King’s College London hosted a round table event for Energy Managers and Heads of Sustainability from some of the leading research Universities in the UK, on Wed 18th November. The key topic for debate was the challenge of reducing carbon in a setting which is constantly changing in the drive to deliver cutting edge research.
Guests from UCL, Warwick, Bristol, Oxford, Cardiff, Reading and LSE came together to showcase successful projects, share knowledge and problem solve. Key themes for the day included the major contribution that sustainable labs can make to reducing energy consumption, the importance of developing metrics that set carbon targets in a meaningful context (especially in estates where student numbers and industry investment are growing) and opportunities to generate, store and trade energy on site.
Tom Yearley, Energy Manager, King’s College London: “We’re aiming to reduce carbon by a further 38% at King’s and meeting with colleagues with a similar challenge has given us great ideas to explore. Our work in sustainable labs is central to us achieving our energy reduction goals and we’re considering new projects in power generation from photovoltaics (PV) on site. What I take away from the event is the continued efforts across the sector to achieve our carbon reduction objectives.”
Lisa Ward, Carbon Reduction Manager, London School of Economics and Political Science: “At LSE we have set ourselves ambitious environmental targets when creating new buildings alongside improving our existing estate. We are currently redeveloping our Centre Buildings whilst also implementing energy conservation measures largely through RE:FIT. This event provided a chance to discuss new ideas with others in the same position.”
