In collaboration with our University, researchers at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research worked alongside the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and a team of modellers at the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency to devise ways to reduce carbon emissions in the transport and industry sectors.

With these sectors continuing to grow and low-carbon technologies still in their infancy, our researchers identified new ways to accelerate decarbonisation. By developing and applying a novel framework, they discovered that the greatest reductions came from cuts in carbon dioxide and energy intensity. Other contributing measures included less air travel, reduced transportation of fossil fuels and more locally-produced goods.

Our researchers partnered with Electricity North West Limited (ENWL) to help it better manage its network, improve sustainability and save money for the company and customers. Researchers developed a matrix that can be used to model the relationship between network voltage and demand. They were then able to demonstrate how reducing the amount of energy used at peak times, creating less of a strain on the National Grid, could result in cost reductions for everyone. This has enabled ENWL to increase its customer base and connect more renewable energy sources to the network to help meet the UK government’s 2050 carbon-reduction targets.

Our student-led Manchester Energy and Environment Society brings energy-related events to the University.

It also bridges the gap between students and academics working in renewable energy and the environment through networking and sharing knowledge on renewable and low carbon energy.

Our £75,000 annual Venture Further start-up competition is for all current students, researchers and recent graduates.

One of the competition’s categories is for business ideas aligned to SDG 7 – Affordable and clean energy.

As part of our world-leading FutureDAMS programme, we’ve produced a guide (PDF) to propose a series of steps and principles for conducting public, private and community stakeholder engagement in decision-making around water-energy-food-environment (WEFE) interventions.

This is underpinned by the principle that better decisions are generated when a broad range of stakeholders are included in a genuinely participatory manner.

Our researchers have established a framework to explain how domestic energy deprivation affects households and communities.

Through a prolific programme of European-wide engagement – 100 events, 200 high-level presentations, ten policy briefs, two sets of EU member state energy poverty reports, and three pan-EU energy poverty reports – our research shaped the policy direction of the European Commission’s Vulnerable Consumer Working Group, the body responsible for developing EU energy policy.

We have a Travel Plan which aims to lower our travel-related carbon footprint. This plan aligns with the Environmental Sustainability strategy and aims to reduce carbon emissions while ensuring fairness and affordability for all.

We have partnered with Enviromena to supply up to 65% of the University’s electricity demand through the Medebridge Solar Farm in Essex, advancing our commitment to a zero-carbon future. This initiative will reduce the University’s carbon emissions by 12,000 tonnes annually. Built entirely on brownfield land, the solar farm underscores our dedication to sustainable land use. The site’s central field will feature a dedicated biodiversity zone, with enhancements to hedgerows, native grasslands, and wildflower meadows.