News | Friday, 7th December 2018
Triangulum project wins Public Building Energy Project of the Year at 2018 Energy Awards
University's solar panels and lithum-ion battery part of smart city initiative
A project partnership demonstrating how technology can improve sustainable mobility, energy, IT and business has won Public Building Energy Project of the Year at the 2018 Energy Awards.
Manchester Metropolitan University partnered with Siemens UK and Manchester City Council for Triangulum, a five-year €25 million project funded by the EU's research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020.
Oxford Road Corridor as tech testbed
Smart city green initiatives are being demonstrated by partnerships in the Oxford Road district in Manchester, Eindhoven in The Netherlands and Stavanger in Norway. This trio are collectively known as Lighthouse Cities - technological testbeds leading the way for the rest of Europe.
Nearly 600 solar panels have been installed on the roof of the Brooks Building to provide low carbon energy on campus. A Siemens Lithium Ion battery has also been installed to reduce demand on the energy network at peak times, all controlled by intelligent technology.
It was the Energy Management and Optimisation aspect of the project that won the Public Building Energy Project of the Year award at the 2018 Energy Awards, run by EMAP Publishing, against four other nominees.
Boosting our smart city credentials
Helena Tinker, Head of Environmental Sustainability at the University, said: “We are thrilled to be testing and researching new ideas and concepts on our campus.
“Being part of the Triangulum project allows us to support the whole of Manchester to become a smart city. We’re excited to see what the next few years of the project brings.”
Bamidele Adebisi, Professor in Intelligent Infrastructure Systems, was principal investigator and project lead for Triangulum at Manchester Metropolitan University.
He said: “We are delighted to have won the award and it is testament to the hard work of those involved, especially colleagues from the Faculty of Science and Engineering and from the Environment Team.
“Not just Brooks Building but the whole of Birley Campus is a ‘living lab’, allowing us to study people’s reactions to the technology and their approach to sustainability.
“We have been able to use Triangulum as an opportunity to embed research and training in the curriculum and I have Masters students using the project as part of their coursework.
“Because of the success of Triangulum and other projects such as CityVerve we are seen as a leader in smart cities and smart buildings and there have been many other people who have contacted us to discuss projects.”
Other cities replicate strategies and infrastructure
Triangulum marries the University’s green credentials – it was ranked number one in the People and Planet Green University League 2017 – with its research prowess.
In the wake of the success achieved by the University and other consortium partners, other urban centres across the continent, namely Leipzig in Germany, Sabadell in Spain and the Czech capital Prague, have begun to replicate the tried-and-tested strategies and infrastructure.
Carl Ennis, Managing Director at Siemens Energy Management, said: “We are delighted that Triangulum has won Public Building Energy Project of the Year at The Energy Awards.
“Siemens are proud to be the technical partner on this project working alongside with Manchester City Council, Manchester Metropolitan and The University of Manchester to develop smart energy systems in the Oxford Road Corridor – helping to realise the smart city vision.”
Manchester City Council's Executive Member for the Environment, Planning and Transport, Councillor Angeliki Stogia, said: "This award is a welcome acknowledgement of Manchester's efforts to harness technology and our desire to be at the forefront of the emerging green economy, for the benefit of everyone who lives and works in our city. If we are to meet our ambitious target of becoming a zero-carbon city by 2038, it is essential to innovate and create a much smarter, more efficient city, which is why we will continue to support the development of new energy systems and eliminate the need to use fossil fuels."
To view a short film about the project’s work in the Corridor Manchester innovation district, go to http://triangulum-project.eu/
EU funds totalling €9m are being invested in Manchester through the project.
