{"id":48582,"date":"2018-11-02T10:40:06","date_gmt":"2018-11-02T10:40:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=48582"},"modified":"2018-11-02T10:40:06","modified_gmt":"2018-11-02T10:40:06","slug":"clean-energy-active-buildings-offsite-construction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/energy-news\/clean-energy-active-buildings-offsite-construction\/48582\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a336m boost for turning buildings into power stations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Research pioneered at Swansea University<\/a> to create \u201cactive\u201d buildings that generate their own clean energy has received a multi-million pound boost from the government<\/h2>\n

The UK\u2019s first energy-positive office, which generates more solar power than it consumes, opened at Swansea University in June.<\/p>\n

The Active Office uses elements such as integrated photovoltaic roofs and walls, as well as air source heat pumps, to provide energy, heating and hot water.<\/p>\n

Energy is stored and released by a smart operating system, which includes building sensors and data infrastructure to support smart operation. Excess electricity can be sold back to the national grid.<\/p>\n

It was designed by SPECIFIC, a National Innovation & Knowledge Centre led by Swansea University, which worked with industry partners Tata Steel, NSG Group and AkzoNobel to develop its energy-generating components following on from the success of its next door neighbour, the Active Classroom, a RICS Wales Project of the Year, which generated one-and-a-half times more solar power than it consumed during its first year of operation.<\/p>\n

SPECIFIC embraced offsite construction<\/a> to deliver the active buildings, with the Active Office moving from concept to completion in just eight months.<\/p>\n

The Active Building Centre<\/h3>\n

SPECFIC\u2019s approach received a major boost in September when Chancellor Philip Hammond announced that more than \u00a336m will be invested in creating an Active Building Centre at Swansea University to support the further development of innovative clean energy as part of the Transforming Construction challenge.<\/p>\n

The centre, which will receive the funding through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund and UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), will be a national centre of excellence, working with supply chains from the energy and construction sectors supported by 10 universities \u2013 Swansea, Bath, Newcastle, Birmingham, Loughborough, UCL, Sheffield, Cardiff, Imperial College London and Nottingham.<\/p>\n

\u201cSwansea University and the innovative companies working with them are world leaders in clean energy,\u201d Hammond said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis \u00a336m new funding will support exciting green technology<\/a> that could cut energy bills, reduce carbon emissions and create better homes and workspaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

Together, industry and university partners will work to develop:<\/p>\n