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News - TV Energy receives regional business innovation award

TVE was awarded the 2006 Sustainable Business Award for Innovation by SEEDA, the regional development agency.  The award recognises the ‘outstanding performance in the SE region and highlights the exceptional achievement made by TV Energy as an example for others to follow’.

The award was presented to TV Energy’s Chief Executive, Dr Keith Richards OBE, by SEEDA Chairman Jim Brathwaite CBE

Over 300 people attended the prestigious ceremony hosted by TV presenter and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) advocate Floella Benjamin at the Brighton Corn Exchange on Thursday 9th March, 2006.  The keynote speech was delivered by Dr Alan Knight who is acknowledged as one of the world's leading experts on environmental and social issues in business.

The Awards ceremony enables SEEDA to recognise excellence and inspirational success in the arena of sustainability. It is designed to vigorously challenge businesses throughout the South East to embrace the many facets of sustainability to accelerate business competitiveness, generate cost efficiencies, drive forward greater innovation and enterprise and enhance business reputation.

Acknowledging the quality of the 25 finalists SEEDA's Chairman, James Brathwaite CBE, who is himself a passionate champion of the Awards and the pivotal role they play in increasing business competitiveness in the region, said: "For me sustainable business makes excellent commercial sense and evidence for this is demonstrated by the magnificent achievements of the finalists and winners of the 2006  Awards, as well as all the companies throughout the South East that have entered the Awards since 2001."

The new TV Energy stand plus directors Mary Miller and Keith Richards showing off the SEEDA award

SEEDA's Chief Executive, Pam Alexander, added: "The South East is a world class region but there is no place for complacency. We are facing exciting challenges, especially in global competitiveness, the need for greater productivityand growth, and the imperative that these should be achieved in a sustainable manner. Sustainable prosperity is the golden thread binding these three themes of the new Regional Economic Strategy for the South East, which will be published later this year. Sustainable businesses enhance their own productivity by more efficient uses of resources, by providing economic opportunities to excluded groups and by reducing waste and pollution. All our finalists have demonstrated success in at least one of these areas and have driven that success through their supply chains too."

The new TV Energy exhibition panel was also on display and was well received by the delegates from across the region.

More on the event can be viewed at the SEEDA awards report.

The TV Energy Case Study prepared for the awards can be downloaded here

6th July 2005

TV Bioenergy Wins Prestigious Green Energy Award, Meets Prince Charles and Signals the G8 Meeting of Need for Early Action on Climate Change

Local Thames Valley and south east of England sustainable energy company TV Bioenergy has been recognised for its path finding and innovative actions in renewable (wood fuel) energy supply and heat generation. TV Bioenergy received an award of £30,000 from Dr R. K. Pachauri, the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change at a presentation at the Royal Geographical Society, London. The following day, Dr Gillian Alker, Director of TV Bioenergy Coppice Ltd and other first prize winners met with the Prince of Wales to receive their prizes and discuss their project initiatives. 

Dr Keith Richards OBE, Managing Director of TV Energy said, "It is great to see this recognition from such a prestigious, international foundation as the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy. The competition was of a very high quality and I am proud that the TV Bioenergy and TV Coppice team were able to win through as finalists. We will be able to use the money to get several more projects off the ground with our local communities and help to make the Thames Valley and Surrey just that little bit more sustainable". 

TV Bioenergy provides a quality and reliable supply of wood chip to renewable energy projects across the Thames Valley, north Hampshire and Surrey. It also assists with the installation of wood fuel projects such as wood boilers in schools and commercial buildings helping to reduce our dependence on fossil and other non-sustainable fuels. Parent company TV Energy is central to getting a multi-megawatt wood fuel district heating and co-generation scheme in place in the £1 billion town centre redevelopment at Bracknell. 

The work of TV Bioenergy is based on close co-operation with a range of organisations including; Slough Heat & Power, John Willmer (farmer in Oxfordshire), Waitrose, 16 Local Authorities, Government Office for the South East (GOSE), the Forestry Commission and the South East of England Development Agency (SEEDA). The work has also benefited from financial support and encouragement from DEFRA who also assist with key international linkages. 

Sustainable Farming Minister Lord Bach said: "My congratulations to the staff of TV Energy on winning this award - they fully deserve it. It recognises the flair and enthusiasm they have shown in using funding from Defra and other organisations to encourage their local communities to start using renewable energy sources. Tackling climate change and developing new energy sources are Government priorities but they can only be achieved in partnership with communities - and with the help of groups like TV Energy."

Charlotte Bruton, Director of TV Bioenergy says, "We hope that the work of TV Bioenergy and its parent organisation TV Energy will help set in motion a change to using more environmentally friendly renewable energy sources in our local area. The production and use of wood fuel is the single most important resource for us - far greater in its impact than wind energy, solar or hydro power. Getting the wood fuel supply infrastructure in place is critical to early success if we are to win the fight against global climate change".