The University has a strong research portfolio in the fields of environment and sustainability, both in the UK and at our overseas campuses. These include the following.
The Creative Energy Homes project
The Creative Energy Homes project is a showcase of innovative state-of-the-art energy-efficient homes of the future.
Six homes constructed on the University Park Campus are being designed and constructed to various degrees of innovation and flexibility. This is to allow the testing of different aspects of modern methods of construction and to:
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stimulate sustainable energy design ideas
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promote new ways of providing affordable, environmentally sustainable housing
The Creative Energy Homes group are also participating in the Solar Decathlon project in Madrid 2010. Students from the Department of the Built Environment will design and build a self-sufficient, zero carbon, solar-powered home to compete in the final of the first European Solar Decathlon Competition against 20 universities from around the globe.
The Environmental Technology Centre (ETC)
The Environmental Technology Centre (ETC) was founded in 2000 to specifically help small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) to make improvements through:
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the adoption of more efficient use of resources
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environmentally friendly working practises
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the use of cleaner and more sustainable technologies
The Centre also acts as a gateway between the worlds of academia and business, forging relationships that allow researchers to work in real world environments and give businesses access to knowledge and facilities that would normally be out of their reach.
Energy Technologies Research Institute
The Energy Technologies Research Institute aims to find innovative solutions to the increasing need of governments, industry and society to establish sustainable and secure energy supplies at affordable prices while providing technologies to reduce global warming.
The Institute represents a multi-disciplinary team of bio scientists, social scientists, chemists, physicists and engineers who work with external partners to carry out research in this important and progressive field. Their work includes the following research areas.
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Clean fossil fuels and carbon abatement technologies
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Renewable energy production
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Infrastructure technologies for green energy
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Energy efficient technology in the built environment
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Environmental impact, economic and social aspects
Green Chemistry
Green Chemistry is the main focus of the University's multi-million pound research initiative, DICE - Driving Innovation in Chemistry and Engineering. The aims of green chemistry are to to find environmentally friendly ways of:
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making chemicals
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efficiently using energy
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producing safer chemical products
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creating renewable raw materials
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developing 'zero-waste' processes
The disciplines of chemistry and chemical engineering have traditionally been separate in Universities. University of Nottingham experts believe that it is essential that the two disciplines interact with one another in order to research and develop green chemistry and continue to successfully compete on the world stage.
The Centre for Sustainable Energy Technologies, Ningbo
The Centre for Sustainable Energy Technologies, located at The University of Nottingham's Ningbo Campus in China, is led by the Department of Built Environment. It is designed to serve as a model building that demonstrates state-of-the-art techniques for environmentally responsible, sustainable construction.
The building aims to:
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minimise its environmental impact by promoting energy efficiency
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generate its own energy from renewable sources
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use materials with low embodied energy
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store rainwater and re-use grey water where appropriate
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attempt to develop its own ecology and biodiversity within the site
The focus of research at the Centre is new and renewable energy systems and components for both domestic (housing) and non-domestic (commercial and public) buildings.
The University has been awarded significant research grants in the environmental field and this is projected to be a growing research area.