In July 2008 our National Oceanography Centre (NOC) successfully achieved the ISO14001 certification for its Environmental Management System.
In July 2008 our National Oceanography Centre (NOC) successfully achieved the ISO14001 certification for its Environmental Management System. The Environmental Management System (EMS) is a series of procedures and documentation used to manage the environmental impact of the Centre. From March 2013, the EMS will cover operations in Liverpool as well as Southampton.
The Centre is committed to continual improvement of its environmental performance across the extent of all of its operations (excluding offshore research vessels). Key targets cover a range of areas from energy consumption and travel to reducing waste generation.
Key ‘greening’ activities include installing a photo voltaic array consisting of 544 solar panels on the roof of the Southampton NOC site. These generated over 100MWh of electricity in 2011/12, which provided enough energy to power the workshops on which the panels are situated.
There are over 150 energy meters across Liverpool and Southampton; which record gas, water and electricity consumption. The system is used to monitor energy and water use and to validate energy savings from projects
The NOC is also host to a unique Sea Water Cooling System. In the winter months the dock water is used to indirectly cool the building. This provides the NOC building with up to 16 weeks of free cooling a year. In addition, thermal cameras have been used to identify where heat is being lost from the building, allowing investment in improving insulation. Thermal containment curtains and a fresh air cooling system have been installed in the server room to reduce building energy demand.