Net-zero
The university has committed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The 2023–24 academic year has seen a 45.6% reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions against a 2009–10 baseline. This reduction has been achieved through a range of projects, including installing solar panels, rolling out energy-efficient LED lighting, and developing a state-of-the-art data centre.
The university’s Net-Zero Strategy 2022–2025 sets out the guiding principles for how we will approach carbon reduction. The university has committed to achieving net zero by 2050 and is in the process of identifying a suitable, sustainable plan for achieving this.
The strategy has a focus on decarbonising our buildings, with three key themes:
- Demand reduction – Improvements to building fabric, energy efficiency and resource optimisation to minimise the university’s energy demand.
- Energy generation – Producing our own clean, affordable energy.
- Responsible energy procurement – Source our remaining energy needs from sustainable sources.
Renewables
More than 1,600 solar panels are installed across our campuses which generated over 630,000 kWh last year (2023–24). This resulted in cost savings of over £180,000 and reduced our annual carbon emissions by over 130 tonnes.
The solar arrays at Grand Parade and Varley were installed through an innovative collaboration with 91¶¶Òõ Energy Co-operative – a community energy organisation whose members invest to develop renewable energy systems in 91¶¶Òõ and the south-east.
We have also installed solar hot water panels on the roof of the Huxley building in Moulsecoomb.
Sustainable buildings
Our campuses are home to a wide variety of building types, ranging from old 19th century buildings to tailor-made new builds. As set out in our Net-zero strategy 2022–2025, construction and renovation projects will give priority to fabric efficiency, energy efficiency and on-site generation, consistent with Passivhaus and Enerphit design standards to enable the transition to zero carbon forms of heating.
Installation of more efficient lighting at our Aldrich and Falmer libraries is saving 48 tonnes of carbon a year. The recent replacement of metal halide floodlights at Falmer Sports pitches with new LED luminaries is expected to reduce energy use and the associated carbon emissions by more than 50%.
Heating and ventilation is a significant contributor to a building’s carbon footprint, which is why we’ve implemented a range of initiatives to lower this impact.
- Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) system - an innovative way of heating and cooling one of our largest buildings, using water from hot and cold wells below the site. This reduces reliance on fossil fuels for space heating.
- An extensive building energy management system (BMS) - ensuring our buildings are comfortable places to work and study, while striving for the most efficient use of energy across our campuses.
- Combined Heat and Power (CHP) units – reducing carbon emissions by generating electricity at the same time as providing heat. The use of natural gas means this is not a zero-carbon technology, however it currently provides a viable means of reducing emissions at locations with significant heat demand.
- Building fabric upgrades – improvements to the building fabric reduce heat demand and therefore the energy required for heating. Refurbishment projects in recent years have seen improved window glazing installed in Mithras House and much of the Cockcroft Building.
As outlined in our , designs for new and refurbishments of existing buildings will be guided by our goal of achieving net zero carbon usage. Our sets out our targets and strategies to achieve this.
Green IT
With IT equipment playing an integral role in the work of a modern university, we’re working hard to ensure our IT services are run as sustainably as possible.
A key success has been the development of a state-of-the-art water-cooled data centre on our Moulsecoomb campus, providing energy-efficient housing for current and future departmental servers.
With a significant number of computers across our campuses, the installation of power-down software has played a key role in minimising the carbon emissions of our IT systems. The software ensures that all computers are automatically powered down when not in use, avoiding energy waste.