Distributed energy development
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Researchers at Manchester University are working on a project looking at how localised energy generation can be used to serve the needs of local organisations.
Dr Megan Jobson from the School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science will work on the £795,000 Macro DE (Distributed Energy) project with colleagues at Caterpillar and EDF.
Funded by the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) — the organisation tasked with developing the technologies that will help the UK meet its 2050 carbon reduction targets — the research team will develop a software tool to analyse energy demand and supply profiles for sites, such as local services, hospitals and business parks, and equipment.
The focus of the research is to accelerate development of Macro DE technology. It is believed that such systems could make a valuable contribution to improving energy efficiency and delivering CO2 savings in the UK.
The project is expected to identify a number of larger-scale technology development and demonstration projects for the ETI to consider developing.
Dr David Clarke, chief executive of the ETI, said: ’By supplying both heat and power to end users from a common fuel source, significant improvements in efficiency can be achieved compared to conventional, centralised power generation and separate, local heat generation. The Macro distributed energy project will explore the opportunities available from these alternative fuel sources.’
