AN INNOVATIVE project to help Greater Manchester transition to a low carbon electricity network has won over £5m of European Union funding.

The EU announced the grant win to support the ‘Homes as Energy Systems’ (HAES) project costing £10.4m, with £5.2m being contributed by the European Regional Development Fund.

Currently only 4% of homes in the UK use low carbon forms of heating.

Led by Procure Plus, it brings together two GM social landlords, businesses, social enterprises and the University of Salford to overcome the energy ‘trilemma’ of growing electricity demand, increased intermittent renewable energy generation and a local energy network already under stress.

The project, which involves technical support from the Energy Team in the School of Built Environment, must now deliver against Greater Manchester’s strategic low carbon aims including its Climate Change and Low Emission Strategy.

Furthermore, by enabling a transition to a ‘low carbon’ electricity network in GM, HAES will directly support the Mayor of GM Andy Burnham’s aspirations for the City Region, namely the pledge to become a carbon neutral city region by 2038.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester said: At last month’s Green Summit in Salford Quays I pledged to commit Greater Manchester to achieving a carbon neutral status by 2038. It is projects like this that will keep the city-region at the forefront of the low carbon industrial revolution, delivering  growth and jobs at the same time as safeguarding our environment and acknowledging and responding to our responsibilities on climate change.”

The partners in HAES will install a number of energy efficient technologies across over 700 properties in GM, including in private homes, to prove that energy efficient homes with small scale electricity generation and storage, when aggregated together into a ‘virtual power plant’, can actively  contribute to a more dynamic energy system.

HAES homes will fulfil a ‘component’ role, benefiting the electricity network as a whole, instead of being a load that simply requires managing.

As well as the expected benefits for occupants through the reduction of energy bills and for local businesses via increased tender opportunities, the project should deliver wider impacts too, namely savings for local health services due to fewer admissions related to fuel poverty and under-heated homes.

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