The GTRC is pleased to announce the commencement of the RENEW (Rural Estates Net-Zero Energy and Workflow) project. In similarity with HYDERUS+, this is our second project funded by the EPSRC Switch to Net-Zero Buildings (SNZB) Place Based Impact Acceleration Account.

Through applied case studies, the 12-month RENEW project will advance understanding of the energy and materials flows of Welsh rural estates in the Swansea Bay City Region (SBCR). Using advanced numerical modelling, it will assess net-zero pathways for meeting building energy demands using local renewable resources. Mapping existing energy and material flows in the rural landscape, will enable identification of local opportunities for energy from waste, biomass utilisation and carbon-neutral fuel production.

Our project partners, the National Botanic Gardens of Wales and Wildfox Resorts, will be providing data and access for detailed assessments of their material and energy flows. This will enable us to produce representative site models. The modelling will then be used to identify technological opportunities for advancing net-zero and sustainability operations for our partners. It is hoped that, once identified, demonstrator projects may follow subsequent to the project.

As the partner sites include a variety of building types with various functions, the data gathered will also contribute to the development of generic numerical frameworks for rural building archetypes. Thus, with support from stakeholders, such as participants from the Just Farmers membership, and through the use of targeted land use surveys, robust tools will be created to evaluate alternative energy vectors for arable and pastoral farms.