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As part of a series of measures aimed at reducing its carbon footprint, The University of Nottingham has announced plans for three wind turbines on its land adjacent to the River Trent near Clifton Bridge.
The turbines would be up to 125 metres high and will supply green electricity directly to the University Park campus, equivalent to the domestic needs of approximately 5,000 houses. This will meet a third of the electricity needs of University Park.
The turbines would reduce the University’s carbon emissions by 7,000 tonnes per year, equating to 40 per cent of the target reductions required by 2015.
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An assessment of all the University’s land holdings by the Carbon Trust identified this location, off Thane Road, as the most suitable for wind generation.
Professor Alan Dodson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Infrastructure and Environment, said: “Wind energy is a clean, renewable source of energy which produces no greenhouse gas emissions or waste products, thus helping in the battle against climate change.
“This proposal will help The University of Nottingham to play its part in reducing the carbon emissions that contribute to global warming. By generating a proportion of our electricity through renewable methods such as wind power, we can make a significant step towards our carbon reduction target, and make a contribution to the targets set for the city and the region.
“Success in reducing our carbon footprint will also have an impact on the amount of funding that we receive from the Higher Education Funding Council for England, thus helping to ensure that we can continue to pursue our agenda of excellence in education and world-leading research.”
The UK currently emits 560 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) — the key greenhouse gas culprit — every year, and the Government target is to cut this by 60 per cent by 2050. Power stations burning coal and other fossil fuels to produce electricity are the largest contributor to carbon emissions, producing 170 million tonnes of CO2 each year.
A full planning application for the project is expected to be submitted in February 2011 and, subject to planning approval, the turbines would be installed in 2012. Construction would take place over a period of approximately six months.
The University accepts that the turbines will be a prominent feature on the Nottingham skyline visible from a number of locations including the A453 and A52 approach roads to Nottingham.
The University has offered presentations over the next few weeks in both City and Broxtowe Council Wards nearest to the proposed turbine site. A full public exhibition and consultation will be undertaken in the New Year before the formal planning application is made.
More information, including location maps, frequently-asked questions, and visualisations of the proposed wind turbines, is available at:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/renewableenergyproject/index.aspx
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham, described by The Times as “the nearest Britain has to a truly global university”, has award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings.
The University is committed to providing a truly international education for its 39,000 students, producing world-leading research and benefiting the communities around its campuses in the UK and Asia.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranked the University 7th in the UK by research power.
The University’s vision is to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health.
More news from the University at: www.nottingham.ac.uk/news
Facts and figures at: www.nottingham.ac.uk/about/facts/factsandfigures.aspx