In association with
BIOMASS
What: University
goes for low-carbon
energy
How: Woodchip
biomass boiler will
deliver 1MW of
energy
Vital Energi to deliver sustainable energy
for new Northampton campus
The University of Northampton’s new Waterside
Campus will use sustainable technology for heat
while dramatically reducing its CO2 output.
The university has employed sustainable
energy experts Vital Energi to deliver the energy
solutions for its new campus, opening in 2018.
The contract will see Vital Energi deliver an
energy centre that will use woodchip biomass
and gas to heat water for all the buildings and
student residences on the 58-acre site. In the
process it will save over 1,000 tons of CO2 in the
short term, rising to 2,200 tons a year following
the introduction of a CHP engine.
The energy centre will accommodate a
1MW biomass boiler, four 4MW gas-fired boilers
and a 120m3 thermal store. The biomass boiler,
which weighs 8,000kg, will create low-carbon
hot water, which is distributed through the
district heating network to provide heating and
hot water for the buildings on campus.
Result: Hot water
distributed across
the campus through
district heating
network
SOLAR PV
What: Community
project celebrates
one-year milestone
How: 392 solar panel
array powers local
sewage treatment
plant
Community solar powers sewage plant
A celebration was recently held to mark the first
anniversary of community-owned renewable
energy being used to treat sewage from Bodmin.
Wadebridge Renewable Energy Network
(WREN), South West Water (SWW) and Regen
hosted the event at the 100kW solar array, which
partially powers Nanstallon sewage treatment
works. It also helps protect SWW from energy
price rises, keeping customer water bills low.
The array, constructed under contract by
CleanEarth Energy Limited, a company based in
Wadebridge, consists of 392 panels and covers
half an acre of grade 3b land right next to the
treatment works.
Since it was installed, it has supplied the
treatment works with approximately 110MWh of
solar power; around 10% of the energy used by
the site during that period.
Result: Water
company passes on
energy savings to
lower customer bills
www.renewableenergyinstaller.co.uk | 25