Lancaster University is one of the highest producers of renewable energy within the UK higher education sector. Since 2005 the University has reduced its electricity and heating emissions by 50% and has committed to Scope 1 and 2 net zero by 2030.
We met Avery Chong, the University’s Energy Manager and Anna Cockman, Head of Estate Development (Project Delivery), to find out more about Lancaster’s decarbonisation journey.
How is your carbon reduction strategy progressing?
Avery: We declared a climate emergency in 2020 and shortly after that we set targets to meet scope 1 and 2 by 2030 and Scope 3 by 2035.
The University installed an onshore wind turbine in 2012 and we have a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) engine and biomass boiler in operation. We are currently developing a low carbon energy centre with air source heat pumps which will reduce gas production by 90% once it is complete. We are also building a 11.5MW solar PV farm. These key projects are making a significant contribution to tackling Scope 1 and 2 emissions, including the challenging area of heat decarbonisation.
In common with all institutions, Scope 3 is proving much more challenging and we need to get to grips with the carbon cost of procurement and travel. This involves everyone on campus and there is no clear pathway on how higher education institutions tackle Scope 3.
Anna: Since I joined 21 years ago, we’ve always placed great emphasis on putting sustainability at the heart of our capital projects. This has put us in a great place in terms of decarbonisation and tackling our net zero targets.
How have you engaged students and staff with Lancaster’s ambitious carbon reduction plans?
Avery: We have a separate team which tackles sustainability and Scope 3 emissions. In general, I think staff and students are more proactive in participating in sustainability agenda nowadays and this is reflected at Lancaster. There are several staff and student-led sustainability initiatives, such as the “Don’t ditch it” campaign, along with a wide range of academic research around sustainability and carbon emissions at Lancaster.
Anna: We’ve taken an innovative approach with some bold decisions in the decarbonisation space and we’ve been fortunate to have great support across the University. I think we now need to turn our attention to behavioural change at an institutional level and that’s a huge exercise.
What has been the key to success so far for Lancaster’s sustainability efforts?
Avery: Winning funding from the Green Heat Network Fund has been a major success, especially as heat decarbonisation is so challenging for the public sector. We were awarded £21 million and Lancaster is matching that funding and more. The application process itself was very challenging. However, without this our journey on heat decarbonisation would be much slower and more difficult due to the size of capital investment.
Anna: An existing heat network already served 60% of the campus so our bid expanded that to build a new energy centre with air source heat pumps, the largest of its kind, when we put the bid in. Whilst the project is a coup it is not without considerable challenges. Timescales are very short so we are running the project at an incredibly fast pace to get the energy centre operational by October 2026. The technology is still relatively new so finding design engineers competent in this specific area is also quite difficult. As part of the process, we have been running trial exercise to replicate the operation of Air Source Heat Pumps, and collecting various data for future works planning.
How has TEC supported Lancaster with its decarbonisation plan and strategy?
Avery: TEC has been incredible in terms of networking with institutions or with companies who can help us. With the energy price crisis, it has been helpful to get clarity on market change and policy and TEC has provided that insight.
Anna: I think there is huge value in sharing experiences across the sector which is something TEC can facilitate. As part of the solar farm, we’re constructing an agrivoltaics generator so that others can come and see it. We’re hoping this will help the higher education sector expand on solar energy research. We are also creating a visitor space in the energy centre which will pull together where all our energy is coming from across the University. This will be a great opportunity to share and educate others about what we are doing.
What help could the next government give to institutions such as Lancaster seeking to decarbonise?
Avery: Addressing the knowledge and skills gap in green technology is key. We are facing this challenge with our energy centre – a project of this scale not been done in this country before.
We also have a major infrastructure issue in the UK. The distribution system operator (DSO) has limited capacity so we need to make that more efficient.
Anna: The biggest issue the Government faces in achieving its own carbon targets is that the national grid is woefully behind where it needs to be. We need to improve capacity along with the planning process for renewables. We would have built a bigger solar farm but the authorities wouldn’t increase our export limit. We ended up reducing the size of our solar farm which has curtailed our ability to become more self-sufficient. I would like to see the rules around onshore wind changed as well because the focus has been on off-shore wind which has consumed the national gird’s capacity.
What advice would you give to other universities setting out on their net zero journey?
Anna: I think the key is to collaborate and learn from each other. Getting those grants can also be fundamental. It’s worth preparing all your core information in advance so that you can tailor this for whichever grant you’re applying for. The sector is going through a financially tough time so it’s difficult to find additional funding for carbon reduction projects which are expensive to deliver.
We also find it useful to have a strategic energy infrastructure group which meets bi-monthly. They make decisions on all our energy issues and report directly to the senior team. Once you have a capital project which has been launched it has its own governance process as well.
Avery: It’s worth remembering that applying for funding is very time consuming so preparation prior to the application window is essential. I’d also say it’s great to be ambitious but it’s important to have a clear roadmap and be practical about what you can achieve.
