The University of Nottingham

The Trent Basin Community Energy Scheme

Trent Basin is a housing development with 76 energy-efficient dwellings that form an active energy community, soon to be joined by a further 100 homes and a school.

The Trent Basin housing development and community energy scheme in Nottingham is a result of several collaborative projects (2013-2022) that shaped it from inception to delivery. It includes an urban solar farm (272KWp), Europe’s largest community energy battery (2.1MWh) and a hub with a digital twin of the development where residents and visitors can visualise, and interreact with, energy flows. These are operated by the Trent Basin ESCo through innovative scalable and replicable business models.

Our vision is to enable all future housing developments to embrace renewables to lower their energy costs and carbon footprint without the hassle for the homeowner or developer.

Annual carbon savings achieved with the initiative:

• CO2t savings 2021/2022: 34 tonnes benefitting 262 people (Measured). 
• CO2t savings 2022/2023: 34 tonnes benefitting at least 262 people (Estimated).    
• CO2t savings over the life cycle of the project: 680 tonnes CO2 eq. as a minimum (estimated over 20 years as typical life span of the technologies used but could last longer) as we expect the number of homes in the scheme to increase and at least double, significantly increasing this figure.

What the Judges Thought

The judges appreciated the environmental and social co-benefits of the applied research to local community pilot sites.

This was a sound application and a project which holds lessons for all housing developments in the UK and beyond.

What it Means to Win

"The University of Nottingham is committed to delivering research to secure a more sustainable planet. I am delighted that our landmark Trent Basin project has been recognised by the Green Gown Awards for its vision to embrace renewables and transform the future of low carbon housing."

Professor Shearer West, Vice Chancellor and President 

Top 3 Learnings

1. We learnt that key to success of impactful research is stakeholder collaboration and community participation.
2. We learnt that people need to understand their role in delivering against sustainable development goals.
3. Our role is to mitigate barriers to more sustainable energy systems, so they become mainstream.