image: The classroom generates more energy than it uses. On sunny days there is enough left over to charge an electric car. view more
Credit: SPECIFIC/Swansea University
Energy bills could be cut by more than 60% - saving the average household over £600 a year -- if homes were designed to generate, store and release their own solar energy, a report published today has revealed.
The concept has already been proven and is operating successfully on a building in Swansea: the UK's first energy-positive classroom. It combines an integrated solar roof and battery storage with solar heat collection on south-facing walls. Over 6 months of operation the Active Classroom has generated more energy than it has consumed.
Today's report looks at applying this concept to homes, and analyses the economic and energy impacts that such homes could have in the UK.
The report is based on designs for the Active Homes Neath social housing development, which was granted planning permission today / is currently in planning. This is the first major housing development to use the 'buildings as power stations' approach to technology integration and specification, developed by Swansea University's SPECIFIC Innovation & Knowledge Centre, which designed and built the classroom.
The new development by Pobl Group, the largest housing association in Wales, features solar roofs, shared battery storage and the potential for charging points for electric vehicles. Water heating comes from a solar heat collector on south facing walls. Waste heat is captured and recycled within the building. The combined technologies will help to keep bills down.
The report shows that homes with these technologies could see household energy bills reduced by 60%.
In addition to consumer benefits, the analysis also shows that building 1 million homes like this would have huge national impacts, including:
- Reducing peak generating capacity by 3 gigawatts, equivalent to a large central power station.
- Reducing carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 80 million tonnes over 40 years.
- Potential benefits to the UK economy through investment in a new industry
The author of the report is independent energy consultant Andris Bankovskis, who also serves as a member of the Panel of Technical Experts, an independent advisory group who are appointed by the government to advise on technical aspects of electricity market reform.
Andris Bankovskis, energy expert and report author, said:
"The scale of the potential impacts is compelling, and demands that we make considered decisions about how we meet housing needs sustainably.
It suggests that if we are prepared to take some bold decisions about the way energy is supplied and used in our homes, the rewards could be significant and lasting.
Ofgem and Government have shown welcome leadership recently by consulting on smart energy networks, and it is imperative to move forward with developing these as quickly as possible."
The report is timely as it comes only weeks after the government announced measures to make it easier to store power in batteries, and pledged to phase out new petrol and diesel engines in cars in favour of greener options by 2040.
It follows a series of successful demonstration projects to test and develop the concept, most recently in the award-winning Active Classroom opened at Swansea University's Bay Campus last autumn.
Kevin Bygate, Chief Executive at SPECIFIC, said:
"Today's report shows that households and the country as a whole can benefit if we design our homes to be power stations. The technology works, so what we need now is to build on our partnerships with industry and government and make it happen.
"It is great to see the Active Homes Neath project leading the way. We are thrilled that Pobl and Neath Port Talbot Council are taking this forward-thinking approach to housing. It is thanks to them and the shared vision of SPECIFIC's 40 other partners from academia and industry, as well as our funders EPSRC, Innovate UK, and the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government, that we are able to make such progress. It is truly the collaborative cross-sector effort.
Active Homes Neath has been designed under a standard design-and-build contract, which means it can be replicated at scale. We have every reason to believe that a cleaner, cheaper energy future awaits us all"
The 16 new homes are being developed in partnership with Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. It is a flagship scheme within the Homes as Power Stations project in the Swansea Bay City Deal, a £1.3 billion investment into the region signed by Prime Minister Theresa May in March. Residents are scheduled to move in in Spring 2019.
Ruth McKernan, Chief Executive of Innovate UK, the UK's Innovation Agency, said:
"SPECIFIC IKC has been a great success story and a key collaboration between Innovate UK, EPSRC, Welsh Government and Swansea University. Over the period of our funding SPECIFIC has demonstrated their Buildings as Power Stations technology in a number of situations culminating recently in the award-winning classroom at Swansea University's new Bay Campus. The technology can be retrofitted or incorporated into new build.
We [welcome/await] the decision by Neath Port Talbot Council to develop a social housing development with Active Homes Neath. Today's report outlines the benefits of the Buildings as Power Stations technology if developed to its true potential."
Dr Nina Skorupska CBE, Chief Executive of the Renewable Energy Association said:
"Efficient homes with integrated heating, solar PV, and energy storage can reduce bills, empower consumers and help us meet our carbon budgets. This new initiative is a good example of the bold innovation and big-thinking taking place in the renewable energy and clean tech industries right now.
"Together these technologies create significant opportunities to speedily address pressures on both our housing and energy systems in one go."
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Pictures/video:
Graphic showing how a home could work as a power station, generating, storing and releasing its own energy. The concept has already been shown to work, with the UK's first energy-positive classroom, at Swansea University, generating more energy than it consumes
Artist's impressions of the Active Homes Neath development
Roof with integrated photovoltaics (PV) to generate solar energy, on the energy-positive classroom at the Swansea University Bay Campus. The key is that the PV is built into the roof, rather than added on afterwards.
Saltwater batteries at the energy-positive classroom, being used in the UK for the first time. They are capable of storing enough energy to power the building for two days.
Let your house generate energy to charge up your car: on sunny days the classroom generates so much energy that there is enough left over to charge up an electric car.
Time-lapse video of the classroom being built, from start to finish
More pictures of the classroom and technologies in it
Notes to editors:
The report will be available for download here from Weds 9 August http://www.specific.eu.com/news
SPECIFIC Innovation & Knowledge Centre is working to transform buildings into power stations that can generate, store and release their own solar energy in one integrated, optimised system. It is leading change in construction, helping industry partners take new products to market by supporting research and development of new technologies and demonstrating that they work at full scale. SPECIFIC is led by Swansea University, with Strategic Partners Tata Steel, Akzo Nobel, NSG Pilkington Glass and Cardiff University. It is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government, and by Innovate UK and EPSRC. Visit http://www.specific.eu.com / @info_specific.
Innovate UK is the UK's innovation agency. Innovate UK works with people, companies and partner organisations to find and drive the science and technology innovations that will grow the UK economy - delivering productivity, new jobs and exports. Our aim at Innovate UK is to keep the UK globally competitive in the race for future prosperity. For further information and to stay updated on our latest news visit http://www.gov.uk/innovateuk, follow us on Twitter at @innovateuk or subscribe to our YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/InnovateUK.
Swansea University is a world-class, research-led, dual campus university. The University was established in 1920 and was the first campus university in the UK. It currently offers around 350 undergraduate courses and 350 postgraduate courses to circa 20,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students.
The University's 46-acre Singleton Park Campus is located in beautiful parkland with views across Swansea Bay. The University's 65-acre science and innovation Bay Campus, which opened in September 2015, is located a few miles away on the eastern approach to the city. It has the distinction of having direct access to a beach and its own seafront promenade. Both campuses are close to the Gower Peninsula, the UK's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Swansea is ranked the top university in Wales and is currently The Times and The Sunday Times 'Welsh University of the Year'. It is also ranked within the top 350 best universities in the world in the Times Higher Education World University rankings. The results of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 showed the University has achieved its ambition to be a top 30 research University, soaring up the league table to 26th in the UK, with the 'biggest leap among research-intensive institutions' (Times Higher Education, December 2014) in the UK. The University has ambitious expansion plans as it moves towards its centenary in 2020, as it continues to extend its global reach and realising its domestic and international ambitions. Swansea University is a registered charity. No.1138342. Visit http://www.swansea.ac.uk
Contact details:
Kevin Sullivan, Public Relations Officer
Swansea University press office.
k.g.sullivan@swansea.ac.uk
Tel 44-0-1792-513-245; 07768-670-581
Sharon Bishop, External Engagement, SPECIFIC
s.t.bishop@swansea.ac.uk
Tel: 44-0-1792-606-963; 07740-455-774