requires deeper integration of sustainability into core business planning. This means working across the value chain, with suppliers and customers alike to mitigate shared impacts. This next evolution is complex and lacks a clear roadmap, but it is essential. That is what systemic change looks like: when sustainability shifts from a goal to a decision-making capability. Systemic change often fails when it's treated as a reporting layer. It works when it becomes part of the operating model. Not as a side initiative, but as a core capability. When done right, sustainability and financial performance reinforce each other. It's not a trade-off, rather, a multiplier. From insight to impact For many companies, this shift starts with coordination. That means connecting operations, energy use, maintenance, and suppliers into a live, integrated decision system. When those elements move together, trade-offs become visible, and progress becomes repeatable. One example: to realise its 2050 net zero ambitions, leading mobility and tyre manufacturer Michelin knew it needed more energy-efficient operations. The team pulled data from across the plant into a digital twin, enabling them to monitor energy use holistically and optimise processes in real time. The result was a 10 per cent reduction in energy use within the first six months and 16 per cent across the year. The digital twin approach also allowed the team to quickly and easily to share information across Michelin's global plant network, resulting in further energy savings at scale. Further efficiencies enabled the development of new lower-carbon tyres, reflecting optimisations made throughout the company's manufacturing value chain. These tyres are now sold at a premium in the European market. Same plant. Same constraints. More informed decision-making. These results show that integrating sustainability into core strategy isn't just the right thing to do, it's smart business. The coordination advantage Too often, coordination is treated as a mid-level task, something handled by project teams, not senior leadership. But in practice, coordination is the capability that determines whether ambition turns into execution. The old approach - one process, one KPI, one outcome - delivers local wins and global misses. But when energy, operations, maintenance and supply chain teams work from a shared plan, supported by the same data and aligned incentives, outcomes compound. Progress becomes repeatable. Execution becomes scalable. At AVEVA, we've seen how technologies like digital twins, AI-driven optimisation and real-time analytics help clients simulate trade-offs and make faster decisions. But these tools deliver only when they are wired into an organisation designed for coordination. Embedding sustainability into core operations isn't about bolting on tech. It's about rewiring how the system runs. This is the real insight: coordination is not a communications task, it's a leadership capability. Leaders who can connect these capabilities at scale are now more critical than ever. The next wave of sustainability progress will be led by those who can turn coordination into competitive advantage. A coordination test for every business leader Here's the test I'd pose to any business leader: if you needed to improve sustainability performance, say, cutting emissions by 15 per cent next quarter, who actually makes the decisions that drive energy usage? If the answer spans five departments, three data silos, and two external partners, the challenge isn't just emissions, it's coordination. Collaboration. A radical new way of thinking that doesn't just build on the sustainability narrative of the past, but evolves it. Progress will depend on our ability to drive innovation through radical collaboration, and to embed sustainability into every business decision we make. Lisa Wee is chief sustainability officer at AVEVA. AVEVA sponsored the Clean Technology Innovator of the Year category at the Women in Green Business Awards 2025.

Workforce 2030: Invinity Energy Systems lead research scientist, Dr Elisha Martin, explains how wanting to be 'part of the change' redefined her career trajectory

Analysts cautious over whether first version of AR7 budget enough to keep 2030 targets in reach

There is growing attention on the links between artificial intelligence (AI) and increased energy demands. But while the power-hungry data centers being built to support AI could potentially stress electricity grids, increase customer prices and service interruptions, and generally slow the transition to clean energy, the use of artificial intelligence can also help the energy… Read more

Schneider Electric, a global energy technology leader, today announced the launch of its cutting-edge local battery energy storage solution, Schneider Boost Pro, across Europe. The new solution helps both commercial […]

Statistical release on Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics for the estimation of capital grant uptake to support the installations of low carbon technologies in domestic and non-domestic buildings.

New figures from the Department of Transport show almost 16,000 public charge points have been installed nationwide since October last year

Exclusively available to BusinessGreen Intelligence members, our latest whitepaper delves into the looming skills crunch many business leaders fear will drive up the cost of the net zero transition, slow decarbonisation efforts, and potentially fuel a backlash against climate action

Exclusive: Firms say added costs would mean they are unable to install enough turbines to meet green energy goals Offshore windfarm companies may be exempted from new UK nature rules in an attempt to keep down the cost of renewable energy, the Guardian has learned. The energy firms have said they would be unable to build the vast number of turbines required to meet the government’s green electricity goals if they have to meet new rules for nationally significant infrastructure projects (Nsips). Continue reading...

Lithium-ion OEM Envision Energy has launched its latest grid-scale BESS solution, a 10-foot modular DC block which can be combined into configurations of 12MWh or more.

Chancellor seeks assurances from industry that the move would boost investment in the North Sea

Government is seeking rule changes to enable more people living in rented, leasehold and flatted properties to install or access their own electric car charger

News comes at difficult time for floating wind industry as developers struggle to make numbers add up on projects

Anna Borg says competition in supply chain key to lowering costs as she's quizzed over use of Mingyang machines off Scotland

We're seeking views on proposed amendments to the existing Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) and to certification requirements for BUS and other clean heat schemes.

Annual report on the exercise of powers under Part 3 of the Energy Act 2013, for the year ended 31 March 2025, covering the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR).

North Sea contractor says move applies only to its ultimate holding company and it will continue to trade Business live – latest updates Petrofac, one of the biggest North Sea oil and gas contractors, has filed for administration, putting more than 2,000 jobs in Scotland at risk. The energy services provider said it had applied to the high court of England and Wales to appoint administrators, after it lost a big offshore wind project over its failure to meet contractual obligations. Continue reading...

ScottishPower Renewables’ first-ever high voltage direct current offshore converter station has been installed at East Anglia THREE.

Drax has signed an agreement with Apatura Ltd to acquire three BESS projects, which will provide a capacity totalling 260 MW when commissioned.

Despite the scepticism about renewables in Washington, falling prices for new panels are making a compelling business case around the world

But global poll of business leaders and government representatives carried out by Siemens also highlights falling confidence in meeting 2030 climate goals

The Swedish utility company will not rule out using Chinese offshore wind turbines for the British floating wind project Muir Mhòr that, according to the CEO, is proceeding according to plan.

GreenPowerMonitor announced it has introduced GPM Horizon for multi-tech portfolios, a unified platform designed to integrate solar, wind and now battery energy storage assets into a single solution. This launch aims to simplify renewable portfolio management and enhance performance monitoring for asset managers and owners. The platform’s expanded capabilities, including the newly released GPM Horizon…

WATCH: Experts explore the challenges and opportunities presented by the looming green skills crunch - and how businesses can respond - in BusinessGreen's latest Spotlight webinar Recently, BusinessGreen brought together several top experts to explore the true scale of the skills challenge faced by the net zero transition, in support of our new Workforce 2030 campaign. Hosted in association with Santander as part of BusinessGreen's Spotlight webinar series, the interactive event also looked at how businesses and policymakers can better address looming skills shortages, which if aren't addressed could risk undermining efforts to deliver on both the UK's economic growth plans and its climate goals. Hosted by BusinessGreen's editor in chief James Murray, the webinar also featured top insights from: Sarah Mukherjee MBE, CEO of the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP). Thomas Vergunst, programme director for finance sector education at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). Polly Harrold, senior policy and public affairs manager at Santander UK. You can now watch back their discussion in full below, or by clicking here. BusinessGreen has a new monthly webinar series - click here for more details on our upcoming Spotlight sessions on COP30 and carbon markets. To learn more or take part in BusinessGreen's Workforce 2030 campaign, or be kept updated on its progress, please get in touch.