Sustainability, skills and sports: revving up for a greener future
Veloce Racing star, Molly Taylor, discusses her passion for sustainability and learns how E.ON is creating greener, cleaner energy solutions at their net zero training academy.
As a driver for Extreme E Veloce Racing - an organisation striving to drive change in technology, sport and sustainability - there are clear links between my passions and E.ON’s commitment to a sustainable energy future. I’m lucky to be at the forefront of innovation in my field, both in driving forward awareness in the electrification and decarbonisation of motorsports and in terms of challenging the norm around gender equality in racing.
As Veloce’s Racing partner, E.ON are committed to making energy cleaner, greener and more affordable for their customers. Recently, I got to check out their net zero training academy at Kingswinford in the West Midlands. It was eye-opening to see the ways E.ON are upskilling their colleagues in the necessary skills needed to lead this green energy revolution - everything from smart meters, to electric vehicle (EV) chargers, solar panels and battery storage and air source heat pumps.
During my visit, I caught up with Claire, who looks after E.ON’s metering and electric vehicle delivery areas. As we toured the contact centre on site, Claire explained the benefits of having a smart meter installed in the home and how the technology helps their customers better manage and ultimately reduce their energy usage at home. In fact, E.ON has already installed more than five million smart meters in homes across the UK, showing their commitment to delivering low carbon solutions at scale and supporting their customers in generating their own clean energy.
I was, of course, drawn to the EV training areas during my visit – something very close to my heart as a racing driver for the all-electric Veloce Racing Team. Claire explained that the demand for the home EV charging units was on the increase and that in the coming years E.ON expect a great surge in demand for in-home charging units – in part largely due to the government’s ambitions of ending sales of all new petrol and diesel cars by 20351. This expected surge of EV ownership is why E.ON are building a workforce equipped with the skills needed to scale-up the installation of chargers.
Later on in the day, I had the chance to chat with Sofie. Together, we discussed our shared passion for green jobs and the crucial role they’re playing in helping drive the UK towards our net zero transition. Reducing emissions from heating will mean huge change and the UK government has an ambition to install 600,000 heat pumps each year by 20282. Sofie explained that E.ON is focused on upskilling their colleagues in all forms of greener energy solutions, with technicians from across the UK travelling to the site to learn the vital skills they need.
Training specialist, Deb, then showed me round E.ON’s fleet of vehicles, explaining that the goal was to ensure that every technician will drive an electric vehicle in the next few years. The focus is very much on leading by example.
It’s so great to see these women passionate about educating the next generation and promoting diversity across all areas – a passion which I share. They firmly believe that diverse minds and experiences will create more opportunities and educate a broader section of our diverse population, and it’s truly inspiring.
My tour of the academy finished with Sean, who showed me around the technical training area, where E.ON are training colleagues from across the country in everything from heat pumps, EV chargers and solar panels. Sean is responsible for ensuring all engineers that come through the academy’s doors are equipped with the right training and development to help the UK meet its net zero goals. As an industry-leading training provider, Sean’s passion in helping customers generate their own clean, green energy is clear to see.
Meeting these inspiring individuals was an incredible experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about all the new technology that will help E.ON’s customers live more sustainably. I believe this is a crucial part of my role as a racing driver and an E.ON ambassador, and I feel honoured to be able to use my platform in a sport that I love to help deliver the messaging and encourage young sports fans to be responsible for creating a green future.
To see how my day unfolded at Kingswinford and to delve into everything I learned with the E.ON team, watch here.
Together, we can all help take climate action.
1. Government takes historic step towards net-zero with end of sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
2. Gov.UK: The ten point plan for a green industrial revolution