Zero Carbon Accelerator launches to drive net zero future across the capital

Mott MacDonald has been appointed by the Mayor of London’s office to deliver the Zero Carbon Accelerator, a programme aimed at helping organisations decarbonise and achieve London’s net zero target by 2030.

Research commissioned by the Mayor of London shows that many organisations across London need expert support to increase their ability to achieve net zero. With buildings accounting for 67 per cent* of the capital’s carbon emissions, the Zero Carbon Accelerator will help organisations such as local authorities and health, education, and social housing providers, to co-create and implement their net zero plans to reduce their environmental impact.

The programme has been created to address key barriers that have prevented organisations from decarbonising their buildings at the rate and scale necessary to reach net zero by 2030, including a lack of capacity, complex procurement, limited funding, and supply chain challenges.

Mott MacDonald will work alongside Energy Saving Trust and an alliance of experts in energy solutions, zero carbon strategy, retrofit, modelling, architecture, and finance. The Zero Carbon Accelerator will provide essential support to organisations at every stage of their decarbonisation journey, from initial advice and training to procuring funding for projects. Key elements of the programme include:

• Expert consultancy: offering technical expertise in areas such as solar energy, low-carbon heating, and building systems.
• Skills development: enhancing organisational capacity through tailored training programmes.
• Project development: supporting the creation of decarbonisation projects ready for investment.
• Procurement and funding/finance: providing guidance on complex procurement processes and accessing funding/finance opportunities.

The Zero Carbon Accelerator builds on the success of the Mayor’s Low Carbon Accelerators (2016-2024), which have saved an estimated 157GWh since 2016 and attracted over £250m in capital to make public sector buildings more energy efficient.

The Zero Carbon Accelerator offers flexible and varied support to empower organisations to act, aiming to create more green jobs and boost investment in local green economies.

Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Mete Coban said: “We know how important it is to work together to reduce our carbon footprint, but for some organisations lack of guidance and technical assistance has been a barrier to achieving net zero.

“This new programme will help organisations to reduce their carbon emissions and provide them with the support and knowledge they need to make tangible changes to their environment – as we build a greener and fairer city for all.”

Professor Denise Bower, group external engagement director at Mott MacDonald said: "The Zero Carbon Accelerator is a prime example of a governing body seriously addressing the challenge of the zero-carbon transition and showing the ambition required to drive transformational change in the built environment.

“Working with our partners, we will draw on our decades of experience managing carbon reduction on complex programmes, and use this to help organisations across London build and sustain low carbon capacity and capability of their own.”