Kew Gardens and Schneider Electric sign strategic partnership

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has appointed Schneider Electric as its Energy Sustainability Partner as the gardens seek to become climate positive by 2030.

As a UNESCO World Heritage site with a sizeable footprint, Grade 1 and 2 listed buildings, and high visitor numbers, Kew Gardens faces unique challenges in achieving its sustainability plans and targets, the partners  point out.

The partnership will see the energy company take a hands-on role, advising Kew on how to develop and deliver its comprehensive sustainability plan which includes transitioning away from fossil fuels, reducing carbon emissions, and optimising energy use across its ‘historic and complex estate’. The estate covers both Kew Gardens and Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden based in Sussex.

Rachel Purdon, Head of Sustainability at RBG, Kew said:

We are proud of our commitment to urgently tackle the dual climate and biodiversity crises through everything that we do at Kew. Our partnership with Schneider Electric marks a major step forward in our sustainability journey. Working together we can accelerate progress towards our ambitious goals, including becoming climate positive in less than five years.

As part of the agreement, Schneider Electric will provide a dedicated energy optimisation engineer, located onsite and on long-term secondment to Kew from September.

This engineer will help to:

• Support Kew in evaluating the impact, cost, and priority of energy efficiency, controls, and monitoring projects
• Identify, assess, and implement energy-saving opportunities within Kew’s Building Management Systems (BMS) and Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) plant
• Explore available innovative solutions, such as cost-effective electricity use, battery storage, and microgrid opportunities, at both Kew Gardens and Wakehurst

Rachel added:

With Kew’s unique combination of historic buildings, globally irreplaceable collections, and its role inspiring diverse audiences to connect with nature, we face complex and wide-ranging challenges. [The partnership] will help us deliver real, measurable decarbonisation progress across our sites.

Kelly Becker, President, Schneider Electric UK and Ireland, Belgium and Netherlands said:

Both of our organisations are impact makers, united in our vision for a more sustainable planet. By combining our climate positive partnership, expertise, and energy management and automation solutions, we’re able to take real action to realise a more sustainable future at RBG Kew.

The challenge of reducing energy in historic buildings will be among the many subjects covered at elementalLONDON on 19-20 November. Register for free here