SDG7: Affordable and Clean Energy
In addition to minimising our own energy usage and supporting cleaner energy provision and use, we have a strong reputation for our outstanding research and education in the field of future energy. The following section describes how our research and operations support SDG7: Affordable and Clean Energy.
Local Community Outreach for Energy Efficiency
We provide local community outreach on energy efficiency and deliver programmes that help local communities to learn about and understand the importance of climate change and clean energy.
Our Building Advice Centre is a free service open to the public, run by final year Building Surveying students and supervised by experienced staff in the Department of Architecture and Built Environment. The Centre undertakes around 50 property projects each year, providing free advice to homeowners and community groups on making homes and community buildings more energy efficient and reducing their carbon footprint.
In February 2025, we co-hosted with Newcastle University the Hope Not Heat event for students, schools and the local community, which offered discussions and resources to help pupils explore positive developments in the fight against climate change, and how clean energy supports climate goals.
The Newcastle Climate Change Forum and Great Climate Debate is co-hosted regularly by Northumbria, Newcastle University and Newcastle City Council under the Collaborative Newcastle Universities Agreement, the formal partnership through which the two universities work with the council on joint projects that benefit the city. The forum held at Northumbria's Great Hall on 5 March 2026 focused on greening university campuses and urban biodiversity and was open to civic leaders, businesses and the wider public. The fifth forum drew over 100 attendees, and outcomes from each forum feed directly into the development of future council and university plans.
100% Renewable Energy Pledge
Northumbria University has a 100% renewable energy pledge, and sources all of its campus electricity from 100% renewable sources via a Green tariff, as described on page 10 of our published Carbon Management Strategy 2020-2030. This commitment is also set out in Section 9. of the Strategy, which confirms that as part of our aim to be Net Zero Carbon by 2040, all our electricity will be purchased via Power Purchase Agreements to guarantee zero carbon credentials (page 21). This is backed by investment in renewable generation across our estate, most recently the installation of solar panels on the roof of Blocks F, G and H at Coach Lane Campus. Our Northumberland Building features the country's first building integrated photovoltaic installation, which remains fully operational and continues to generate several thousand kilowatt hours of renewable electricity each year. Details of all our PV arrays are published on our Energy from Sunlight pages, which provide real time monitoring data of our renewable energy generation.
Renewable generation also features in other parts of campus. The University's cloud based services are hosted at the Stellium Data Centre in Newcastle, which is powered by on site photovoltaic panels and REGO certified renewable electricity generated by the Port of Blyth wind farm.
Northumbria has a well-established reputation in renewable and sustainable energy technologies, underpinned by its Energy Northumbria Research Centre, which is dedicated to power networks, wind energy, photovoltaics and battery testing for electric vehicles. Its Energy Materials and Systems group works on converting sunlight to electricity through new photovoltaic implementations and on converting carbon dioxide into sustainable products, alongside battery and electric vehicle integration work aimed at delivering measurable carbon savings.
A biodegradable battery developed at Northumbria, the BioPower Cell, won the Green Product Award 2025, using organic materials as an alternative to conventional battery chemistries. The SAT-Guard project, funded by UK Research and Innovation, uses satellite technology to improve grid resilience and coordinate distributed energy resources following extreme weather events.
Northumbria also supports regional and national progress toward renewable energy through research and policy work. It is a partner in the Northern Net Zero Accelerator, translating research on clean energy technologies into policy and industrial practice across the North East. Its ReNU and ReNU+ doctoral training programmes, delivered with Newcastle and Durham Universities and backed by £11.5 million of funding, are training a new generation of researchers to accelerate the transition to renewable energy. Through Energy Northumbria, the University supports UK government policy development for clean and efficient energy systems, while its Energy Materials and Systems research centre works with partners including Shell, Siemens, Airbus and Arup to advance renewable energy technology internationally.
These examples show a university that generates and sources renewable electricity across its own estate while actively extending renewable energy knowledge and capability to communities, regional partners and national policymakers.
Energy Efficiency Services for Industry
Northumbria provides free direct services to local industry aimed at improving energy efficiency and clean energy, including energy efficiency assessments, workshops and research into renewable energy options, delivered through named funded programmes.
Working with local authorities, the National Farmers' Union, the National Trust and industry experts, our economists and environmental scientists developed a renewable energy toolkit for the farming industry. The toolkit provides energy efficiency assessments and options for farm based renewable energy schemes covering solar panels, onshore wind turbines, heat pumps, hydropower and anaerobic digestion, tailored for use at individual farm or smallholding level, and was produced through a series of online and in person workshops at Northumbria.
Our Green Skills programme, funded by the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority through North of Tyne, delivers fully funded CPD courses in: Sustainable Carbon Management; Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing; and Skills for Sustainable Retrofit in the Housing Sector. Places are available to those who are self-employed or in full or part time employment in Northumberland, North Tyneside or Newcastle, giving local businesses direct, funded access to expertise in reducing energy use, adopting sustainable materials and improving the energy performance of buildings.
Northumbria is a partner in the TransFIRe Hub, a Government funded research consortium of 12 institutions supported by £4.7 million from UK Research and Innovation, focused on transforming the UK's foundation industries of chemicals, cement, ceramics, glass, metals and paper, which together produce 75% of all UK materials and account for around 10% of UK carbon dioxide emissions. Through this work, Northumbria researchers developed a method to convert waste PET plastic into a protective coating, establishing a documented industrial partnership with AkzoNobel and plastics reprocessor Jayplas that has moved the technology from laboratory research toward commercial application, helping manufacturers reduce waste and energy intensive virgin material use.
Support for energy efficiency also extends into construction. Northumbria is a partner in the EU funded RINNO project, a €4.8 million programme working with construction industry partners across Europe to develop technologies, processes and business models that reduce the cost, time and disruption of deep renovation. While standard renovations achieve energy savings of up to 30 per cent, deep renovation can reduce a building's energy use by more than 75 per cent, and Northumbria's researchers are helping the construction industry adopt the building systems, robotics and monitoring tools needed to deliver this at scale.
These services give local and regional industry direct access to Northumbria's expertise in energy efficiency and clean energy, from a renewable energy toolkit for the farming sector through to funded CPD courses and applied research partnerships with foundation industries and the construction sector.
Policy Development for Clean Energy Technology
Northumbria works to inform and support governments in clean energy and energy-efficient technology policy development at local, regional, national and global level.
Locally, Northumbria is a delivery partner in Newcastle City Council's Net Zero Newcastle 2030 Action Plan, contributing to the city's Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan and reporting progress on campus level actions such as solar PV installation directly into the Council's citywide programme.
Regionally, Northumbria is a partner in the Northern Net Zero Accelerator, a £5 million initiative bringing together six northern universities, Durham, Hull, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside, to translate research on clean energy technologies into policy development across energy and industrial systems. The initiative is structured around three pillars, low carbon energy generation, clean energy storage and distribution, and integration into end use sectors, and is delivered in partnership with regional industry, civic bodies and the third sector.
Nationally, Energy Northumbria, the University’s community of research excellence in renewable and sustainable energy, positions itself as a source of expertise for UK government policy on clean and efficient energy systems, including through the Renewable Energy Northeast Universities (ReNU) doctoral training programme, which is developing future leaders and policy makers in the sector. Northumbria’s Dr Cecil Cherian Lukose, Scientific Officer for Thin Film Laboratories, was selected for the Royal Society Pairing Scheme, which pairs scientists with MPs to strengthen links between research and policymaking. Paired with Dame Chi Onwurah, MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West and Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee, he undertook a week-long placement at the House of Commons observing committee meetings, policy briefings and debates, giving Northumbria researchers a direct channel to the committee that scrutinises UK science and technology policy. Dame Chi then visited Northumbria’s EPSRC-funded Advanced Thin Film Sputtering Fabrication Facility to see research on thin film technologies, which underpin solar photovoltaics and other renewable energy applications, and later cited the visit at an event in the House of Lords as a flagship example of excellence in technical skills.
Globally, Northumbria's Energy Materials and Systems research centre is contributing to clean energy policy through research on the integration of energy technologies, such as battery storage and electric vehicles, into the whole energy system, to deliver tangible carbon dioxide savings. This work is carried out with a range of partners, from Shell, Siemens, Airbus and Arup to other universities, governments and many small to medium enterprises.
Bringing these audiences together, Northumbria also hosted EcoMat, a conference connecting academia, industry and Government policymakers to explore renewable energy, circular economy solutions and sustainable futures. Discussions included catalysis, energy storage, thermal, wind, solar and hydrogen energy, as well as smart materials for environmental applications.
Assistance to Low-Carbon Innovation
We support low-carbon innovation and provide assistance for start-ups that foster and support a low-carbon economy or technology. As part of the 21st Century Workforce Development Initiative, Northumbria is delivering a mini-exec MBA programme to help local business leaders and start-ups to develop both their leadership skills and their knowledge of the low-carbon economy and carbon reduction technology. Local to Northumbria University are several key investment sites planned to help in the drive toward clean energy and net zero, and the 21st Century Workforce Development Initiative courses support what is required for this drive, including enhancing digital and data capabilities, management skills and the Mini Exec MBA. The initiative is the first of its kind, being place based and employer led, with the goal to equip recently promoted senior leaders, or those ready to take on senior roles, with the business skills needed to ensure Northumberland fulfils its potential in the rapidly emerging low carbon economy.
This sits alongside a wider programme of support for low-carbon entrepreneurship across the University. Northumbria is one of five North East universities backing the North East Spinout Inspire Fund, a £22.5 million fund supported by £10 million from the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority and the North East Fund Ltd, with a further £12.5 million from Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside universities. Over its first five years the fund is supporting at least 30 spinout companies, with investment focused on clean technologies as well as digital innovation, life sciences and advanced manufacturing, helping to strengthen links between the university sector and private investors so that low-carbon research can reach commercial scale.
Northumbria's Newcastle Business School also provides direct, hands-on support to low-carbon start-ups and scale-ups through its Business Clinic, where student teams carry out consultancy projects for real businesses. One student team recently worked with Lhyfe, a producer and supplier of green hydrogen which can be combined with carbon dioxide to make e-methanol, a low-carbon fuel used principally by the maritime industry, helping the company capitalise on this emerging market from its site at Wallsend. Earlier Business Clinic projects have supported Wave, an eco-friendly start-up making biodegradable mobile phone and AirPod cases from wheat straw as a greener alternative to plastic accessories, founded by Northumbria alumni.
The University's Student and Graduate Enterprise Service provides wider support for aspiring entrepreneurs, including those developing low-carbon products and services, through the Innovation Northumbria incubator, a purpose-built hub supporting the University's community of student and graduate start-ups to help them grow, scale and succeed.
Northumbria's research base further underpins this innovation ecosystem. The University leads the EPSRC funded Centre for Doctoral Training in Renewable Energy Northeast Universities, now expanding as ReNU+ following £11.5 million of additional funding to help drive the transition to net zero and widen access to doctoral level training. Northumbria is also part of the Northern Net Zero Accelerator, a £5 million initiative bringing together six northern institutions to make, collate and translate knowledge from research on net zero technologies, policy, energy and industrial systems, delivering impact in partnership with regional industry and business.
Northumbria has a strong track record of research collaboration with partners in Saudi Arabia on clean sustainable energy and low carbon innovation. In December 2024, Northumbria University joined Newcastle, Teesside, Durham and Cranfield universities in a consortium exploring the creation of a Joint International Institute for Clean Hydrogen. Northumbria is working with universities and research institutes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and industrial partners to accelerate progress towards Net Zero. The initiative aims to educate the next generation of engineers, develop research and create new businesses, linking academic expertise directly with industry to move clean hydrogen technologies towards commercial deployment. The UK and Saudi Arabia agreed to establish a Clean Hydrogen Consortium led by Newcastle University and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals as part of the wider partnership.
These projects show Northumbria's sustained commitment to supporting start-ups and businesses that foster and grow the low-carbon economy, from student consultancy and executive education through to investment funds and applied research partnerships.
