Energy centre sets pace for zero-carbon targets

By Stewart McIntosh

A NEW building in Aberdeen aims to be ten years ahead of environmental requirements.

The £3 million Active Renewable Energy Centre will use the latest building techniques and technological advances to achieve a zero-carbon footprint – some ten years ahead of government targets to have all new-builds zero carbon by 2019.

Aiming to be one of the UK’s most energy-efficient and sustainable buildings, the data on its energy consumption and savings will be made available to industry and as an educational resource to help cut carbon emissions in future.

The centre will serve as the new HQ for Active, an Aberdeen-based company specialising in sustainable low energy, air conditioning, ventilation and building maintenance services.

Ian Nicol, Active’s managing director, unveiled details of the building at All-Energy 08 in Aberdeen, the UK’s biggest renewables conference.

Active's hi-tech HQ

On a prime site overlooking the sea at Minto Commercial Park, Altens, the building is due for completion early in 2009. It has been designed to take advantage of natural light and ventilation, meaning less energy is needed to heat and cool the premises. The precise position of the building has been chosen to capture the maximum potential energy from solar panels on the roof.

Other features include: road energy technology, which soaks up heat from tarmac on roads and parking areas, then channels the energy where it is needed; an 18-metre wind turbine; ground source heat pumps; rainwater harvesting; solar panels; and low-energy computer servers.

Ian Nicol set up Active in 1999 with just himself and an engineer; today his company employs more than 97 people. He said: “One of the most important elements of the Active Renewable Energy Centre is the advanced monitoring and control system which will measure the energy consumed and generated by the building. This will be on show in our reception and the data collected will be made available to industry professionals across the UK for research purposes – having hard data to refer to will be a real step forward.”

The Carbon Trust in Scotland estimates that 40 per cent of the UK’s CO2 emissions are generated by businesses.