Smart communities demo for Low Carbon Hub
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Work is starting on a new ‘Smart Community Demonstration Project’ through a partnership between the UK and Japanese Governments which will use Mancunian homes as a test bed for carbon-cutting technologies.
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and New Energy and Industrial Technology Development (NEDO), the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) signed the deal at a meeting in London on March and work has started in April, running through to March 2017.
The partners plan to deliver a £15-20 million pilot demonstration project, primarily funded by NEDO, which installs 600 next generation air source heat pumps into council-owned homes in Greater Manchester and linking them via a ‘smart network IT platform’ to enable advanced management of energy flows.
In addition, the project will support the achievement of Greater Manchester’s ambitious target to reduce CO2 emissions by 48% of by 2020 (compared to 1990 level).
This aggregation of energy demand is part of a wider push by Greater Manchester’s Low Carbon Hub to pioneer smarter approaches to low carbon city management. In addition, the project will support the achievement of Greater Manchester’s ambitious target to reduce CO2 emissions by 48% of by 2020 (compared to 1990 level).
“This scheme is good news for the environment and good news for hard-pressed families fed-up with sky-high energy bills.”
Lord Peter Smith, chair of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and leader of Wigan council, said: “This is an exciting project and places Greater Manchester at the forefront of the development of green energy technology. It’s essential we develop cleaner and greener energy systems to deal with issues such as climate change and also that we find cheaper ways of heating our homes to tackle fuel poverty.
“This scheme is good news for the environment and good news for hard-pressed families fed-up with sky-high energy bills.”
Main image above: detail of low carbon housing retrofit by Charlie Baker
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Co-Founder and CEO, Creative Concern
Steve is co-founder and CEO of Creative Concern. He specialises in ethical and sustainability issues, integrated campaigns, city strategies, brand development and creating strange installations out of trees, lights and beautiful type. Particular areas of expertise include climate change, place making, transport, food issues and the natural environment.
