The future of energy is hard to determine, even for experts in the industry. At the 2017 Future Energy Scenarios event, the efficiency and future use of shale gas and biomethane was brought into the discussion. Here to analyse how the UK might benefit from both these forms of energy
Vital Energi was awarded a £5.6 million contract to supply, install and commission the energy centre and primary distribution for St William Homes LLP development at Battersea. This marks a new stage in the company’s long-standing relationship with developers Berkeley. Vital Energi will provide the combined heat and power solution
A former environmental consultancy from Preston has rebranded as 52M Consulting and relaunched to provide a range of stakeholder engagement services in support of ‘controversial’ yet critical infrastructure developments. Managing director, Lee Petts, said: “There were over 11,000 Town and Country planning appeals decided in England during 2016 and 2017.
Re-using the deepest base metal mine in Europe enhances Finnish renewable energy storage and climate strategies. According to a feasibility study report made by Pöyry Energy GmbH this unique project can now be realized. Energy Storage in Mine project financed by the Northern Ostrobothnia Centre for Economic Development, Transport and
Following the successful completion of the low-carbon energy project that took place at Cheltenham General Hospital, Vital Energi has signed a contract with Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in order to carry out a second project. This new project will mean that the Trust will, overall save more than £13.4
Oil is still the cheapest fuel used to heat homes, according to new industry figures. The statistics complied from the Sutherland Tables indicates that although heating oil prices have slightly increased since the start of the year, the average yearly cost of using oil to heat homes has gone down
UK shale gas is a viable option if it is able to match the flow rates seen in the US, according to the chief at IGas. A senior figure from the company has told Utility Week that production of shale gas using hydraulic fracturing in the UK should be commercially
October may be the traditional time to turn on the central heating, but new research reveals that nearly 50% of Brits switch it on whenever they feel chilly, no matter what time of year it is. New research commissioned by Toolstation, the trade and DIY supplier, reveals that almost half
The future of energy is hard to determine, even for experts in the industry. At the 2017 Future Energy Scenarios event, the efficiency and future use of shale gas and biomethane was brought into the discussion. Here to analyse how the UK might benefit from both these forms of energy in the years to come is Flogas — a leading supplier of LPG storage tanks… The future of shale gas Shale and the fracking process are constantly in the news, with the idea of fracking production sites in the UK being a highly contentious issue. On one side, the UK government has argued that shale gas stands to deliver the nation with increased energy security, growth and jobs. However, there is a counter argument that the method for extracting shale gas — which involves water being injected into ‘shale’ rock formations at a high pressure to extract gas — runs the risk of having a ruinous impact on the environment. The process is also very expensive. Some criticisers of fracking have also made the argument that the process extends the UK’s dependence on fossil fuels. What’s more, others have said that it heightens the risk of water being polluted and has links to the number of earthquakes that take place. Steve Mason, of cross-party pressure group Frack Free United, commented: “This Tory government is backing fracking and forging on with a ludicrous dirty energy policy. It is time for them to wake up and listen to their own reports, the voice of the public in areas under threat and halt all fracking activity now.” However, few can argue with the success of fracking in the US, where it wasn’t too long ago that the country was importing large amounts of oil and gas. That changed when the US discovered the effectiveness of extracting shale gas, with the nation is now self-sufficient and exporting gas. Today, the UK finds itself in a similar situation to its allies across the pond, as it imports over 50 per cent of the gas it needs from overseas. However, a report by the British Geology Society published in 2012 suggested that there is a resource estimate of around 1,327 trillion cubic feet of gas found throughout the UK. Ineos’ CEO, Jim Ratcliffe (whose company has licences to frack in the UK in an area measuring one million acres) also said to The Guardian: “The future for manufacturing in the UK will look quite gloomy if we don’t exploit shale. I can’t see otherwise what is going to arrest the decline in British manufacturing.” The future of biomethane gas The bonus of biomethane for most is that it is a completely green energy source. This is because the gas occurs naturally from the anaerobic digestion of organic matter, which can be sourced from manure, organic waste, sewage and both dead animal and plant matter. Biomethane is also a sustainable method of sourcing gas that means those in the industry will not need to rely on extracting natural gas from the ground, as the two are the same type of gas. Already in the UK, we can read about major success regarding biomethane. For instance, Severn Trent Water was successful in opening a facility at its Minworth Sewage Treatment Works in 2014, whereby biogas from the anaerobic digestion process is converted so that it can be used within the domestic gas supply. The facility was the largest gas-to-grid plant found in the UK at the time of its opening, with 1,200 cubic metres of biogas able to be converted into 750 cubic metres of biomethane each hour. This biomethane can then be injected into the National Gas Grid. However, some people are still unclear as to how biomethane works and its general procedure as a sustainable energy source. Explaining the setup of the Minworth Sewage Treatment Works gas-to-grid plant, Severn Trent Water’s renewable energy development manager said: “As part of the sewage treatment process, sewage sludge is produced. At Minworth we feed this to our 16 anaerobic digesters, or ‘concrete cows’, which work like giant cow’s stomachs to digest the waste material to produce energy in the form of gas. “Currently, we use 40 per cent of this energy to make electricity, but more can be done – that’s where this new process comes in. With treatment, gas from sewage is made clean enough and at the right consistency to be injected into the gas supply network to power homes in the area. It’s local gas produced from local people.” Of course, like shale gas and fracking, biomethane has also hit the headlines. A year after the launch of the Minworth Sewage Treatment Works gas-to-grid facility, popular chain, Sainsbury’s, made its Cannock superstore the first to be powered entirely by the food waste created by the retailer. Prior to 2015, Sainsbury’s had the following principles: Any other unsold food was turned into animal feed. Any unsold food which was still suitable for human consumption would be given to charities. Any surplus unsold food was delivered to Biffa’s advanced anaerobic digestion facility, located in Cannock. When food is delivered to Biffa’s facility, it is broken down to create biomethane gas. This gas is then used to generate electricity. Soon, both Biffa and Sainsbury’s thought they could make use of the Cannock superstore’s close proximity to the advanced anaerobic digestion facility. As a result, the two companies created and installed a 1.5km cable between the pair of buildings so that the plant can provide a direct supply of renewable electricity to the superstore. Regarding prices, the investment was well worth the cost it took to create the set-up. £280,000 of investment was put towards the project — which covered the setup of power cables, switch gears and the covering of all legal fees — and Sainsbury’s estimated that it had the potential to save in the region of £140,000 in just one year due to relying less on the National Grid for day-to-day power supplies. Could this spell
Vital Energi was awarded a £5.6 million contract to supply, install and commission the energy centre and primary distribution for St William Homes LLP development at Battersea. This marks a new stage in the company’s long-standing relationship with developers Berkeley. Vital Energi will provide the combined heat and power solution for 955 apartments over 12 blocks, along with low temperature hot water and chilled water systems. The design was made by environmental engineers Max Fordham, with the basement energy centre including a combined heat and power engine, two 1300kw gas boilers and four 550kw chillers. The development at Battersea is one of the first projects to be delivered by St William, a joint venture between Berkeley Group and National Grid. This collaboration will unlock some of the most technically complex regeneration sites in London and the South of England, into residential and mixed use spaces and will see the transformation of 33 sites, providing over 14,000 homes within the next 10 to 15 years. “We are excited to be working with the Berkeley Group again on an exciting new venture, and to be part of this fantastic project that will see further regeneration to the area. Prince of Wales Drive will be a beautiful development, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to provide the energy solution for the project,” said Rob Callaghan, regional director London from Vital Energi. Vital Energi and Berkeley Group have worked together on 16 other projects and their relationship spans back to 2006 when they worked on the Royal Arsenal, Riverside development. Vital Energi provides sustainable and renewable energy solutions in the public and private sectors and is responsible for many of the UK’s most prestigious energy projects. It can deliver all aspects of a project from energy management, generation and distribution along with metering and billing and long-term asset management or ESCo partnership.
A former environmental consultancy from Preston has rebranded as 52M Consulting and relaunched to provide a range of stakeholder engagement services in support of ‘controversial’ yet critical infrastructure developments. Managing director, Lee Petts, said: “There were over 11,000 Town and Country planning appeals decided in England during 2016 and 2017. That’s a lot of development being rejected at a local level, and amounts to a huge amount of additional expense for the companies bringing forward those plans, not to mention the public purse. “Developers can avoid some of the risks of local authority refusal by better engaging with potentially affected stakeholders and improving community relations. This is particularly important in the case of contentious infrastructure. “We’re taking the skills and lessons learnt in our sustainability and corporate responsibility practice, and repurposing them to help get more critical infrastructure built for everybody’s benefit.” The company is no stranger to controversial developments. Since 2012, it’s worked closely with the fracking company Cuadrilla, and has previously worked with companies seeking to build recycling facilities and landfill extensions. 52M Consulting says it will focus on five key sectors in which developments are often labelled as controversial. These include large-scale renewables, new road and rail, onshore oil and gas, housing and waste. In a recent online poll of over 1,200 respondents, it found that waste sites and oil and gas extraction sites jointly proved to be the least popular forms of development nationally, followed by new housing, road and rail, and, lastly, wind and solar farms. John Kersey, Non-Executive Chairman and a former Fairness Commissioner for Lancashire County Council, added: “People living in communities that are being asked to host new infrastructure want to feel as if they have a genuine say. It’s only fair. But, sometimes, even if it’s not something they want on their doorstep, it will still have to proceed because there’s a pressing need. “If we’re to meet our climate change commitments, for instance, we need to build-out more large-scale renewables developments. If we want to boost energy security by weaning ourselves off imported gas, we need to develop our shale gas resources. And if we want to avoid landfill for our waste, we need greater recycling and waste-to-energy capacity. We have to put this infrastructure somewhere. In part, our job is to help build acceptance by helping otherwise reluctant communities to see things differently and by involving them more.”
Re-using the deepest base metal mine in Europe enhances Finnish renewable energy storage and climate strategies. According to a feasibility study report made by Pöyry Energy GmbH this unique project can now be realized. Energy Storage in Mine project financed by the Northern Ostrobothnia Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centers) shows that the underground energy storage plant can be put into practice after the mine closure in late 2019. The concept which is based on pumped hydroelectric energy, closed water circulation and existing mine infrastructure in the 1400 meters depth of the Pyhäsalmi Mine, have “no impact” on the environment. In pumping mode, electric energy is converted to potential energy and stored in the form of water at an upper elevation. Pumping the water uphill for temporary storage “recharges the battery”. Pyhäjärvi energy storage explained in a video here. The estimated construction time of the plant will be 3 years and its operational lifetime more than 50 years. Based on the economic analysis and market modelling of Pöyry Energy GmbH, 75 MW electrical power and 530 MWh capacity would be the most profitable. Installed capacity from 50 MW to 400 MW has been studied. Pyhäjärvi’s future is Storage – a large, mature, and profitable utility-scale technology Pyhäjärvi’s “water battery” is based on mature technology used in more than 96 % of world’s energy storages. In addition to its long operational lifetime, generous size of the energy storage (7 h), high volume of the water reservoir (162 000 m3) and great effectiveness (77 %), it has minimal operating costs with limited maintenance and replacement investments. Distribution of potential income streams from total multimarket trading potential could be 9,5M€/year for 75 MW installation according to the study by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. Finland is planning to become the first country in the world phasing out use of coal for energy by 2025 Finland will begin exploring the possibility of phasing out the use of coal in energy production five years ahead of schedule, by 2025, reveals Kimmo Tiilikainen (Centre), the Minister of the Environment, Energy and Housing. Finland’s coal use, he adds, currently falls in its entirety within the scope of the emissions trading scheme of the EU. Because most low-carbon electricity resources cannot flexibly adjust their output to match fluctuating power demands, there is an increasing need for electricity storages in Finland. Pumped storage enables more wind and solar Pyhäjärvi’s plant has the advantage of being able to positively impact all three elements of the energy trilemma: reliability, affordability and emissions reduction. Other technologies such as batteries can meet some but not all aspects. Pumped storage hydropower enables greater integration of other renewables especially wind and solar into the grid by utilizing excess generation, and being ready to produce power during low wind and solar generation periods. It also has the ability to quickly ramp electricity generation up in response to periods of peak demand. Inquiries: Mr Sakari Nokela Program director, Callio Mobile: +358 40 1809 511 Email: sakari.nokela(at)pyhajarvi.fi
Following the successful completion of the low-carbon energy project that took place at Cheltenham General Hospital, Vital Energi has signed a contract with Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in order to carry out a second project. This new project will mean that the Trust will, overall save more than £13.4 million over the course of their contract terms. This new energy project has been procured by the Carbon & Energy Fund, for whom Vital Energi will design and install a 2.5MW CHP system, which will then be incorporated into the Trust’s existing electrical, heating and hot water systems used at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. Vital Energi will be working with a local distribution network operator, WPD in order to deliver a new High Voltage electricity supply that will be able to supply the hospital with an increased electricity supply resilience to the hospital estate. This electricity supply can also connect the CHP unit to the national grid. One the work has been completed at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, Vital Energi will then provide a fully managed energy service which will take place over a 15-year term that will also include the operation, maintenance and lifecycle services of the new CHP system as well as the Trust’s existing steam and hot water boilers installed at two energy centers in the hospital. This energy project with Vital Energi will save Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust more than £750,000 each year and reduce the Trust’s carbon emissions by another 2,800 tonnes each year. These savings mean that across the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and Cheltenham General Hospital, the energy projects that have been delivered by Vital Energi will save in excess of £13 million and will cut CO2 emissions by more than 80,000 tonnes over the course of Vital Energi’s 15-year contract term with the Trust.
Oil is still the cheapest fuel used to heat homes, according to new industry figures. The statistics complied from the Sutherland Tables indicates that although heating oil prices have slightly increased since the start of the year, the average yearly cost of using oil to heat homes has gone down once more. These latest figures provide good news for both home owners and the oil heating industry. The most recent quarterly data from the Sutherland Tables, an independent source for comparing domestic heat prices in the UK, shows that oil is still the least expensive major home heating fuel by some distance. With an oil condensing boiler, it now costs just £690 to heat an average three bedroom UK home for a year. That is 31% cheaper than main gas, which works out as the second cheapest option at a price of £1,007 per year. Meanwhile, oil works out at 52% cheaper than an LPG condensing boiler (£1,448 per year) and 56% cheaper than electric storage heaters (£1,588 per year). The Tables also show that oil condensing boilers are considerably less expensive to run in comparison with renewable heating options. In every quarter for the past three years, the average yearly heating cost for oil users is decreasing with an increase in consumer confidence. This has been reflected by the rise of boiler sales, which for the first quarter of 2016, are at their highest sales rate for almost 10 years. Jeremy Hawksley, OFTEC Director General, says that the industry has enjoyed sustained growth periods in sales thanks to three years of falling oil heating costs. Mr Hawksley said that as a consequence, oil condensing boiler sales have reached their highest level in just under 10 years, while receiving more and more enquiries from Gas Safe technicians who want to go into the oil market.
UK shale gas is a viable option if it is able to match the flow rates seen in the US, according to the chief at IGas. A senior figure from the company has told Utility Week that production of shale gas using hydraulic fracturing in the UK should be commercially viable if it can meet the average flow rates seen in US fields. John Blaymires, Chief Operating officer at IGgas says that shale gas would contribute significantly to the energy mix in the UK as long as the country’s geological formations are as favourable as the ones being exploited in the US. He added that given the substantial evidence that there is shale which contains gas in many UK fields, the main issue relates to whether the rates of gas flow can be deemed commercial. This, he says, is the only question to be addressed. He said that there has only been one well tested so far, the Cuadrilla well near Blackpool five years ago, where the results gathered were found to be positive for shale gas supporters. Mr Blaymires added that the costs of development will be higher in the UK than the US primarily because the supply chain is more expensive here as well as more costly legalisation. However, he also commented that America faced the challenge of a lack of infrastructure in place to get the gas on the market, whereas the UK has infrastructure that can be tapped in to, which would make the process relatively cheaper than the US system. He also pointed out that UK gas prices are higher than those in the US, however this gap is being reduced because of liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports into the UK. However, he concluded by saying that UK costs will be higher than the US because although the gas price is down, we will still have to ensure that it will be economic to pursue shale gas development.
October may be the traditional time to turn on the central heating, but new research reveals that nearly 50% of Brits switch it on whenever they feel chilly, no matter what time of year it is. New research commissioned by Toolstation, the trade and DIY supplier, reveals that almost half of Brits switch on the central heating whenever they feel chilly, no matter what time of year it is. The survey, conducted this month, also showed that a steadfast 9% won’t put the heating on until November, no matter how cold it gets, and a hardy 27% of Brits wait until putting on a jumper is not enough. It might be colder up north, but inside it’s pretty toasty! Despite stereotypes of ‘tough northerners’, the research revealed that it’s actually Londoners and those in the South West who are hardiest, with just 38% turning on the heating whenever they feel chilly, compared to 55% in the North East and North West and 60% in Scotland. With exceptionally low temperatures forecast for this winter, things could turn frosty in more ways than one, as 46% of Brits argue with their partners or housemates over the heating – with 29% experiencing actual ‘marital strife’. Meanwhile, 21% have had ‘constant disagreements’ about the thermostat with14% actually moving out. John Meaden, Director of marketing at Toolstation, says: “We conducted this survey to gain more understanding about homeowners’ behaviour and attitude towards central heating and we were certainly surprised by the results. It seems for most Brits, the heating is already on. “Although most of us have had disagreements about the central heating at some point, we were quite shocked that for some people, it leads to marital strife! With ever-evolving technology in heating controls, perhaps these arguments will soon become a thing of the past.” Toolstation’s Winter Catalogue includes a wide range of products for warming up homes for winter at low prices, including up to 50% off towel radiators and outstanding value on panel radiators. For more information, visit www.toolstation.com.
