What to expect from Sustainable Transformation Energy Project (STEP) Campus Infrastrucutre Day?

As a university, we are working towards making ourselves a more #SustainableHarper, striving to better our practices in a variety of different fields. Part of this is our commitment to the Sustainable Transformation Energy Project (STEP) which seeks to deliver a more sustainable energy source on campus. The award winning project at THE Awards 2019 involves quality engineering, innovation, scalability and sustainability in connection with Bosch which we will be showcasing and discussing on campus tomorrow.

The project itself comprises an Energy Centre housing a Bosch Combined Heat and Power (CHP) 400kWe unit and a Biomass Boiler (1MW). The Biomass boiler uses woodchip fuel to provide thermal energy to the District Heating Network (DHN), whilst the CHP generates 1.5 kWh of thermal energy for every 1 kWh of electricity generated. Therefore, this thermal energy is effectively free of charge and can be distributed via the District Heating Network (DHN). Along with this, the STEP Project benefits from a substantial 650 kWp PV solar installation on agricultural buildings which provides direct renewable power.

The STEP Campus Infrastructure Day held tomorrow, January 23rd 2020, invites CIBSE Colleagues from the West Midlands region, the Association of University Engineers and the Association of University Directors of Estates to join us on campus for an overview of the project and to hear a series of talks from industry experts from companies such as Briars Associates, Bosch UK Ltd and DC2 Engineering Ltd . The event seeks to showcase our Energy Centre, PV installations and Bore Hole Water extract system station network while creating an open forum for discussion.

We look forward to welcoming our attendees tomorrow as well as inspiring you to seek out ways to be more sustainable this Big Energy Saving Week.