That was the clear message from last week’s Worcester Industrial Clusters Decarbonisation Conference at the Guildhall.

Pro Enviro led the three‑year review, mapping energy use across two Industrial Estates and one Business Park. Together, these sites consume around 140 GWh of energy every year — equivalent to powering 51,000 UK homes.

This concentration of energy‑intensive businesses creates a huge opportunity. By acting collectively, estates can reduce consumption, shrink carbon footprints, and unlock major cost savings.

One example: four warehouses on the Business Park could jointly invest in a shared solar installation capable of generating 10 GWh a year — around one‑third of the Park’s electricity demand — with potential savings of £1.9M annually.

And solar is just the start. The study identified further opportunities including wind power, smart energy monitoring, heating controls, hydrotreated vegetable oil, and even anaerobic digestion.

Managing Director Nersi Salhei, who wrote the report of the Study’s findings says:

“Where energy demand is concentrated, as on these estates, place-based technical solutions make a lot of sense. A collaborative approach by the businesses involved has the potential to reduce duplication of effort while sharing implementation costs and risks.

“The Study came with a pot of £100,000 which could be spent with the businesses to encourage them to take action. This was a very useful incentive and ought to be considered in future cluster-based decarbonisation schemes as well”.