KEELE University could be generating most of its own power under £20 million plans to turn it into a giant experiment in sustainable living.

The alternative energy sources on campus are likely to include wind turbines and solar panels.

Coal-bed methane could be extracted and vegetable peelings could be used to create bio-gas for fuel cells.

The lakes near Keele Hall could also supply hydropower and even car parks may be used to produce energy through geothermal heating stored in the ground under the parking spaces.

Eventually, students could be travelling around the campus on electric buses.

Their halls of residence would also be upgraded, with extra insulation and other environmentally-friendly features to reduce energy bills.

Professor Pat Bailey, Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, said: "We would like to see if we could become entirely self-sustainable. We have research expertise in many of these areas, but don't produce the final product."

It could take years to get the schemes started, which will require planning permission and grants from funding bodies.

Keele also wants to build a sustainable technology centre to showcase some of its ideas. It would include resources for researchers and an exhibition space.

Professor Bailey said none of the developments would blight the landscape.

It is hoped that by combining different energy sources, the university will be able to operate each one on a relatively small scale.

The wind power, for instance, would involve a couple of turbines away from people's homes.

But plans for 'eco-coal' – methane extracted from acres of unmined coal underneath Keele – could prove controversial.

A few years ago, private firm StrataGas sparked a public outcry when it wanted to sink four exploratory wells near Seabridge, in Newcastle.

Keele's head of estates Mike Leech stressed the university would only need one borehole to extract the methane.

He said: "The borehole would take up less room than a small garden."

Another 500-metre borehole could be drilled on the new extension to the campus for geothermal energy and heat exchange processes.

It comes as Keele develops a range of degrees and research areas linked to sustainability and hopes to gain international recognition for expertise in this field.

Keele's unique self-contained campus – where thousands of students and staff live – means it is ideal for an experiment in sustainable living.

Within five years, the university aims to have at least halved its reliance on external energy supplies.

Grants could come from the Higher Education Funding Council for England, Advantage West Midlands, and research councils.