SPECIFIC (Sustainable Product Engineering Centre for Innovation Functional Costings) – Please note this project has now closed.

Project description

SPECIFIC is a UK accredited Innovation and Knowledge Centre possessing world-class facilities that combine applied R&D, pilot manufacturing, systems integration and building demonstration with business development and commercialisation. Our vision is to create ‘Buildings as Power Stations’ by developing and integrating novel generation, storage and release technologies from solar energy capture.

Delivery model

SPECIFIC is led and managed by Swansea University, with strategic partners including TATA Steel, NSG, Akzo Nobel and Cardiff University. It is supported by ERDF structural funds, Innovate UK and EPSRC. Through the development of its own technologies, as well as in collaboration with industrial partners, SPECIFIC is developing proof of concept, lab-scale and building-scale demonstrators to showcase the potential of the Buildings as Power Stations vision. It is also able (through its ERDF funding) to collaborate with companies based in West Wales & the Valleys

Geographical coverage

The project will benefit local authority areas within the West Wales and the Valleys programme area.

Specific targets

SPECIFIC has the following ERDF targeted objectives in WW&V:

• No. Pilot Projects completed – 48
• No. Patents registered – 26
• Employment increase in supported enterprises – 85
• New to the firm products – 33
• New to the market products – 16
• No. new enterprises supported – 3
• Enterprises receiving non-financial support – 70
• Enterprises cooperating with supported research institutions – 51
• Private investment matching public support – £7,000,000

Contact details

Name: Dr Dave Bould
Email: D.C.Bould@Swansea.ac.uk
Telephone: 01792 606872
Address: Baglan Bay Innovation Centre, Central Avenue, Baglan, Port Talbot, SA12 7AX
Website:
Twitter:

Progress

Progress to end June 2017

SPECIFIC have successfully developed and won awards for its unique demonstrator, the first energy positive active classroom. This has been constructed using the latest generate, store and release technologies.

SPECIFIC are also creating building scale demonstrators at its Solar Heat Energy Demonstrator (SHED) where a large industrial building is heated using solar energy alone. Technologies which have been developed include both diurnal and interseasonal systems for thermal storage, to capture the heat for use when it is most needed.

SPECIFIC also work closely with housing associations, such as Pobl, where planning permission has recently been granted for a social housing scheme based on energy positive homes.