Carbon Reduction Plan

This plan focusses on the reduction of Scopes 1 and 2 emissions.

Scope 1 emissions originate from the University’s direct burning of fossil fuels to create energy, which at the moment includes gas-fired boilers used to generate heat and the gas-fired Combined Heat and Power plant (in the Science Centre) used to generate both electricity and heat.  Scope 1 also includes fuel for the University’s on-campus service vehicles (most of which have now been replaced with electric-powered vehicles) and the gases which leak from the air-conditioning units which we have on campus, but the main source of scope 1 emissions is currently the burning of gas.

Scope 2 emissions are the emissions released off-site through the generation of electricity from fossil-based sources (ie coal and gas-fired power stations), which is supplied through the national grid.  At the moment, within the UK, about 50% of the electricity supplied through the national grid releases carbon and other green house gas emissions (but we tend to use carbon as a simpler way of conveying the scale of emissions).  The remaining 50% is generated from renewable sources (mostly wind, solar and nuclear sources).

In order to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions to zero, the main ways of achieving this are to stop using gas as a fuel source, to source electricity from external renewable sources and to generate electricity from on-site renewable sources (mostly solar).  This plan sets out, in more detail, how this could be achieved.

Where it is not possible to eliminate all scope 1 and 2 emissions, off-setting may be used.  Historically off-setting has meant organisations paying for off-site regeneration projects which involve planting trees (which remove carbon from the atmosphere as they grow), however these sorts of projects are now being replaced by the purchase of carbon offsets which pay for new sources of renewable energy to be built, therefore reducing the issue at source.  The University would use the latter type.

This Carbon Reduction plan, which includes a limited amount of off-setting, would achieve the objective of Carbon Net Zero by 2030.  The University will continue to work to reduce carbon emissions by all possible means to avoid off-setting.  Key to this carbon reduction plan are the Estates Masterplan and the costings for the work to be done to achieve the reductions in carbon.  The financial consequences of developing the Masterplan and the costs of the additional measures are incorporated into the University’s long-term strategic financial plan.

Overall approach

The University’s approach to carbon reduction for scopes 1 and 2 energy consumption over the next ten years can be summarised as follows:

• Reduce consumption of energy
• Generate more electricity from on-site renewable sources, eg Photovoltaic cells on roofs added to both new construction and refurbished buildings
• Eliminate gas as a source of heating by joining the Stoke District Heat Network in the future
• Enter into an incremental series of contracts (for electricity supply) called Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with energy suppliers which can be certified as coming from additional renewable sources.  These will need to be considered in association with point 5.
• Keep a watching brief on the potential for electricity to be supplied from a new waste-to-energy facility proposed by Stoke City Council and which could come on stream before 2030
• Assume that decarbonisation of the grid will also contribute to a significant reduction in carbon emissions, subject to Government policy and investment

Carbon off-setting is not actively considered as a primary route to carbon reduction and would only be considered as a back-up, when all other options have been explored.

This plan is closely related to the Energy Management plan which looks at consumption as well as the source of energy at an operational level.