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Low Carbon Innovation Centre
Newsletter Winter 2008 |
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At a glance... |
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Welcome to the inaugural Low Carbon Innovation Centre (LCIC) newsletter. We'll be releasing the newsletter on a quarterly basis and would be delighted to hear your comments and suggestions for improvement. We intend to give an overview of the work going on at LCIC, the UEA's umbrella organisation for all low carbon activities, including CRed, the Carbon Reduction programme and Carbon Connections, the low carbon investment fund.
In this first issue we have an overview of some of Carbon Connections' innovative portfolio and we're also delighted to give you the details of the next Carbon Connections conference 'Success through Innovation - Knowledge Transfer and the path to a low carbon economy'. It takes place at the Natural History Museum on March 12th 2009 and already has a stellar speaker line-up. We're delighted to welcome Professor Bob Watson, Chief Scientific Adviser to Defra, Richard Ellis (EEDA) and David Eastwood (HEFCE) representing the public sector and Jonathon Porritt, chair of Forum for the Future.
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This day will be of interest to academics and investors alike with the opportunity to meet Carbon Connections project teams, get advice on IP from Williams Powell and potentially influence decision-makers through our unique, interactive Q&A session conducted on wireless handsets. The event will be hosted by Dr. Ian Gibson MP and represents the new way of conferencing - run by and for the audience. Tickets can be obtained online through our partners Seatem at the following URL:
http://www.keithprowse.com/tickets/slink.buy/e.UTE/natural-history
Finally I'd like to wish you a happy holiday and peaceful festive break. 2009 is one year closer to 2020, the year by which the government has committed the nation to 20% reductions in carbon emissions and is also one year closer to 2010 by when the current recession is predicted to lift. |
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Director's Foreword... |
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So much has changed in the low carbon sphere over the past two years that it is hard to remember what our starting point looked like. We have not only launched and distributed a substantial innovation fund but also vastly exceeded our own expectations in finding exciting projects to invest in. British universities have proved themselves to be amongst the best in the world at producing world leading concepts which have no trouble at all in finding industry partners.
Within UEA we have also developed an ambitious expansion plan for both Carbon Connections and CRed, which we are housing in the new and vibrant Low Carbon Innovation Centre. A core part of the UEAs knowledge transfer strategy, this new Centre will give a new focus and energy to low carbon growth, not just for the University but for the region and sector too.
This is concurrently a daunting and exciting opportunity. The climate change challenge in front of us all is huge but there is clearly a vast amount of positive work being done to manage our ability to adapt and to mitigate the impacts of the problem. The Low Carbon Innovation Centre has been set up to identify and give support to the best of these initiatives - not an inconsiderable task.
The good news is that we have some fantastic strengths to draw upon and I am looking forward to being part of this new programme as it develops more over the coming years. I hope to be in touch with many of you as our projects take shape. Dr Chris Harrison, Director, Low Carbon Innovation Centre, UEA |
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Carbon Connections Advisory Board Panel Member Mike Hall explains his role and the nature of Carbon Connections funding:
Varied Nature of Applications
Involvement with the Advisory Board is interesting not least because of the varied nature of the projects that seek support. Whilst some of the proposals have assumed rather too much prior knowledge, the vast majority have been very professionally prepared.
Measures of Success
Successful projects have been reasonably easy to spot as they have been invariably innovative. There remains a good balance between those that are genuinely able to offer a return on the investment and others where the main focus is associated with attitudinal and behavioural change. This balance is important as Carbon Connections must ensure some future funding is derived from sources other than the public purse, whilst embracing opportunities to deliver a return on investment in ways such as by challenging entrenched resource wasting practices.
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| Chris Blincoe, Project Co-ordinator, Carbon Connections |
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Visible Energy is a very exciting project and has generated significant interest and excitement. The project is a great model of what we are trying to achieve at Carbon Connections with an innovative company (Green Energy Options) working hand-in-hand with academics to produce results that could not have been achieved without their partnership being in place. Green Energy Options have developed a 'Home Energy Hub' that makes energy visible to the user in an eye-catching way and their project partners from the UEA are providing behavioural change and technological expertise.
The trial of this system, funded by Carbon Connections, will involve over 200 households and provide an opportunity to undertake a detailed study of how the Home Energy Hub really affects behaviour in the home. With energy prices rising so fast and awareness of the effects of climate change seemingly growing just as quickly, there's ever been a bigger market for this type of product. |
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Read More |
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Laura Chellis, Project Co-ordinator, Carbon Connections
Biofuel from Duckweed
This project is investigating the suitability of duckweed as second generation biofuel since relatively little attention has been paid to their potential as a feedstock.
Duckweeds are common on waste water ponds, especially at poultry production and processing facilities, and are treated as a waste product requiring removal and disposal.
Several species are being studied to assess their growth rates, optimum nutrient conditions and suitability for breakdown by known and untested enzymes. The tests will be scaled up to assess the industrial potential of their cultivation for use as biomass for biofuels. |
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Movie Premiere... |
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On October 8th three student film stars walked along a green carpet made of real turf at the premiere of The Carbon Cutters documentary. The students, who have helped reduce the carbon footprint of city-based organisations, were given the VIP treatment in front of almost 100 dignitaries and academics. |
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The short film follows the efforts of three year-in-industry students, Aimee Etheridge, Jason Galloway and Alison Morris, who spent a year at Bayer Crop Science, UCP Zeller and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital respectively. All three used the knowledge gained in their environmental sciences degree to advise how those organisations could reduce their energy consumption - and ultimately their energy bill.
Carbon Connections' Project Co-ordinator Chris Blincoe discusses the origin of the project:
"This project was inspired by the work of a UEA student, Simon Davey, during his year-in-industry placement at Adnams in 2007. I saw a presentation of his work and the impact he had in reducing Adnams' carbon footprint and realised what a huge opportunity there was for other students to do similar work. Some organisations find it difficult to know where to start when it comes to identifying and reducing their carbon footprint. The Environmental Sciences students at UEA - supported by experts in the Low Carbon Innovation Centre at UEA - are exceptional in fulfilling these roles." |
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Johnathan Reynolds -
Sustainable Development Manager, EEDA |
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What are the key challenges to your role?
One of the biggest challenges of this role is keeping abreast of the wide ranging developments across this agenda. People and businesses are more aware than ever of the issues of sustainability and embracing climate change, but getting people to take real action remains a challenge, often it's a case of showing that alternative approaches to the traditional can be just as, if not even more effective.
How has EEDA responded to the challenge of addressing the carbon reduction and sustainability agendas?
EEDA's role is to lead the region in the right economic direction. The Regional Economic Strategy, which EEDA takes a lead on developing, sets out to guide the region through to 2031. It aims to create a region that is competitive on a global scale in terms of innovation and entrepreneurship and sets out to maximise the East of England's creativity and help the region take the lead as an efficient and low-carbon economy. |
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One of the strategies boldest targets is to reduce the region's carbon dioxide emissions by 60% by 2031 whilst maintaining strong economic growth. A huge challenge for us all to get behind, but one we believe is achievable. |
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01603 591568
www.carbon-connections.org
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