SEND project for Keele University

Creating environments that care

Teaching by example – that’s the approach taken at Keele University, UK. Their goals are: to divest from fossil fuels, become carbon-neutral as a campus of 350 buildings and 12,000 students and staff by 2030 and, in this way, become a model for the whole of Europe. The way to get there: energy management with SEND – the Smart Energy Network Demonstrator.

Reference: SEND project for Keele University

Location: Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, UK

Project focus: Microgrid, renewable energy, smart energy management

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Energy Efficient Partnership of the Year’ at the Energy Awards

Keele Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND) project wins Energy Efficient Partnership of the Year’ at the Energy Awards for its innovative partnership with Siemens, showcasing a best in class example of developing business and academic collaboration to transform other Universities and the wider built environment to decarbonise.

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Project benefits

0 t

Savings on CO₂emissions each year

0 +

Key research projects ignited

Students and staff served

We want to shape what drives our whole world: energy.

Zoe Robinson | Professor of Sustainability | Keele University

Project insights

Technology

Making the world CO₂-neutral takes good ideas and people who can get the job done. Theory and practice combine on the Keele University campus and show the way to the future – in a laboratory the size of a small town.

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Digital substations

The heart of the power supply goes digital. Digitalized substations collect valuable data from the entire power grid. This means that the heart of power supply can also become the heart of energy data communication – to create added value.

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Spectrum Power Active Network Management

Spectrum Power Active Network Management is SEND’s overall energy manager. It gathers data from the substations and network and assesses power flows to check whether or not the network has the right level of voltage.

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Spectrum Power Microgrid Management System (MGMS)

Managing and optimizing the complete microgrid for significantly decreased operating expenses.

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Timeline It all started with the idea to become Europe’s first at-scale laboratory for research, development and demonstration of new energy technologies. The partnership with Siemens turned the whole campus of Keele University into a next-level energy-intelligent environment.

SEND demonstrates the advantages of looking at different energy systems in a smart and integrated way.

Sir Jonathan Porritt | CBE Chancellor | Keele University

Keele University is a demonstration of what is possible today. In terms of applying smart technologies connecting up all the assets – substations, controllers, meters.

Ralf Kortner | UK Head of Distributed Energy Systems | Siemens

Why Siemens?

Energy intelligence

Energy intelligence delivers increased efficiency through predictive planning. This enables the maintenance and optimization of the energy grid in the most secure and sustainable way. Our digital solutions help you to harness the potential of data using of the latest technologies in the Internet of Energy, such as artificial intelligence and self-learning algorithms.

IT/OT integration

Our path to the Internet of Energy is a deep, cross-functional, and proactive collaborative approach that combines the respective intellectual power, know-how, and experience of both IT and OT teams. IT/OT integration not only enables secure optimization of operational data – it also leads to transparency, capability and better time- and money-saving decisions.

Global domain know-how

Co-creation using Siemens’ domain knowledge and our clients’ expertise allows for a maximum of customer proximity. Together we shape grids that are cost-efficient, safe, reliable and flexible.

Partnership

Siemens has a long history of building trust-based partnerships with countless customers around the world. Our approach: we offer unmatched know-how, which encompasses all energy topics, to help you achieve your business goals in the most sustainable way.

Professional consulting

References

Blue Lake Rancheria Microgrid, USA

Native American reservation took control of its energy
$200,000 of energy savings per year
200 t of CO₂savings per year

Driving zero fossil fuels for Galápagos

A typical application for the microgrid use case “Island”
Creating a reliable, safe, and sustainable power supply for Isabela Island
A hybrid power plant designed to run completely carbon-neutral based on solar energy and biodiesel with a battery storage system

A unique spirit of partnership

A typical application for the microgrid use case “Campus”
The College of Applied Arts in Technology is on an ambitious journey to becoming a sustainable institution of the future
With Siemens, it found a partner to help educate, operate, collaborate, and innovate for a clean energy future

The Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND) (ref. 32R16P00706) is funded by Keele University, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the England 2014 to 2020 European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) Growth Programme.