Gloucestershire College

GCZero

“It’s our moral responsibility to lead by example and act now for climate change” Matthew Burgess, Principal and CEO, Gloucestershire College.

The GCZero ambition is built on 4 key pillars:

1. The Installation of heat pumps to electrify the colleges heating and displace natural gas from the campus energy mix.
2. The installation of significant solar PV to generate on-site green electricity to run the heating system.
3. The installation of energy storage and Smart energy control systems to optimise consumption and time of day energy usage.
4. The adoption of two-way interactive grid connection, to work within the capacity markets and help national grid to scale the use of renewable energy assets on the decarbonisation pathway.

By aligning the technology selections with robust financial modelling, the designed system will deliver Green, Competitive and Secure energy services that future proof the college in support of their net zero ambitions.

Annual carbon savings achieved with the initiative:

• CO2t savings 2021/2022: 0 TCO₂e – The project will be complete at the end of the Academic year.
• CO2t savings 2022/2023: 524 TCO₂e (Estimated).        
• CO2t savings over the life cycle of the project: 10,230 TCO₂e Estimated savings over 25 years.
   

What the Judges Thought

This is an excellent project focused on energy generation. The work that has been done around the scope 1&2 emissions is very commendable. The breadth and depth of the project for a small institution is outstanding. There is lots of transferable knowledge generated to benefit the whole HE and FE sectors. 

What it Means to Win

"Winning this Green Gown Award for our decarbonisation project means that we can have a stronger, authenticated and long reaching voice which not only rallies for action, but also provides a practical and useful model that organisations can use to generate and tailor their own transformations.  

We passionately want to support others to manage the inevitable challenges that embryonic projects face, and to show that bold commitment and shared ambition, coupled with tenacity and resilience, can win through."

Matthew Burgess, Principal and Chief Executive

Top 3 Learnings

1. Achieving net-zero is possible through retro-fit, not just new builds.
2. Delivering carbon zero can be achieved in way that also improves your financial position.
3. Leadership ambition and commitment on climate change is critical.