Burns & McDonnell selected to advise on SEND project

Burns & McDonnell has been named technical advisor for Europe's first Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND) at Keele University.

15th May 2018 by Networks

Burns & McDonnell selected to advise on SEND project

A £15 million investment, SEND will be the first of its kind in Europe – a living laboratory where new energy-efficient technologies can be researched, developed and tested in a real-world environment.

Burns & McDonnell will support the university in bringing this project to reality. The demonstrator is being delivered by Siemens, with Burns & McDonnell overseeing the technical design and project execution.

SEND will provide the opportunity to assess the efficiency of new energy technologies in terms of energy reduction, cost and CO₂ emissions. Over the next three and a half years the project will support more than 240 local businesses, while saving 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

The Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND) – which is funded by Keele University, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the England 2014 to 2020 European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) Growth Programme – builds on Keele University’s investment in its energy and other utility networks over many years.

Jonathan Chapman, Burns & McDonnell’s UK managing director, said: “We are delighted to have been selected by Keele University to be technical adviser on its highly innovative Smart Energy Network Demonstrator. The opportunity to offer our services and expertise on such a project is an exciting next step in the UK market and a vote of confidence in Burns & McDonnell and what we have to offer.

“We share Keele University’s vision of delivering energy networks that embrace innovation and new technologies in order to deliver a sustainable, clean and efficient energy future. Using our expertise, we will support the university in delivering an innovative future network in order to help the UK realise its potential as a low carbon economy, as set out in the Government’s Clean Growth Strategy.

Professor Mark Ormerod, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost of Keele University, added: “The Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND) is a fantastic example of innovation delivering really tangible results for Keele University, businesses and the wider UK economy, as well as major societal benefits. It puts Keele and our campus at the forefront of the new, more sustainable, energy landscape – the technology being deployed represents a revolution in smart energy technology for UK universities. Keele University is part of the Smart Energy Alliance, along with local partner Stoke-on-Trent City Council, and there is real momentum building in the area for developing intelligent, sustainable and low carbon energy networks as a catalyst for economic growth within the city and beyond.”