A pioneering renewable energy company is to receive a grant from one of the Nottingham Growth Plan’s main funding programmes which, since it was launched in April 2013, has supported businesses that will create and safeguard over 1,500 jobs in the City.
The company, SHARC Energy Systems, specialises in unique waste water sewage heat recovery systems that deliver sustainable energy to commercial and multi-occupancy buildings. It is pioneering the introduction to the UK of market-leading technology developed by one of Canada’s foremost providers of sustainable source systems which is already used widely across North America.
SHARC Energy Systems is the trading name of International Waste Water Systems (UK) Limited which had its UK launch in Nottingham in June – the company selected the City as the location for its new UK and European operations.
Nottingham Growth Plan and its “Growing Nottingham” campaign is the City’s business-led economic strategy, aimed at developing a highly skilled science and technology based low-carbon economy by 2020.
Clean “green” technology as one of three core business sectors identified for development, along with digital and bioscience. Measures introduced as part of the Growing Nottingham campaign have played a key role in encouraging new business formation through various finance and support packages.
The Nottingham Technology Grant Fund (N’Tech) programme – is a key element of Growing Nottingham and is delivered by Nottingham City Council. The N’Tech fund has so far had 56 successful applications across the digital content, life sciences and clean technology sectors and awarded grants to the value £6.6 million with 1,573 jobs created and safeguarded across Greater Nottingham.
Beeston based SHARC has been awarded a £40,000 N’Tech grant which will assist them in the launch of a dedicated manufacturing site in the City within the next 18 months, which is expecting to create up to 20 new skilled manufacturing jobs by 2016.
The SHARC system delivers a sustainable green energy source to large commercial and residential buildings, such as hospitals, schools or shopping centres. The ground breaking technology SHARC uses harnesses and drives the heat generated by waste water and sewage and recycles this waste heat into renewable energy.
Russ Burton, SHARC Managing Director commented: “The SHARC Energy System uses what is usually a building’s waste by taking the raw sewage, treating and cleaning it, then using it to create a highly cost-effective alternative heat source. It incorporates the very latest in smart technology and heat recovery engineering to provide a system that is reliable, affordable and almost maintenance-free, and presents a massive opportunity to save energy that would otherwise simply go down the drain.
“The N’Tech grant allows us to develop our operation in the City and build on Nottingham’s growing green energy sector.
“Nottingham is the perfect place to make our European HQ and we hope to help grow this exciting industry. The support available here is fantastic and we are looking forward to a bright future.”
Dr Nick Gostick, Managing Director of Inntropy Limited, who runs the Nottingham CleanTech Centre, said “The clean technology sector is thriving in Nottingham. The support available to help sustainable development and to support product innovation is fantastic. There is secure investment finance and grants such as the N’Tech fund available and such initiatives really help the renewable and clean tech sector.”
Councillor Nick McDonald, Portfolio Holder for Jobs and Growth at the City Council, added: “Nottingham is committed to being a green city and part of this is supporting green business. Renewables are a sector that we see growing in the city, it’s a priority for us to support companies in that field and SHARC are a highly innovative business bringing skilled jobs in this exciting growing industry.”
N’Tech grants are funded solely through the Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF). Nottingham City Council secured RGF from the Government for grants to help fast track development of businesses based in the city. The funding can provide grants of £20,000 to £1million per successful company to support growth and expansion.
The 1,573 jobs created and safeguarded from the N’Tech fund cover a huge variety of roles across all of key sectors.
