Moving into the Tremough Innovation Centre in Penryn helped a clean energy advisory company to expand its services and secure a major contract working on one of the biggest ever commercial solar installations in the North East of England.

ETS Markets Limited is among 40 companies based at Tremough Innovation Centre (TIC) , which is one of three award-winning business acceleration centres operated by Plymouth University on behalf of Cornwall Council.

ETS Markets offers carbon and renewable services to industrial and corporate clients, and initially its primary focus was on supporting clients to manage their carbon trading obligations. After moving into TIC two years ago, the company was able to expand into the renewables field, and recently acted as an advisor on a major project for Northumbrian Water to install 943 solar panels at a waste treatment plant in Middlesborough.

Director Tim Atkinson said: “We identified the initial opportunity for this large scale solar project, and went on to source project funding for Northumbrian Water. This was a significant installation at one of the largest environmental management sites in the North East, and a pivotal project to have been involved with.

“I was keen to expand into renewable energy before relocating to TIC, so the strong renewables focus at the centre was a perfect fit. Being based at TIC has been invaluable to help me realise the opportunities in the renewables sector, develop my understanding of the market, and ultimately offer more services to existing clients, such as Northumbrian Water.

“The centre provides a fantastic network for businesses and many opportunities to work in partnership with other, like-minded companies, which is helping me to grow my own company successfully.”

Tremough Innovation Centre opened in 2012 and specialises in supporting businesses in the creative, media and environmental science sectors. Companies based at TIC have enjoyed record annual growth of up to 40 per cent in one year thanks to the dedicated business support available.

Richard Snell, manager of TIC, said: “One of the key benefits of being based at a Cornwall Innovation Centre is the myriad networking opportunities it offers, with our client businesses regularly linking up to work together on projects, as well as recommending each other for contracts.

“The opportunity to share skills and learn from each other has seen the renewables cluster at TIC support each other especially, as is evident in the growing success of ETS Markets, with Tim securing such a pivotal national contract for a leading North East water company.”