Zero Carbon by 2050

Our university is working towards reducing its scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 and to 4,800 tonnes Co2e by 2028. Scope 1 and 2 emissions include gas consumption, electricity consumption, and fuel consumption used on-site, such as for fleet vehicles.

What have we achieved so far?

• Solar panels on the following roof spaces:
  • Kedleston Road - West Wing Array - 26.64 kWp
  • Kedleston Road - Sports Centre Southern Array - 71.786 kWp
  • Kedleston Road - Sports Centre Northern Array - 95.68 kWp
  • Markeaton Street - Eastern Array - 57.8 kWp
  • Markeaton Street - Western Array - 14.25 kWp
  • Cavendish Building - 58.1 kWp
  • One Friar Gate Square - 49 kWp 

• Combined Heat and Power (CHP) - A CHP unit was installed when the boilers were last replaced at Kedleston Road in 2016. It generates electricity, and any heat produced as a by-product of the electricity generation is used for space and water heating
• Lighting - Fluorescent tube lighting continues to be replaced by more efficient LED lights
• Building Management System - This closely manages the University's heating and ventilation systems, ensuring they are only running when they are required
• Switching our fleet vehicles from diesel to electric - 30% full EV, 43% hybrid and 27% diesel where cleaner fuels are unavailable
• Digital Solutions and Services - We have moved away from desk phones and have implemented a device power-saving policy
• An external consultant review of our buildings and energy usage - suggested projects from this review have fed into our latest Carbon Management Plan

Our journey towards 2050

We have a Carbon Management Plan which sets out how we aim to reduce our carbon emissions to zero. This Carbon Management Plan has been approved by the Head of Group Sustainability, Health, Safety & Compliance. The Director of Estates  and Head of Group Sustainability, Health, Safety & Compliance are responsible for the implementation of the plan. Progress of the Carbon Management Plan is reported to the Environmental Sustainability Committee on a quarterly basis. 

Some of our key plans include:

• New Building Strategy - all newly constructed buildings will be carbon neutral in both their embodied and operational emissions and will not include any gas heating
• Renewables - our onsite renewable energy will continue to expand
• Fabric First Approach - existing building stock will undergo significant refurbishments to improve thermal performance
• Low Carbon Heating - gas boilers will gradually be phased out and replaced with low-carbon heating technologies such as heat pumps
• Behavioural change - switch off campaigns, regular energy audits, and raising awareness amongst students and staff of the actions they can take to make a difference
• Carbon offsetting - a full review of carbon offsetting options will take place to enable the University to offset any remaining emissions.

Scope 3 Carbon Emissions

The University of Derby is working towards reducing its scope 3 emissions by 80% by the year 2050 and 10% by the year 2030 using 2024/25 as its baseline year.

Scope 3 carbon emissions refer to the emissions that we are not directly responsible for. The University has action plans, monitoring processes and targets for many of its scope 3 emissions. You can find out more on our SMART Targets webpage and on our Carbon Management Webpage.