Day: 20 July 2026

EDF and Duracell Energy launch home battery trial for local flexibility markets

Stuart Mitchell

EDF and Puredrive Energy, the authorised licensee and manufacturer of Duracell Energy home battery storage products, have announced a three-month trial that will explore how residential battery systems can support local electricity networks, helping to accelerate the UK’s transition to a cleaner, more decentralised energy system. Running from June to August 2026, the trial will coordinate around 50 residential Duracell Energy battery systems across England, enabling them to participate in local flexibility markets, where battery owners can be rewarded for helping support local electricity networks, and respond to signals from…

Read More

Ferrero UK, Hutan and Chester Zoo are working together to shape the future of conservation in Borneo’s ecologically vital Kinabatangan UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

Stuart Mitchell

On World Rainforest Day, Ferrero UK, Hutan and Chester Zoo are announcing details of a three year Biodiversity Research Forest programme in the Kinabatangan UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.   Led by Hutan, a community led conservation organisation working in the region since 1998, scientists have launched an innovative study combining cutting-edge methods, including thermal drones, bioacoustics recorders and camera traps to monitor several iconic species such as the Bornean elephant and orangutans as well as key indicator species that act as a barometer of overall ecosystem health, including soil invertebrates, birds and frogs.   By deploying these monitoring technologies, Hutan, Chester Zoo…

Read More

PowerUp’s ZEBRA project delivers endless clean energy to the Nigerian community of Port Harcourt with UK backing from Ayrton Fund

Stuart Mitchell

PowerUp Off-Grid Services today announces the successful deployment of its Battery Energy Distribution System (BEDS) in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, delivering clean, reliable energy to end users through a live battery-swapping pilot project. The project forms part of the ZEBRAS (Zero-carbon Energy Battery Resource-as-a-Service) initiative, and is one of six ZE-Gen international demonstrators backed by over £4.85 million through the Ayrton Fund through the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Led by MEP Technologies, the consortium brings together PowerUp Off-Grid Services, Nevadic, The Washing Machine Project, and Skrum to demonstrate…

Read More

Build what comes next: Local Trust shares lessons from 15 years of Big Local

Stuart Mitchell

Local Trust has launched a new campaign sharing lessons from 15 years of the Big Local programme, highlighting how long-term, flexible funding can support stronger, more connected communities. Through the campaign, “Take what we’ve learned and build what comes next”, Local Trust is encouraging policymakers, funders and practitioners to apply learning from 150 communities across England to future approaches to neighbourhood renewal and community development. Over more than a decade, Big Local invested more than £1m in each of the 150 neighbourhoods across England, giving residents the power to decide…

Read More

Fiji and Panama Lead Global Initiative to Protect the Ocean’s “Twilight Zone”

Stuart Mitchell

At the Our Ocean Conference last month, Fiji and Panama launched a new global commitment to protect one of the ocean’s most critical ecosystems. Spanning the area 200-1,000 meters (220-1,100 yards) beneath the ocean surface, the “twilight zone” is home to an abundance of marine life that serves a central role in the ocean’s food web and helps to regulate the world’s climate. The newly announced Mesopelagic Zone Conservation Challenge calls on countries to take concrete steps to protect the zone from emerging threats like fishing and deep sea mining…

Read More