Business
A wind of change is blowing across the Royal Docks
London Design and Engineering UTC, in the heart of the Royal Docks, has been granted planning permission to generate much of its own electricity on site. The London Borough of Newham has approved five Hover Energy wind turbines for the college roof, working with the building’s existing solar panels and planned battery storage. Powered by an intelligent control layer that ties the wind, solar and storage together and runs them as one the system balances the building’s energy in real time, drawing on whichever source is performing best. The system is expected to supply around 81 per cent of the building’s electricity.
The project arrives as the Royal Docks continues its push to become one of London’s greener districts. London Design and Engineering UTC is a signatory to the Royal Docks Climate Agreement, the partnership working to bring the area to Net Zero by 2030, and the new turbines make that commitment visible on its own roof.
The college teaches around 900 young people aged 14 to 19, alongside up to 50 apprentices, with a focus on design and engineering. From the new term, those students will be studying the industries of the future beneath a working example of one, with a live renewable energy system running above the building they learn in and clean power flowing into the college around them.
Our students will not simply study engineering, design and renewable energy, they will learn in a building that actively generates, stores and intelligently manages its own clean electricity
Geoffrey Fowler, Principal & CEO of London Design and Engineering UTC
The turbines are fully enclosed, with no exposed blades, and finished to sit comfortably against the building. Set at roughly roof level, they will become a quiet new feature on the Royal Docks skyline and a marker of the area’s clean-energy ambitions. The plans were reviewed by London City Airport, which raised no objection.
Geoffrey Fowler, Principal & CEO of London Design and Engineering UTC, said: " This is an exciting milestone for the College and for sustainable education. Our students will not simply study engineering, design and renewable energy, they will learn in a building that actively generates, stores and intelligently manages its own clean electricity. That creates a unique learning environment while demonstrating how existing buildings can play a major role in the transition to net zero. We are delighted to have secured planning permission, although the project remains subject to final approval from the Department for Education."
Chris Griffin, CEO & Founder of Hover Energy, said: "Eighty per cent of the buildings that will be standing in 2050 are already here today. If we are not retrofitting them, we are not getting to net zero. At London Design and Engineering UTC we are turning the built environment into its own energy source, starting with an existing building that generates and manages its own power on its own roof. Resilience matters as much as carbon. If it is not distributed, it is not resilient, and a building that makes its own energy keeps running when the grid is either not operating or simply can’t deliver. Although this is not the final stage of the process, it is a critical milestone for the project."
Oliver Thomas, Project Director at Scott Brownrigg said: “It’s fantastic to see the College continue to evolve, with LDE UTC identifying new opportunities to broaden its positive impact long after completion. The addition of wind turbines will continue to generate true and lasting social value, extending the building’s environmental contribution and reinforcing its role as a positive asset for both education and the wider community. Working closely with LDE UTC and Hover Energy has provided an opportunity to bring together like-minded ambitions and secure consent for a significant project that delivers sustainable design in an evident and tangible way.”
The approval is the first of several projects Hover Energy is bringing forward across the Royal Docks.
