Keele University opens up Low Carbon Energy Generation park

• Keele University has officially opened its new Low Carbon Energy Generation park, consisting of 12,500 solar panels in addition to 2 wind generators.

The site, which was announced in 2020, additionally consists of battery energy storage as well as is able to fulfill 50% of the university's electricity need.

EQUANS developed the low carbon park, including the 4.4 MW solar array, which is connected to a Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND). This is a cutting edge real-time energy administration system established by SIEMENS UK, which optimizes generation, distribution, demand and storage space across the campus.

SEND supplies the university with a "living laboratory" Keele said, permitting wise energy technologies to be examined and research and development projects checking out lasting supply chains to be run.

Professor Mark Ormerod, deputy vice-chancellor and provost at Keele University, and also the University's lead for sustainability, said it was fantastic to have the low carbon generation on campus, which will offer over of its requirements over the summer, with excess exported to the local community.

" This exceptional facility has actually been established with a tremendous collaboration with EQUANS. The straight assimilation with significant battery storage space capability with Europe's largest Smart Energy Network Demonstrator is particularly exciting as well as will certainly result in substantially enhanced energy efficiency on campus."

The park was officially opened today by Keele's outgoing chancellor Sir Jonathan Porritt, professor Zoe Robinson, supervisor of Keele's Institute for Sustainable Futures, and also Chris Langdon from EQUANS.

It is the current in a number of solar installations at Keele University, with it adopting solar for three of its halls of house back in 2013. The university is targeting being carbon neutral by 2030.

"The park is a fantastic visual symbol of our long-lasting institutional dedication to sustainability over years, which has actually seen Keele develop a global reputation and profile in this area, and being awarded Global Sustainability Establishment of the Year in 2021," added professor Ormerod.