Metro Mayor hails world-leading energy technology project

Liverpool Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has officially opened Wirral Met College hybrid energy centre.

His visit coincided with the recent North West Energy Management summit.

The Local Energy North West Hub, in partnership with the Merseyside Energy Club, was keen to convene the summit at the college to showcase the specialist hybrid energy centre and to provide an update on the national and regional energy agenda to energy sector specialists working in the low carbon construction supply chain across the North West of England.

As part of the development, highly efficient gas powered micro turbines now produce 80% of the campus’ electrical demand, minimising the need for electrical power from the grid.

The system uses phase-change thermal mass blocks with the turbines’ heat output to provide domestic hot water and heating for the entire campus.

Electrical storage batteries further reduce the campus’ energy demand by smoothing the electrical energy curve, reducing peak demand. Carbon output is reduced by 200 tonnes per annum and energy costs are predicted to reduce by £80,000 pa.

This is the first time anywhere in the world where this combination of technologies has been employed.

Steve Rotheram said: “We are committed to improving facilities at our local colleges and to reducing the city region’s carbon footprint, so we were delighted to support this project, which is showing the rest of the world the impact that combining innovative technologies can have.

“Not only is it enabling Wirral Met to lead the way environmentally, money saved on energy costs can be reinvested in the student experience.”

Sue Higginson, principal and chief executive of Wirral Met College, said: “It is important that we embrace technologies that will make our environment cleaner, greener and more sustainable.

“I cannot think of a better place to create a ‘world first’ than Wirral Met College of Further Education and we are now embedding this technology into learning for students.

“Energy savings have been invested in creating more pastoral mentor posts for student support.”

The innovative low carbon micro-turbine hybrid energy centre at the Twelve Quays Campus was funded with £440,000 from the Local Growth Fund.

Local Growth Funding is awarded to the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and invested through the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Strategic Investment Fund.

Sue added: “I am grateful to our Liverpool City Region for investing in our project and for the lead that our Metro Mayor is taking on developing this important agenda. I am also very proud of my team.”