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As the major environmental issues are thrashed out at COP28, Jersey Electricity chief executive Chris Ambler considers some of the conference’s key themes and how they link with JE’s activities locally
WORLD leaders have convened at the annual Conference of the Parties to discuss the major challenge that climate change presents.
Hosted in Dubai, COP28 covers far-ranging topics which all boil down to one vital issue: how do we manage the impacts of climate change and limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C?
COP28 provides a forum for more than 200 governments to come together to prioritise and agree action to protect our environment from the harmful effects of global warming.
JE’s support for the environment and sustainability links with several themes which are the focus of COP28.
Local action on COP28 themes
As COP28 continues, here in Jersey we are fortunate to be led by an engaged and proactive government when it comes to our environment. With stated ambitions to deliver net zero in Jersey by 2050, this year we have seen assertive action from the government with incentive schemes to help reduce emissions from Jersey’s two highest-emitting sections: heating and transport, which together comprise nearly 80% of the Island’s total carbon emissions, according to the Carbon Neutral Roadmap.
The heating incentive scheme was launched to start to address around 35% of total emissions and provide the financial “carrot” to help encourage households to switch to lower-carbon, environmentally friendly heating. And, given that transport emits 44% of Jersey’s carbon emissions, there are now two schemes where Islanders can apply for grants towards an electric vehicle or a smart home charger.
Tackling emissions from key sectors
Ensuring we play our role as a key partner in securing Jersey’s environmental ambitions, JE has also invested heavily in our Evolve public charging network in 2023, replacing 55 charging units (equivalent to 110 charging spaces) with new chargers, supported by an innovative technology platform, and offering EV drivers a fully future-proofed and transformative public-charging experience.
As our Island’s trusted energy partner, we recognise the central role we play in enabling connections and supplying low-carbon energy, particularly as more people switch to electric heating. Through our My JE app, we are continuing our mission to empower customers to take control of their energy use through data-led technology at their fingertips. Helping customers use their energy as efficiently as possible will directly help them save energy – an environmental win, and a cash saving for customers, that has the benefit of being repeated every year.
Renewables for all
We are acutely conscious of the Island’s desire for energy independence and its pursuit of renewables.
We are rapidly expanding our solar capacity, particularly using larger-scale developments which tend to produce lower-cost power, with several community-scale commercial solar arrays, both roof- and ground-based, generating power directly to the grid for the benefit of all Islanders.
2024 will see the construction of Jersey’s first ground-mounted solar installation, which will propel us towards delivering our target of 15MWp of on-Island solar capacity, meaning more than 2,000 average-sized homes would be powered by locally generated solar electricity. We are also hoping to secure consents for a further site at Sorel, which is so important to keeping the Island moving forward with its locally generated renewable ambitions.
The falling costs of offshore wind generation over the past ten years or so is making this form of energy more viable. While these costs have increased in more recent times, we still think it is an important opportunity for the Island to progress with a more detailed assessment. As part of this, JE is significantly investing to evaluate how we can integrate a large wind project into our energy network. Consideration will also need to include our supply contract from France, which will still be essential for days when there is no wind. The correct balance of offshore wind and solar PV could prove a huge opportunity for all Islanders, delivering significant environmental and economic benefits while also increasing our own strategic energy security.
Tidal energy is unfortunately not yet viable. The main barriers are cost and risk, with both cases being substantially higher than other technologies. However, JE continues to monitor and explore tidal energy progress, which will eventually become an opportunity in the longer term.
Environmental education and action
We are proud to play our part in shaping the next generation of engineers and environmentalists.
This is our fourth year of supporting The National Trust for Jersey’s education officer, who meets thousands of children every year and teaches them about the importance of our natural environment through a series of exciting and inspiring events.
The trust and JE share a vision to educate Jersey’s children and young people on key environmental issues and empower them to become agents of change. The new bespoke school workshops, which are free of charge, cover five themes: biodiversity, seas, pollinators, woodlands and climate change.
JE is the local partner for the Primary Engineer initiative, encouraging students aged three to 19 to consider what problems they see in the world and how they would fix them through engineering. This year the competition attracted more than 900 submissions, and colleagues really enjoyed playing a key role in reviewing these entries, visiting schools to talk to students about their ideas and celebrating the pupils’ creative and open-minded approach to problem-solving. We have been impressed with how many entries focus on climate change and it is gratifying to support an initiative enabling youngsters to generate their own ideas and solutions through engineering.
Environmental heroes
The environment is a core focus in our CSR activities and, whether it is beach cleans or other environmental causes, we actively support our community. We recognise the difference we can make in championing our environment and taking action.
This year our Green Grid initiative – working with fellow utility providers JT and Jersey Water – saw teams from the three companies come together to support the National Trust for Jersey’s campaign to plant and restore the Island’s hedgerows.
The collective group funded and volunteered their time to enhance the existing grid of over 37 miles of hedgerows which will help Jersey’s wildlife, landscape and natural resources to flourish. As the whips grow, they will provide much-needed corridors for local habitats.
Over eight sessions in winter, 122 employees from the utilities planted a staggering 1,788 hedging whips across nine fields and covering 21 field boundaries. Nine further sessions were then held over the summer, with 77 employees clearing away vegetation around the whips to give them the best chance of survival. This was a great example of collaboration for an important cause.
Shaping the future
While those with a keen eye on key environmental issues will have been watching COP28, it is heartening to know that many of the key themes that have been discussed at this year’s conference are ones on which JE is already taking action.
Together we can make a difference and, as JE looks ahead to its 100th birthday year, we maintain our resolute commitment to helping to decarbonise Jersey, exploring technologies that will help to save money for Islanders and reduce emissions, and ensuring we play a role in preserving our Island for another century and beyond.
