Heat networks that will use Energy from Waste to be developed in London and East Devon with support of funding awarded through the Government’s Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP). Over £250 million of funding has been awarded to heat network schemes under the Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP) since it
60MW energy centre & district heating network receives planning permission Waste heat from the nearby North London Waste Authority (NLWA) Energy Recovery Facility is set to be used to heat homes and businesses in the London Borough of Enfield after Enfield Council approved planning permission for a new 60MW low-carbon
The second phase of Stoke-On-Trent’s heat network began today (Thursday, 26th Sept) when civic and business leaders, and students from Stoke on Trent College’s Urban Heat Academy attended a ground-breaking ceremony to mark the beginning of the latest 1.4km installation of flow and return pipework. The district heating network is
With district heat networks becoming a key solution to the UK delivering a low carbon energy economy, Altecnic’s Specification and Technical team members have been awarded CIBSE accreditation as heat consultants. Says Gary Perry, Managing Director of Altecnic: “Heat networks deliver reliable heating and hot water while reducing energy consumption and
A £320 million fund has been launched to help boost the development of the self-sustaining heat network sector throughout the UK. The funding is being provided by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), a new department created by Prime Minister Theresa May earlier this year. The Heat
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
Heat networks that will use Energy from Waste to be developed in London and East Devon with support of funding awarded through the Government’s Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP). Over £250 million of funding has been awarded to heat network schemes under the Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP) since it opened its doors to applicants in 2018. The total Capex of schemes offered HNIP funding exceeds £826 million highlighting the scale of the opportunity for investment in the sector. Ken Hunnisett, Triple Point Heat Networks Investment Management, said: “Heat networks are at their brilliant best when using heat from natural resources or here, with these two exciting schemes in Southwark and Cranbrook, when recovering heat which would otherwise be wasted. Benefitting from a combined award of loan and grant funding exceeding £26m, the scale and ambition of the two projects reflect the growth in the UK’s heat network market while also being exemplars of how green infrastructure can be a driver of tangible local economic growth and a compelling means of levelling up the very different communities of a bustling metropolitan borough and a Devon new town. The HNIP has now closed for applications, but we’ll continue to showcase its many success stories. Over the past three years we have seen some incredible projects come forward for funding we look forward to seeing them develop and expand further.” Business and Energy Minister, Lord Callanan, said: “Heat networks powered by energy from waste sites are an important and low-cost part of the UK’s low carbon heating mix, helping to reduce our reliance on gas and oil for heating. “Transitioning heat networks away from gas can help protect consumers from the volatility of fossil fuel prices and this funding will accelerate the development of technologies that help shield households and businesses.” Energy from Waste plants tackle two key challenges as we move towards a more sustainable society: waste and climate change. Not only do they deliver significant base-load low carbon electricity, but they also process waste that would otherwise end up in landfill. The generation of electricity results in high temperature waste heat which can be captured and used to heat our homes and buildings. Finally, the ash produced as a by-product can be used as aggregate in the construction sector. Overview of projects awarded funding Veolia (Funding Award: £16 million) Veolia has been awarded over £16 million to bring an EfW sourced, low-carbon, heat network to a new area of Southwark, supplying heating and hot water to several existing estates and schools that currently depend on gas boilers and supporting the future growth to a new regeneration area aimed to accommodate 20,000 new homes over the next 15 years. The project is subject to further agreement with SELCHP Ltd, the existing EfW energy centre, and will involve some modifications to improve efficiencies and enable further heat extraction and the construction of a new 6km district heat network. The proposed network will provide immediate and long-term carbon reductions to these developments compared to the proposed counterfactuals, while providing good value to residents and businesses. The network is expected to deliver on average 11,100 tonnes of carbon savings each year. Commenting on the latest carbon reduction energy project, Gavin Graveson, Veolia Senior Executive Vice-President, Northern Europe Zone, said: “Decarbonisation of the domestic heat supply is a key area where the UK can advance progress towards the net-zero carbon goal by increasing the adoption of heat networks. The proposed expansion of the existing Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) derived heat network, to a further eleven estates across the London Borough of Southwark, has now been made possible with support from BEIS and Triple Point Heat Networks. This significant new heat network project will deliver low carbon affordable heat to over 3,000 Southwark homes, local schools, and enable commercially viable connections to future private and commercial customers.” Cllr Helen Dennis, Cabinet Member for the Climate Emergency and Sustainable Development, said: “Seventy-nine per cent of emissions in Southwark are from buildings, so to achieve our ambition of being net-zero by 2030, it’s crucial that we take steps to green all of our homes and buildings and support the shift away from gas. We are delighted to see this significant project move forward to do just that on eleven of our estates and at five of our schools in the Old Kent Road and North Peckham area. This will provide a sustainable and affordable heating and hot water solution, which will keep our students and residents warm, whilst also making a massive reduction in the borough’s carbon emissions.” Cranbrook (Funding Award: £10.7 million) Cranbrook is a new town in East Devon located near to the city of Exeter. Development began in 2011 and today around 2,800 homes have been built. Cranbrook is in close proximity to employment developments including the low carbon Skypark business park with a single heat network serving both developments. Over the next 20 years, Skypark is predicted to create up to 6,500 new jobs with a significant positive impact on the local economy. The development takes an integrated approach to sustainability which includes tackling embodied carbon, reduction in building level energy demands, the use of renewable technologies and ensuring the site is future proofed. A second network immediately to the west is being rolled out to serve Exeter Science Park and further housing development. The £10.7 million award by HNIP will allow both of these networks to be connected to a forthcoming Energy from Waste Plant. Cranbrook/Skypark will supply heat to 3,500 homes and 1.4m sq ft commercial space and Monkerton/Tithebarn which will connect 4,600 homes and 800k sq ft commercial space. The interconnection of these networks will enable the bulk supply of heat to both networks including all necessary resilience and back up. The project will also support the planned expansion of Cranbrook to circa 8,000 houses through enabling the delivery of a Future Homes Standard compliant energy solution. Cllr Geoff Jung, East Devon District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Coast, Countryside and Environment, said: “We very much
60MW energy centre & district heating network receives planning permission Waste heat from the nearby North London Waste Authority (NLWA) Energy Recovery Facility is set to be used to heat homes and businesses in the London Borough of Enfield after Enfield Council approved planning permission for a new 60MW low-carbon energy centre and district heating network. Energetik employed Vital Energi to submit the planning permission for the Energy Centre, which is located at Advent Way. Customers of the new very low carbon energy scheme will include the 82-hectare Meridian Water development which will include 10,000 homes, a new train station, workplaces and open spaces. The energy centre will connect to the NLWA Energy Recovery Facility once complete in 2026, taking waste heat and distributing it to customers through a highly insulated network of underground district heating pipes. The proposed development is located within the Eco Park operated by London Energy Limited (LEL), and in addition to assisting with the planning process, Vital Energi will build the energy centre and heat network. Vital Energi will then provide operation and maintenance on the network and energy centre for a 10-year period. Rob Callaghan, Regional Director for Vital Energi commented, “The scale of this project makes it a hugely important opportunity for Enfield to lower their CO2 emissions. By harnessing waste heat from the nearby waste to energy plant, thousands of homes and businesses will be heated in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.” “This is an innovative scheme and we are delighted to have the opportunity to help Energetik with their planning application and look forward to the construction and operation phases of the project.” In addition to the heat taken from the NLWA, the energy centre will include two 25m high thermal stores, each holding 1,693,000 litres of hot water plus, for resilience and back up, six 10MW boilers installed across three phases. This will provide a highly resilient heating network, ensuring reliable heat and hot water at all times to Energetik’s customers. Vital Energi submitted the planning application on behalf of Energetik and employed Stewart Stephenson Architects and structural engineers Buro Happold as part of the professional team. Work is scheduled to begin in January 2021 with completion expected in November 2022.
The second phase of Stoke-On-Trent’s heat network began today (Thursday, 26th Sept) when civic and business leaders, and students from Stoke on Trent College’s Urban Heat Academy attended a ground-breaking ceremony to mark the beginning of the latest 1.4km installation of flow and return pipework. The district heating network is led by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, and the latest £1.9m phase follows on from pipes being laid under Leek Road in Stoke earlier this year. Sustainable energy specialist Vital Energi is carrying out this second phase of the works which will take 30 weeks to complete. In addition to providing Stoke-on-Trent businesses and homes with cleaner, greener energy, it will also provide young engineers with a valuable opportunity to learn the latest industry skills. Councillor Carl Edwards, cabinet member for the environment, helped to break the ground on the project. He said: “This network is all about providing sustainable, cleaner and greener energy to power our city for generations to come. We’re a forward looking city, and we are committed to doing all we can to protect and improve our environment. It’s a pioneering initiative – nowhere else in the country is developing a heat network with the ambition and scope that we are underway with. “Careful mapping of our city’s geology has shown us that there is geothermal energy under Stoke-on-Trent, and the deep seam coalmining of the past has helped us to identify its source. It is serendipitous that our energy source of the past could help us in powering our city for the future. Our plans for the network are that it will eventually go on to be powered by these hot underground rocks. “We’re thrilled to be launching this latest phase of works. It is the next stage of a total 18km of pipes that will be installed over the next four years stretching across the city. As the scheme develops, we’ll be talking to businesses and the households to explain how they can be part of the network.” Stoke on Trent College’s Urban Heat Academy will work with contractors and employers involved in the design, installation, management and maintenance of the District Heat Network to provide apprenticeships and work-related training Skills needs already identified include groundworks, site management and surveying. The academy has also identified training on fusion welding, using new automated ultrasonic testing methods, to ensure the pipe work is installed to the highest standards. As part of this work, college staff have travelled to Denmark to work with specialist pre-insulated pipe suppliers. Ryan Johnson, Campus Director at Stoke on Trent College, said: “Over recent months we have seen just how important an issue climate change is, to young people here in the UK and across the world. “It is important that local people realise that Stoke-on-Trent is leading the way in developing greener energy systems and that, right on their doorstep, there are opportunities to get involved in this important work. “As the UK focuses on renewable energy, projects like the District Heat Networks will create new jobs and an opportunity for young people to skill up in new areas of construction.” Vital Energi will be employing a local apprentice, from the College’s Urban Heat Academy, who will be working on the scheme via day release for the duration of the contract works. Ashley Walsh, Vital Energi’s Operations Director (Infrastructure) said: “Projects like this can offer fantastic opportunities to deliver community benefits such as employment and training to local people and we are delighted to be working on such a visionary scheme. This project has, not only the potential to expand and become a major heat network, but also to become one of the first successful geothermal schemes in the UK, making it a truly important contribution to the UK’s energy infrastructure.” The district heat network is a multi-million pound programme that has attracted funding from central government and support from the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). Alun Rogers, acting chair of the LEP, said: “The district heat network demonstrates that Stoke-on-Trent is a city of innovation and will provide sustainable energy for communities and businesses. “A key part of this project is involving engineers of the future – developing their skills in what is an increasingly important sector. “The district heat network is one of our flagship projects. We are a pioneering area in terms of green energy development – improving our environment and bringing wider economic benefits.”
With district heat networks becoming a key solution to the UK delivering a low carbon energy economy, Altecnic’s Specification and Technical team members have been awarded CIBSE accreditation as heat consultants. Says Gary Perry, Managing Director of Altecnic: “Heat networks deliver reliable heating and hot water while reducing energy consumption and lowering bills for the end user. Heat networks allow easy integration of various low carbon heat sources. When decentralised systems are done well, it is a real win win for all those involved as well as the environment”. “While the technology is well proven in the UK and across Europe, it is still relatively new to some specifiers and heating engineers. Sadly, because of this, some networks have suffered and aren’t performing as well as they should and this has led to some high profile bad press”. “In response CIBSE and the Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE) have collaborated and produced a code of practice for heat networks, called CP1. Its aim is to raise standards and the understanding of heat networks right across the supply chain. As a manufacturer of heating interface units (HIUs) for such systems, we have always championed the CIBSE scheme“. “As CIBSE approved heat network consultants our specification managers and technical team are qualified to advise and help in the specification, sizing and design of schemes. It is in all of our interests that such schemes are successful and we have always gone above and beyond as a manufacturer by not only attaining CIBSE accreditation for our specification team, but also in the training and technical help that we provide for installation and maintenance engineers. Our CIBSE approved CPD seminars are another example of our will to improve the knowledge and understanding of heat network systems” The CIBSE CP1 code of practice on heat networks covers all forms of district heating from communal building heat to large city-wide schemes. It is designed to apply to both new networks and extensions of existing networks. The code specifies minimum requirements which must be met in order to produce a successful scheme and comply with the code. It then details further information on best practice for those looking to move beyond the minimum requirements. To speak to one of Altecnic’s CIBSE accredited heat consultants, telephone 01785 218200 or email specifications@altecnic.co.uk.
A £320 million fund has been launched to help boost the development of the self-sustaining heat network sector throughout the UK. The funding is being provided by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), a new department created by Prime Minister Theresa May earlier this year. The Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP) aims to provide a financial incentive for developers to deliver heat network projects for towns and cities throughout the UK. According to the BEIS, the ‘central heating for cities’ scheme has the potential to reduce heating costs by more than 30 per cent. Overall, the networks will allow cities to recycle wasted heat produced from places such as factories, power stations and even the London Underground to pump back into homes and businesses. Energy minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe said: “Heat networks can significantly improve the efficiency with which heat is provided to our towns and cities, as well as helping to develop local infrastructure and reduce carbon. “The new scheme will help us to develop viable reforms to make the most of the heat we produce and use it effectively to bring bills down for people across the country.” In the pilot phase £39m is available to local authorities and public sector bodies who will submit applications for their projects by the end of November. Further funding rounds are planned to 2020. Mike Reynolds, SSE’s director of heat, welcomed the creation of the new fund and said: “The launch of the HNIP fund is well timed and comes at a crucial juncture in the development of UK heat networks where the market is predicted to grow between £2bn and £3.5bn in the next five years. In much of Europe heat networks are common place but they have all been developed with strong policy support and government investment so this bold position from BEIS is good to see.”
