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BT Hit 100% Renewable Electricity Target as Openreach Buys EV

Wednesday, Nov 4th, 2020 (11:58 am) - Score 6,224
vauxhall_openreach_ev_car_and_van

As expected, the BT Group has today announced that they’ve achieved their target of buying 100% of their electricity worldwide from renewable sources. At the same time Openreach has revealed that they will change a third of their 27,000 UK vehicles (engineer vans and cars etc.) to electric by 2025.

At present BT has already pledged to become a net zero carbon emissions business by 2045 and has set targets in line with the most ambitious aim of the COP21 Paris Agreement – linking its targets to limit global warming to 1.5°C. As part of that the operator has just confirmed that their network, offices and shops worldwide are now being powered with 100% renewable electricity.

Making the switch to 100% renewable electricity will help BT to reduce its carbon emissions in the year to March 2021 by an estimated 54,000 tonnes compared to the last financial year, which they claim is the “equivalent of taking around 21,000 combustion engine vehicles off the road for a year.”

Speaking of combustion vehicles, Openreach has already conducted trials with a number of different EVs from Renault (here) and Vauxhall (here), while BT has tested several hybrid electric vans from LEVC in London (here). The good news is that Openreach has now taken the decision to switch a third of their 27,000 strong fleet to EVs (overall the BT Group has a total fleet of 33,000 vehicles).

Cyril Pourrat, BT’s Chief Procurement Officer, said:

“As an organisation that consumes nearly 1% of the UK’s electricity, it is important for BT to demonstrate its commitment to a green recovery. Our team has worked hard to secure renewable electricity contracts for our sites globally, a crucial step towards the Paris agreement’s 1.5°c target.”

Sadly, the announcement doesn’t clarify precisely how long Openreach will take to change so many vehicles, although they have previously called on the UK Government to target 100% electric car and van sales by 2030. On top of that they want to see grants for EVs and charging points to be extended through to at least 2023 and for the Government to speed-up the rollout of public charging-points across the UK.

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Mark-Jackson
By Mark Jackson
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook and .
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Comments
18 Responses
  1. Avatar photo Andy says:

    I can just hear the excuses coming from Openreach about missed appointments later in the day. “Sorry, our van ran out of charge and we couldn’t find a charge point”

    1. Avatar photo A_Builder says:

      That is literally the excuse you get in France.

      The 1st generation of Renault EV vans had dreadful range and range indication.

      I must admit I do think that the EV incentives need to be there for longer to get the switch over going and then need to be slowly tapered out once EV’s are more affordable. Rather than the usual Uk cliff edge nonsense.

      Businesses needs long term incentives to invest. Chopping and changing is a British disease and it kills the willingness of business to invest heavily.

      The idea that the Congestion charging exemption ends in 2 years is a bit of a joke really as it gives the lie to CC being about pollution reduction.

      I don’t understand why grants for the installation of charging sockets are so time limited. Fitting charging infrastructure is essential and is going to have to be a rollout that continues rolling as EV numbers increase.

    2. Avatar photo joe says:

      We’re forecast EVs to price match ICE in 2024.

    3. Avatar photo A_Builder says:

      @Joe

      I can certainly see EV prices falling.

      2024 for parity in high range vehicle I’m dubious but for local run around yes I think it is achievable.

      For one thing an EV is actually mechanically simpler than ICE.

  2. Avatar photo Burble says:

    More like “While I’m here can I plug in to top up?”

  3. Avatar photo GNewton says:

    Good to hear they use renewable electricity now.

    Now back to business please! BT already is a decade behind of where it should be with regards to fibre rollout.

    1. Avatar photo The Facts says:

      @GN – since 1985 any company could rollout fibre and many have. Why have VM been so slow?

    2. Avatar photo GNewton says:

      @The Facts: “BT wanted to build a fibre network in the 80’s but were stopped by the government as the cable TV companies were starting and did not want fibre being used for video.” (posted by you on November 1, 2020 at 10:48 am )

      Do you still seriously believe above nonsense?

    3. Avatar photo The Facts says:

      @GN – BT’s licence prevented it offering entertainment/broadcast services until at least 1998. Complex discussion. Different times.

    4. Avatar photo GNewton says:

      ” Complex discussion. Different times.”

      Exactly, distant past. Nobody has prevented BT from deploying widespread fibre for many years now. BT is many years behind of where it should be. The Thatcher era is long gone.

    5. Avatar photo FibreFred says:

      A decade behind where it should be…according to you , their own target or the governments?

      I’m confused about the decade behind, you make if sound official?

    6. Avatar photo FibreFred says:

      And you’ll be glad to know they are still rolling out fttp. I got chatting to a subcon today on our street as they were in the ducts and they all pulling fibre to ours poles, I reckon it will be months before I can order but its happening.

  4. Avatar photo Phil says:

    If they thought ahead they could have had charging points in their FTTC cabinets!

  5. Avatar photo Damien dye says:

    Hope they are charging at the engineers home and pitting chargers at the exchanges etc.

  6. Avatar photo Sasquatch says:

    Sorry, but as long as they are connected to the grid they are using exactly the same mix as everyone else, there is no physical possibility to separate one from another, it’s like saying I’m drinking only fresh clean rainwater from the Thames leaving sewage intact

    1. Avatar photo 125us says:

      If a significant buyer of electricity buys only renewable energy it changes the grid mix. It’s not hard to understand, every unit they consume is matched by a renewable unit delivered to the grid.

    2. Avatar photo Randy says:

      yeah except it isn’t and it’s hocus pocus certificates. If you think that 100% of the units they consume are met in demand by a renewable kWh then you are mistaken. The previous poster is right, there’s literally no way to track a renewable energy unit once it enters the grid, but if you think RECs are 100% legit and never fudged then, god bless.

    3. Avatar photo David says:

      You miss the point. As demand for zero-emmisions energy from the grid increases so does the demand for providing it to the grid. I am clever enough to realise that I am not buying a kW of energy directly from a windmill in Somerset, the energy delivery is arranged as a “grid”. As demand has increased the makeup of the grid has changed over time.

      Using this base argument is like saying “you do realise that just because you shop in legally operated establishments that doesn’t mean some of your money doesn’t flow through criminals therefore polluting it for everyone”. That’s because the way that financial transactions operates it would be impossible to prove that your (virtual) pound that you were paid by your employer, that went through your bank account account and into another business was totally clean. No would suggest that because it is bonkers.

      A physical grid of energy or virtual web of financial transactions – it’s the same thing. Good and bad goes in, good and bad comes out. So long as YOUR demand is good and it is guaranteed to matched by a good supply, then that is a positive thing.

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