Post: Carbon cutting potential of complex public sector sites

Carbon cutting potential of complex public sector sites

Complex public sector sites – such as hospitals, prisons, and military barracks – could achieve a 70% reduction in carbon emissions by 2032, a two-year innovation pilot has found.

The innovation project involved 42 sites responsible for 294,000 tCO2e – equating to 8% of Ministry of Defence, 17% of Ministry of Justice and 6% of NHS sites. It sought to explore how to decarbonise the public sector estate through developing repeatable methods that allow for large, campus-style sites to meet commitments as part of the transition to net-zero. On average, it found that for sites such as these to achieve a 70% emissions reduction by 2032 at a capital cost of £12.6M per site.

Detailing the findings, the Energy Systems Catapult outlined how the Modern Energy Partners (MEP) innovation programme focused on “learning by doing”, and testing the practicalities of scalable decarbonisation, including through testing rapid deployment of data-gathering technologies and analysis techniques to appraise future net-zero progress across 36 of the 42 sites, and by developing a systematic and repeatable appraisal approach for the decarbonisation of campus-style public sector sites at 24 sites.

It also worked intensively with four “pathfinder” sites to test out different commercial deployment routes. This saw over 20,000 LED bulbs installed, 176,990m2 of buildings being controlled with Smart Building Management Systems, building fabric improvements being introduced, and over 9GWh, 2,400tCO2e and £970,000 saved annually.

The report noted the importance of decarbonisation strategies in helping to simplify processes and cut timelines. But it said a public sector-wide reporting framework alongside appropriate carbon valuation would further incentivise action. It further stressed that appropriate resourcing, capacity-building and prioritisation is urgently needed, which would include the capacity building of roles that focus on coordinating the planning and delivery of decarbonisation strategies into existing asset life replacement programmes on site.

GridBeyond Business Unit Manager – Delivering Net Zero, Jeff Power said:

Learn more about how GridBeyond can help the healthcare and public sector industries to participate in Demand Side Response and energy services without impacting operations.