Harnessing the Green Power of Academia: Cardiff University’s Contribution to Net Zero

In 2019, Cardiff University declared a climate emergency, announcing our goal to fully decarbonise our campus and the activities it supports. In this blog, Professor Roger Whitaker, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Enterprise, gives an overview of the practical action and research leadership Cardiff University has taken to achieve net zero.

Inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, we have pledged ourselves to establishing a university which is prosperous, resilient, healthier, and globally responsible. We are committed to promoting clean energy, reducing waste, encouraging biodiversity, and leveraging our world-leading expertise to the betterment of our local and global environments.

However, goals are meaningless unless followed up by action. So, what are we doing to actively meet this challenge?

Disinvest to reinvest

We have taken meaningful steps to ensure our campus, and the activities which it supports, are fit to meet our sustainability challenge. In areas of our estate, we have installed rooftop solar panels, LED lighting, ground source heat pumps, fitted smart building management systems to ensure maximum efficiency, and are making the switch to an electric vehicle fleet. Also, recently, our state-of-the-art Translational Research Hub was awarded an ‘excellent’ certification by BREEAM,the world-leading sustainability assessment method for the built environment and infrastructure.

The last few years have seen us begin to reduce the size of our estate. Better ways of working, advances in collaborative technologies, and shifts to blended working practices, have enabled us to disinvest in areas of our estate which have become outdated and inefficient. Our Vice Chancellor, Professor Wendy Larner, recently signed the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice, which recognises the need to change how we conduct research and innovation, as well as promote wider solutions to the environmental impact of university research. These are positive first steps in our ongoing net zero commitments.

Impactful research

Our commitment to creating solutions to decarbonising our built environment stretches beyond the practical changes on our own campus. Since 2015 we’ve been involved in the SOLCER House project, the first affordable, energy-positive house to be built in the UK, which was designed to generate more energy over a year than needed to heat, ventilate, light, and power appliances in the building. The data gathered has shown the positive impact a ‘whole house systems approach’ can have and has led to multi-million-pound Welsh Government grant investments into private and local authority developers, resulting in over 1400 affordable and low-carbon houses being built.

Our Low Carbon Built Environment project is working to decarbonise the housing sector by implementing energy-efficient retrofitting solutions. It is supporting Wales’ transition to net zero by focusing on the integration of renewable energy technologies, improved insulation, and smart energy management systems in homes and buildings, with the ultimate aim of making buildings more sustainable and cost-effective for their inhabitants.

The Build Zero project, co-created with other leading UK universities, is exploring how applying circular economy principles to the construction sector could achieve zero emissions and zero waste. Our researchers are exploring innovative ways to repurpose existing building materials, reduce construction waste, and lower emissions associated with new developments.

We are exploring ammonia as a potential zero-carbon fuel. In collaboration with industry partner Flogas, our Net Zero Innovation Institute researchers have been testing a world-first, low carbon ammonia steam boiler on-site at the university. The Amburn project focuses on using ammonia as an energy storage medium and a clean fuel alternative, particularly in hard-to-decarbonise sectors like shipping and heavy industry. Researchers are investigating ammonia’s combustion characteristics and developing efficient methods for its production, storage, and use to ensure minimal environmental impact.

International co-operation is a keystone of our research strategy. We are part of the Europe-wide FASTER (Flexible Ammonia Synthesis Technology for Energy StoRage) project which focuses on converting solar and wind energy into ammonia. Due to the ease at which ammonia is stored and transported it has huge potential to reduce carbon emissions and create efficient, cleaner energy production, as well as addressing seasonal fluctuations in energy production and consumption. Working with colleagues in China, we have recently developed a new way of creating hydrogen which eliminates direct carbon dioxide emission at the source. By using bioethanol from farm waste, combined with very hot water and a new bimetallic catalyst, our scientists can create hydrogen for clean energy, which could help reduce carbon emissions.

Collaboration with Cardiff Capital Region

Good research cannot exist in a vacuum and requires partnership to drive innovation forward. Since 2017, we have worked closely with Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) on several transformative projects which have leveraged significant research and innovation funding for the region, including signing a ground-breaking Memorandum of Understanding with CCR and other higher and further education institutions in South-East Wales in 2024.

The South-East Wales region has significant potential for leading the way on reimagined energy systems. CCR Energy’s (CCRE) transformation of the site at the former Aberthaw Power Station promises to reshape the whole region around clean growth. Building on the Amburn project, we will build and run a low carbon ammonia steam boiler at Aberthaw and have long-term ambitions for an off-campus ammonia research facility at the site. We will explore the boundaries of Agri-Tech, investigating vertical farming, controlled environment growing, and the use of AI. Tidal turbines, pulverised fuel ash usage, solar photovoltaics, and energy storage are also exciting areas we’re keen to explore with CCRE.

Get involved

Our research has, and will, continue to create a better future for all, and there are a plethora of ways you can get involved. Ask us about our Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, to harness our academic skills and expertise to help improve your competitiveness, productivity, and performance. Access many of the several hundred technologies and almost 100 patents in our intellectual property portfolio via our Technology Transfer team. Finally, take advantage of our continuing professional development courses, including a suite of net zero courses to boost green skills.