The Scottish Government’s Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund has awarded funding to Edinburgh University to enable heat recovery from a data centre.
A heat recovery pump will recycle waste heat from the data centre for use within its local district heating network – the grant will also be used to improve roof and pipework insulation in a number of university buildings.
Edinburgh University – along with Fife and North Lanarkshire Councils – is among the first seven projects to share grants for clean heating and energy efficiency improvements from the £20 million boost.
The funding is part of a £200 million commitment to public sector energy efficiency and renewable heating schemes over the next five years, under a £1.8 billion Scottish Government plan to decarbonise Scotland’s buildings.
Alongside the new grant, the university is allocating £28m from its own capital investment plan for carbon reduction projects.
It is using technologies including air and ground source heat pumps and solar energy, such as a solar farm at the Easter Bush campus.
Since 2016, 140 energy efficiency and renewable energy projects have reduced the University’s emissions by a projected 400 tonnes of CO₂e.
Catherine MartinVice Principal Corporate Services, University of Edinburgh, said:
The climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges we face. The University of Edinburgh has a clear commitment to take positive action to address our impact on the climate and ultimately reach our institutional goal of being net zero by 2040. We need a coordinated approach to these activities and the funding from the Scottish Government will support our efforts to generate solutions and sustainably adapt the way we operate.
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