Staffordshire-based university, Keele University are part of a consortium that will be developing a sustainable energy system for the Staffordshire town of Rugeley…
Keele University are teaming up with other specialised bodies – led by leading energy supplier, ENGIE – to deliver a Smart Local Energy System (SLES) in the town of Rugeley – the SLES project will demonstrate how such a system can reduce carbon and energy costs for residents, whilst providing a catalyst for town regeneration and employment creation.
The Rugeley SLES is intended to bring benefits to both the town and future residents of the proposed mixed-use development at the former Rugeley Power Station site. The pioneering scheme aims to present an innovative, replicable and scalable energy solution – with new energy business models, local energy marketplaces and inclusive design offering benefits to the surrounding community. The scheme is therefore expecting to help establish a standard for other UK areas (with similar conditions) to transition to zero carbon. It is also a proposed Energy Innovation Zone, which will allow further new approaches to energy distribution to be trialled in the town.
SLES consortium members include: Connected Places Catapult, West Midlands Combined Authority, Cadent, Opus One Solutions, Conigital, Chase Community Solar, the Sustainable Housing Action Partnership, Regen, and the New Vic Theatre. The group brings a wide variety of specialisms to the project, from technology to housing, with ENGIE acting as the Project Lead.
Nicola Lovett, CEO of ENGIE UK, said:
“We are delighted to be leading this project with such a diverse and progressive group of partners. Collaborations such as these are fundamental to our innovation strategy - using collective thinking to solve the UK’s biggest challenges.
“The project is perfectly aligned with our broader strategy of making the zero carbon transition a reality for UK places and businesses. It will add to the community benefits from the development of the former power station and create a blueprint for scalable, replicable, energy system retrofit solutions for a lower carbon UK.”
The consortium has contributed £1.5m to the demonstrator project, which will be boosted by a further £1.4m of match funding from Innovate UK.
Professor Chris Fogwill, Director of Keele’s Institute for Sustainable Futures, added:
“We are looking forward to working in collaboration with our local, national and international partners on this project. The SLES has the potential to significantly drive the UK forward towards a zero carbon future, and Keele University is ideally placed to support this landmark initiative.
“Our research into smart and sustainable energy is already leading the way, providing unique test beds for the development of new equipment, techniques and energy sources, all of which will inform the design of the new energy systems in Rugeley.
“Meanwhile, our award-winning partnership with the New Vic Borderlines - Community Animation and Social Innovation (CASIC) - is a nationally-acknowledged model of community engagement, and will help to ensure that the developments in Rugeley meet the needs of the local population, both now and in the future.”
The funding that has been secured is part of the UK Government’s £21m programme, 'Detailed Design of Smart Local Energy Systems’, which is part of a wider Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (called Prospering from the Energy Revolution). It aims to create a pipeline of highly innovative, ambitious and investable local UK energy systems that will be ready to roll out across the country over the next decade. These energy systems will support the UK’s objective to limit global warming and the impacts of climate change.