The Creative Energy Homes scheme consists of four detached and three semi-detached houses that act as a test bed for the integration of new energy efficient technologies.
The investment will enable the scheme to become a fully flexible integrated community, smart heat and power network demonstration and test facility, providing a new small-scale heat network with heat storage capability.
ETI energy storage and distribution project manager, Susie Winter said: “Our analysis has shown that heat networks could play a significant part in decarbonizing the provision of heat in the UK’s future energy system and this combined with the potential for localised electricity storage using battery, hydrogen or other solutions may provide real benefits to the energy system.
“The additional facilities which will be added to the Nottingham project will help us to understand the interaction of electrical and heat networks on local communities coupled with storage solutions in real-life situations.”
The University of Nottingham’s Faculty of Engineering said the heat network and storage facility are “an exciting addition” to the research test facility.