Renewable Energy Learning Centre
In 2012 Lakeland College renovated a farmhouse and turned it into the Renewable Energy Learning Centre (RELC),
This unique facility is the centrepiece of the college’s renewable energy research. The centre is a multi-systems research and demonstration site. It was designed and operates as a net-zero energy classroom and office building.
There are very few research locations with the capacity to test aspects of renewable that have been integrated into our centre. This includes
- Geothermal boreholes are each uniquely designed to gather data over time for industry on variations of borehole size, grouting, and pipe installation
- 2 geothermal heat pumps, an electric and gas adsorption heat pump, are available for testing along with a conventional boiler system
- Fixed and tracking solar arrays are installed, and production is measured separately
- Solar thermal has the potential to be used for building heat, domestic hot water pre-heat, charging the geothermal field, and activating phase change materials.