Technology giant Google has said it will be powering all of its operations with renewable energy by next year, and has committed to taking its pledges even further by supporting new technologies in the coming years.

A new survey of senior IT professionals across both SMEs and larger enterprises has found a major disparity in attitudes towards sustainability, with just a third of SMEs viewing environmental issues as important compared to 74% of large enterprises.

Centrica is to launch a £19 million pilot project which will assess the development of a virtual energy marketplace with renewables and storage at its heart.

Birmingham and Luton airports have received new electric vehicle (EV) charging points as a result of a new partnership between Airparks and UK manufacturer POD Point.

More than 160 NGOs, public institutions and businesses – including major brands such as Sainsbury’s and IKEA – have come out in support of solar over proposed increases to rateable values.

UK-based manufacturers could improve their output by as much as £2.56 billion by 2025 – and boost the UK’s international competitiveness – by investing more in energy efficiency technologies, Barclays has claimed.

The European Union has confirmed plans to increase its energy efficiency target to 30% by 2030 in an effort to reduce dependency on energy imports while creating jobs and increasing GDP across the trading bloc.

Businesses are demanding greater certainty around the future of energy policy in the UK after last week’s Autumn Statement left them “disappointed at the lack of focus on energy”, according to an open letter to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).