What changed?
The Impacts and Benefits
Impacts for the Company
The Cyber-Physical Energy System developed through KTP project has created a real-time digital persona for the estate, enabling intelligence-led adaptation, improved operational decision support, and net-zero investment. By exploring low-cost solutions and operational adjustments, we have tackled challenges posed by heritage sandstone buildings. This has led to significant outcomes, including a 20%-28% reduction in natural gas usage in these buildings. These savings could translate to annual financial savings of £65,000-£132,000 across the entire estate.
Our framework's transferability and scalability promise future impacts at local, regional, and national levels. The abundance of sandstone buildings worldwide means our findings have immense social and commercial value. Our efforts have gained credibility, allowing The Crichton Trust to host a stakeholder meeting for Whole-System and Regional NetZero Planning. This innovative approach fills a crucial knowledge gap for achieving NetZero pathways.
Decarbonizing heat in the UK and beyond requires wider adoption of low-temperature heat. There is a significant knowledge gap regarding the capability of existing buildings to utilize low-temperature heat. Our work has already influenced plans for a district heat network at The Crichton estate, 4 NHS hospitals, local council estates, and over 600 homes, driving the community towards NetZero and contributing to economic sustainability.
Impacts for the Academic Team
Cyber Physical Energy Systems are crucial for a comprehensive energy transition. Through our KTP work, we have developed a concept of symbiotic systems engineering to explore, understand, and coordinate dynamic interactions among the community, built environment, technology, and environmental factors. With no off-the-shelf solutions for decarbonization and NetZero, our initiative fills these gaps, promoting public understanding of sustainable energy practices.
At The Crichton Trust, we have facilitated events focused on whole-system energy and regional NetZero planning for south Scotland. Collaborations with EPSRC-funded projects and guest lectures, including one at the Royal University of Bhutan, underline our engagement. Presentations to national bodies such as Zero Waste Scotland and South of Scotland Enterprise emphasize our work's significance.
Our initiative has received nominations for the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards 2024 and the Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership Awards, recognized by industry partners like SPEN and SGN. This recognition has enhanced collaboration with industry and community partners, broadening our impact.
Our established CPES architecture has led to partnerships with the University of Glasgow’s Communication Sensing and Imaging research group and Radisoft Sensor. We are exploring replication at the University of Glasgow’s campuses, demonstrating the broader applicability and impact of our research.
Impacts for the Knowledge Transfer Associate
The KTP Associate Narrative Impacts:
- Collaborations:
- With the University of Glasgow’s Communication, Sensing and Imaging (CSI) research group on implementing Smart Occupancy and Space Management at The Crichton Trust estate.
- With Radisoft Sensor on gas boiler corrosion monitoring.
- With the University of Glasgow Estate on digitization for decarbonization and integration of hydrogen through the EPSRC-funded HI-ACT project (Hi-ACT ).
- SPEN optioneering team and SGN research team on The Crichton Case-Study.
- Collaborations with Public and Industrial Entities:
- Zero Waste Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Dumfries & Galloway Council, South of Scotland Enterprise, and the local NHS for a District Heat Network plan.
- Industrial partners such as : Natural Power , Smart Rural Coop , Vattenfall UK.
- Edinburgh Napier University, School of Computing Engineering and the Built Environment on transitioning to low-temperature heat.
- Professional Developments:
- Successfully defended PhD Thesis, earning the prestigious Postgraduate Research Thesis Prize in 2023 from Heriot-Watt University for research excellence.
- Undertook a range of skills training and educational courses.
- Research Publications:
- Co-authored four journal papers (Journal Paper-1 , Journal Paper-2 , Journal Paper-3 , Journal Paper-4 )
- Co-authored two conference proceedings (Conference Proceeding-1, Conference Proceeding-2 )
- A paper on the Cyber-Physical Energy System of The Crichton Trust accepted for a prestigious NetZero conference (Powering NetZero Week 2024).
- A journal paper on energy communities (The Crichton Trust case study) and local energy markets currently under review.