UK Energy Minister Michael Shanks (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero) and Northern Ireland Office Minister Fleur Anderson (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office) have visited Ulster University’s Belfast campus for a tour of the Centre for Sustainable Technologies.
The UK Government Ministers were welcomed to the UK and Ireland University of the Year 2024 (Times Higher Education) for an introduction to the University’s ongoing research on renewable energy systems and energy efficiency.
The Centre for Sustainable Technologies undertakes multidisciplinary research to improve and develop sustainable renewable energies, building designs, construction materials, transport and environmental modification techniques.
Alongside an overview of current projects including the exploration of solar collectors for hot water, experimental studies on distributed energy storage, and smart sustainable systems for future domestic hot water, the CST team also updated the Ministers on their community-based research projects to empower local groups, including community gardens, on the use of renewable energy sources.
Through ongoing projects with a number of community gardens in Belfast, the team researches and promotes the advantages of integrating solar power technology into their operations to bolster social cohesion, environmental sustainability, and financial resilience for community organisations.
The visit was led by Professor Liam Maguire, Ulster University Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research and Professor Neil Hewitt, Head of the Belfast School of Architecture and the Built Environment.
Professor Liam Maguire, Ulster University Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research said:
“We were delighted to welcome Minister Shanks and Minister Anderson to our Centre for Sustainable Technologies at Ulster University. As the UK continues its transition to net zero, the visit presented a unique opportunity to showcase our ongoing design, development and testing of a range of sustainable and renewable technologies relevant to the built environment.”