Sharing our expertise with an international audience

Our energy and carbon experts presented at a recent net zero universities event at The Royal Danish Embassy.

Our expertise was showcased at a prestigious event for professionals working in heat decarbonisation.

‘Net zero universities: the role of heat networks’ focused on the role of heat networks in reducing emissions across university campuses and tackling the climate crisis. 

Hosted at The Royal Danish Embassy in Kensington, London, it invited participants to attend a range of sessions to hear from experts working in heat decarbonisation in both Denmark and the UK.

Davide Natuzzi and Jessica Ferris from our energy and carbon team presented a session on Thursday 3 October that discussed funding opportunities for universities interested in developing new or joining existing heat networks. 

Their presentation referenced funding opportunities through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which we deliver on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. They also highlighted schemes we run on behalf of the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales.

Using heat network case studies from two universities in England who have received Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme funding, the pair demonstrated opportunities and challenges facing the sector when working on heat network projects.   

Davide Natuzzi, assistant director of our energy and carbon team, said: “Heat network projects can be large and complex, so it’s important for universities, as with other organisations, to make sure that the project that’s put forward is achievable and suitable for the campus or estate on which it is proposed.”

The event was linked to a Danish Government programme, ‘the energy governance partnership’, which aims to drive decarbonisation efforts in the energy sector through government-level cooperation. 

Although the day itself focused on heat networks for universities in for Denmark and the UK, the programme itself extends beyond these boarders to incorporate cooperation with authorities in the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, Poland and France.

Davide added: “The climate crisis is a global issue and global cooperation, and collaboration is absolutely essential if we truly want to reach our net zero 2050 target.”

In their presentation, Davide and Jess also discussed the recently launched Phase 4 of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.  They discussed opportunities for funding for university heat network projects through this latest phase of the popular scheme. 

Jessica Ferris, senior energy and carbon analyst, said: “There are a variety of considerations, criteria and requirements for heat network applications for Phase 4.

“For organisations interested in applying with a heat network project, we encourage you to first ensure you have read the guidance notes and all relevant supporting information on our website to understand and prepare for portal opening on Wednesday 9 October.”

You can view information and resources about Phase 4 through our website. 

To support potential applicants we are also hosting a series of webinars. Webinars offer an opportunity for attendees to meet our team alongside representatives from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. 

These also offer a chance to ask questions about how the latest phase will be delivered. The webinars will include a slide presentation and although they will broadly cover the same material, we are running some sector specific events.

We have two coming up for the education sector on Thursday 10 October and Tuesday 12 November.

You can view a full list of webinars on our website.

If you are running an event relevant to estate decarbonisation and would be interested in inviting our experts to speak, please reach out to the team at [email protected] with further details.

Jessica Cave, our events manager, said: “Collaboration and cooperation across sectors is essential to ensuring progression and success as we strive to become a net zero society, and our teams are always interested in opportunities to participate in discussions that facilitate this.”

Thank you to The Royal Danish Embassy for hosting the event and inviting us to speak and collaborate.