Manchester
Climate Change
Experiments
Directory
1
Contents
Governance Experiments
ʻA Certain Futureʼ - Manchester Climate Change Strategy.................................................................................4
Low Carbon Programme.....................................................................................................................................5
Manchester Climate Change Agency..................................................................................................................6
Energy Experiments
SMARTER Energy Business District..................................................................................................................8
Davyhulme Biomass Generation........................................................................................................................9
Horizon Energy Co-operative Microgrid..............................................................................................................10
Foster Wind Turbine............................................................................................................................................11
Carrington Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Power Station....................................................................................12
Built Environment Experiments
Co-operative Solar Tower...................................................................................................................................14
Green Building....................................................................................................................................................15
Northwards Housing...........................................................................................................................................16
Salford University Energy House........................................................................................................................17
Manchester House Retrofit Exemplar.................................................................................................................18
Media City...........................................................................................................................................................19
Community Experiments
Wythenshawe Forever!......................................................................................................................................21
Torrs Hydro Community Power Scheme............................................................................................................22
Abudance...........................................................................................................................................................23
EMERGE social enterprise................................................................................................................................24
Call to Real Action..............................................................................................................................................25
Hulme Carbon Co-op.........................................................................................................................................26
Behavioral Change Experiments
Manchester is My Planet (Pledge Scheme)........................................................................................................28
Environmental Business Pledge.........................................................................................................................29
Energy Academy.................................................................................................................................................30
Transport Experiments
Manchester Airport Zero Carbon Initiative .........................................................................................................32
Metrolink Light Rail System................................................................................................................................33
Carbon Cycle......................................................................................................................................................34
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Low carbon bus network.....................................................................................................................................35
Governance
Image: From A Certain Future
www.manchesterclimate.com/
3
Case Study: ʻA Certain Futureʼ - Manchester Climate Change Strategy
Partners: Manchester City Council (Municipal Government) with over 100 contributing
organisations
Established: 2009
Value: n/a
Description: This began within Manchester City Council through the establishment of the ʻThe
Principles of Tackling Climate Change in Manchesterʼ and continued through work with a
London based consultancy into the ʻCall to Actionʼ. This was a document that was supposed to
form the backbone of the cityʼs climate change strategy and yet was criticized for its uninviting
technocratic language and lack of focus on grassroots action. A campaign group formed, ʻA
Real Call to Actionʼ that produced an alternative plan using the principle of ʻfeasible but
uncomfortableʼ actions. Manchester City Council recognised the need to involve people outside
government and began a period of wider engagement and partnership in drafting the strategy.
This can partly be explained by the sheer size of the task involved in mitigation pathways in
Manchester and the recognition by the local authority that delivery would require the full
resources and capacity of the cityʼs communities, NGOs and businesses. The plan has two
headline actions, to reduce Manchesterʼs CO2 emissions by 41% by 2020 from 2006 levels and
to engage all individuals, neighbourhoods and organisations in Manchester in a process of
cultural change toward a low carbon way of thinking.
Quote: “We have to radically shift the way we think, the way we work and the way we live. We
have to work together to create a safer future. We can, and we will”.
Further Info:
W: http://www.manchesterclimate.com/
T: 0161 234 4507
E: green.city@manchester.gov.uk
4
Case Study: Low Carbon Programme
Partners: Manchester Commission for the New Economy: The lead strategic body for the
Manchester City Region economy made up off private/public partners.(City region governance)
Established: 2009 onwards
Value: Aims to add £650 million to the city economy over the next five years
Description: In December 2009 the Manchester City Region was designated the UKʼs first Low
Carbon Economic Area for the Built Environment. This will be a five year programme of work
which will.
•
•
Address carbon abatement on an unprecedented scale through the deployment of
existing technologies and accelerated investment in science, technology and innovation
to bring new products to the market (save 6 million tonnes of carbon)
•
Raise employment and productivity levels by investing in the provision of appropriate
low carbon high and low level skills (34,000 jobs)
•
Increase investment in Manchester and the UK in low carbon industries and their supply
chains.
Quote: “Manchester was the first industrial city built on, and powered by, coal. Our work
focuses on instigating a new revolution, one which is grounded in low carbon economics”
Further Info:
W: http://neweconomymanchester.com/stories/837-low_carbon_economy
T: 0161 237 4630
E: info@neweconomymanchester.com
5
Case Study: Manchester Climate Change Agency
Partners: Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (City region governance) specifically its
Environment Commission
Established: 2010
Value: £500,000 in year one rising to £5 million by year 3
Description: AGMAʼs new constitution based on devolved powers from Westminster will see the
city regions government develop a range of environmental programmes based within its
Environment Commission. These include the establishment of the Climate Change Agency
which will co-ordinate work across all the programmes taking place in the region with the aim of
leading a strategic approach to delivering a low carbon economy through iconic initiatives on a
scale not seen before in the UK...”To rival and better the aspirations of any other world city”.As
of June 2010 the details and operations of the agency are not yet widely known.
Quote: “The Greater Manchester Climate Change Agency (working title) is the city region's
business, public and third sector partnership, contributing towards economic advantage and
prosperity by:(i) delivering carbon reductions, and (ii)responding to the impacts of climate
change”
Further Info:
W: http://www.agma.gov.uk/environment_commission/index.html
T: 01942 705725
E:info@agma.gov.uk
6
Energy
Image: Davyhulme Biogas Generation
http://www.utilityweek.co.uk
7
Case Study: SMARTER Energy Business District
Partners: Commission for the New Economy working in partnership with the Greater
Manchester Environment Commission (City regional goverance)
Established: 2010
Value: £250,000 from Manchester City Council and North West Development Agency
Description: The aim of this project is to deploy the technology and research emanating from
the DEHEMS (Digital environment home energy management system) project to support the
SMARTER project in the Norther Quarter neighbourhood. This will allow business and residents
to reduce their carbon through the establishment of the countryʼs first smart energy business
district with the aim that it will cut CO2 emissions by 12 percent. The scheme will begin with
installation of 100 businesses and 400 homes. The meters enable users to see their electricity
use in real time as opposed to waiting for quarterly bills, allowing them to more easily to identify
how they could use energy more efficiently.
Quote: “We want to make a real difference by creating the countryʼs first smarter energy
district. Putting businesses in better control of their energy bills has got to be a good thing in
these times and if it can lead to lowering the cityʼs carbon footprint then all the better. I hope
that weʼll see businesses flock to this project”
Further Info:
W: http://neweconomymanchester.com/
T: 0161 237 4630
E: info@neweconomymanchester.com
8
Case Study: Davyhulme Biogas Generation
Partners: United Utilities (Private utility) with Department for Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
Established: 2011 (operational)
Value: £4.3 million with support from DEFRAʼs Waste and Resources Action Programme
Description: Sewage will be recycled to power an inital 500 homes by generating 5.6MW which
has the potential to rise to 5000 homes from the UKʼs second largest sewage works. This is a
pilot programme in the UK. The technology works when the wastewater sludge from the sewage
plant will be broken down in the absence of oxygen (anaerobic digestion) resulting in the
production of biogas ( 50-70% of biogas is methane which can be extracted and is almost
identical in composition to the natural gas extracted from under the North Sea. After a little
propane, and the artificial 'gas' smell is added to it (since methane is odourless), the bio-
methane can be piped to people's homes and used just like natural gas.
Quote: “Since sewage is processed 24 hours per day, every day, there will be a constant supply
of renewable gas from the plant”.
Further Info:
W: http://www.unitedutilities.com/bioprocessing.htm
T: 01244 303 444
E:
9
Case Study: Horizon Energy Co-operative Microgrid
Partners: A range of social housing providers and local and regional governance and EIC
consultancy
Established:Proposed, bid for development with NWDA for European Regional Development
Fund money
Value: n/a
Description: The Horizon Energy Cooperative Microgrid is an innovative project to deliver
renewable energy from social housing in the UK. The Horizon Microgrid will develop a Virtual
Power Plant from renewable energy sources across Greater Manchester and sell the energy to
the National Grid. Revenues will be used to fight fuel poverty, stimulate training and jobs and
assist the delivery of the Greater Manchester Low Carbon Economic Area. A three year trial is
currently being tested at concept stage after a successful joint submission with the overall
Greater Manchester European Regional Development Fund bid.
Quote: “With sufficient support, there is no reason we shouldnʼt end up producing energy output
equivalent to one quarter of a conventional nuclear- or coal-fired power station”.
Further Info:
W: http://horizonmicrogrid.com/
T:
E:
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