5 September, 2012, by Francine Pickering

What’s in the new Energy Technologies Building?

A sneak preview of this new BREEAM outstanding rated building.

Today I joined one of the Preview Tours of the new Energy Technologies Building, the latest addition to the University of Nottingham Innovation Park.

As well as being itself constructed to the highest low carbon standards with the aim of achieving the BREEAM outstanding rating, it also houses some of the latest low carbon technologies, from a refuelling station for hydrogen powered vehicles to a smart energy management system.

The building won’t be officially opened until the autumn so it was a treat to join owners and decision makers from local businesses interested to see what the new building is all about – and how it might help them work more closely with the University.

The facilities are impressive, including:

• A double height prototyping hall where products used in housing can be tested under simulated climate conditions and which complements the live testing that takes place in the University’s Creative Energy Homes Project.
• Laboratories including a controlled climate chamber; a hydrogen laboratory testing the storage of hydrogen, generated on site, for fuel use; a flexible electrical laboratory with its own independent power supply enabling prototypes to be tested without affecting the building’s main supply
• A hydrogen refuelling facility, still at the commissioning stage, and able to generate 5kg of hydrogen a day.

We saw ways in which the building has been designed to meet the exacting BREEAM requirements, including biofuel storage facilities and the brown and green roofs. A south facing roof is designed for solar PV generation.

The tour finished off with a discussion amongst the group around what interested them and what might be most beneficial for their businesses.

The great thing is that for SMEs in the East Midlands, access to these facilities, along with student projects and academic consultancy can be supported through the Accelerating a Low Carbon Economy project, running until March 2013.

Starting with a Low Carbon Innovation Review, the University can help identify the specific ways in which a qualifying business can benefit from the resources of the Energy Technologies Building and the wider University to help improve its low carbon performance.

For more information, contact:

Melanie Watts, Project Manager on melanie.watts@nottingham.ac.uk

Daphne Sotil-Brown, Project Assistance on daphne.sotilbrown2@nottingham.ac.uk

 

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