Funding is being awarded to projects harnessing waste heat energy from industry and sewerage works, whilst heat pumps will provide low carbon heating to buildings in Exeter and London’s Greenwich Peninsula.
An abundance of waste energy is generated in various industrial processes as well as in our daily activities. Manufacturing and human waste disposal processes produce waste heat as a by-product which can be harnessed to produce low-cost, low carbon heating. Today, funding from the Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF) continues to enable innovative solutions like these to be deployed.
Sewer power
Projects across England aim to utilise waste heat from sewage works and industry processes, including Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council who will use heat pump technology to extract waste heat from the combined sewer running into the town centre.
Other projects funded today will use heat pump technology to decarbonise existing developments, new build homes and one of London’s flagship new hubs for creativity – the Greenwich Peninsula development. In Exeter, funding from GHNF will support the installation of the UK’s largest high-temperature water source heat pump to distribute low carbon heat to buildings across the city.
An exemplary model
Ken Hunnisett, Programme Director for Triple Point Heat Networks Investment Management, said: “This latest cohort of successful GHNF applicants are proving that the potential for our homes and workplaces to be heated sustainably and affordably by renewable sources or from waste heat from existing infrastructure such as our sewerage works and industry is being realised today.
“The use of excess heat from local sewage plants is another exemplary heat network model that builds on and utilises existing infrastructure to deliver low carbon heating to local areas.
“These projects are expected to move quickly into construction, delivering significant immediate benefits to the communities they will serve while providing a blueprint for others to learn from and develop.”
Lower bills
Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, said: “These innovative projects will help drive down energy costs while also demonstrating why the UK has led the way in cutting carbon emissions.
“The funding we’ve announced today will help homes and business across the country – from Exeter to Hull – benefit from greener heating and lower energy bills.”
The projects
Below is a summary of the projects that have received a share of over £80.6 million to support the commercialisation and construction of sewerage sourced and heat pump focused low carbon heat networks.
Greenwich Peninsula ESCO District Heating Network
Greenwich Peninsula ESCO Ltd, a Knight Dragon company, has been awarded £4.6 million worth of commercialisation and construction funding for the decarbonisation of the Greenwich Peninsula district heating network.
Funding provided by GHNF will unlock low carbon heat for 2,300 existing homes and 7,115 new build homes. Low carbon heat will also be provided to 84,000m2 of existing commercial space, with an additional 10,400m2 new planned commercial space as the development expands.
The project will be made possible by a 5MW Air Source Heat Pump installed on the rooftop of the existing Greenwich Peninsula Energy Centre.
Steve Yewman, Chief of Staff at Knight Dragon, said: “As part of our ESG strategy, we are committed to investing in Greenwich Peninsula to create a sustainable and resilient community that is built on principles of equity, environmental protection and economic prosperity. We want to ensure the infrastructure that underpins our development supports the lives of the people that choose to live here whilst protecting the environment. We believe this investment will make a positive environmental and social impact and are looking forward to rolling this out as part of our strategy to transition into a net zero carbon business.”
Hull East Heat Network
Vital Energi Utilities Ltd has been awarded over £22 million for the commercialisation and construction of the Hull East District Heat Network. The heat network presents another innovative use of waste heat from industry, with Phase 1 utilising heat from the Saltend Chemicals Park.
The heat network will provide low carbon heating to 14 public sector council buildings and a mixture of industrial customers, helping to decarbonise one of the UK’s industrial hotspots. As part of the network, Hull East are also hoping to secure green solar energy to help power the network whilst feeding energy into other customers across Yorkshire Energy Park, a next generation energy and technology business park currently in development.
Construction of the heat network is expected to begin later in 2024, with the heat network capable of expanding to supply further connections and use using other renewable heat sources across the energy park once completed.
Managing Director of Vital Energi, Mike Cooke, said: “We’re delighted with the award of the Green Heat Network Funding which will allow us to deliver the Hull East Heat Network. Taking waste heat from Saltend Chemicals Park situated on the Yorkshire Energy Park, we aim to decarbonise commercial and residential buildings across Hull, bringing them closer to a net zero future with low carbon heat and hot water.”
Exeter Energy Network
Exeter is set to benefit from £42.5 million of funding which has been awarded for a low-to-zero carbon district heat network project in the South West. The Exeter Energy Network will be developed by the 1Energy Group, which is investing an additional £70 million in the project.
The heat network will incorporate the UK’s largest high-temperature water source heat pump and will potentially utilise other local sources of waste heat in the Exeter area. This will be installed alongside a minimum of 500m3 of thermal stores to provide additional efficiency and flexibility.
Renewable heat will be distributed from an energy centre to buildings across the city via a 20km network of highly insulated underground pipes. The first phase of the project will provide 60GWh of low carbon heat demand annually, expanding to over 90GWh per year as the project develops.
Buildings which connect to the network will see an initial reduction of 65-75% in carbon emissions compared to gas heating, reducing carbon emissions by 13,000 tonnes per year.
Commenting on the GHNF funding Jeremy Bungey, Executive Director of 1Energy, said: “The Exeter Energy Network will deliver efficient and renewable heat to buildings across the city. It will cut carbon emissions and contribute to improvements in air quality by reducing the need for old, fossil fuel-based heating. Exeter is a centre of innovation for climate science, and we look forward to working with people across the city to deliver this project. We expect the construction of the Energy Centre to begin in 2025, and the network to start providing low carbon heat to our customers in 2026.”
Bolton District Heating Network
Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council has been awarded £11 million for the commercialisation and construction of the Bolton District Heating Network. Support from the Green Heat Network Fund will unlock the funding of an innovative network which uses a heat pump to extract waste heat from the combined sewer that runs through Bolton town centre.
This innovative project captures and distributes waste heat pre-heated from washing machines, showers, baths and kitchens to capture and distribute to buildings. As a result, the heat network is expected to save 123,000 tonnes of carbon emissions over 40 years, the equivalent of taking 15,000 cars off the road, a 75% reduction in emissions.
The project will also be supplemented by additional capacity from an Air Source Heat Pump, allowing for further expansion across Bolton. Low carbon heating enabled by the scheme will be provided to a mixture of public buildings, residential and commercial buildings. This includes Bolton Town Hall and Le Mans Crescent, social housing developments and The University of Bolton.
The heat network is also expected to connect to various new build residential developments, creating energy efficient, sustainable homes for new residents.
Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, Cllr. Richard Silvester, said: “I am fully behind and supportive of Bolton’s proposed district heat network. This will be an innovative and ambitious way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality in Bolton town centre. It will be a major project as part of the council’s Climate Change strategy. It will generate energy that is not only clean and green, but also affordable, lowering energy bills for all connected customers and increasing energy security and resilience. The scale of this project demonstrates the council’s commitment to a low carbon future for Bolton and the wider city-region, delivering on our climate emergency obligations, and we expect it to benefit residents and businesses in Bolton town centre, as well as helping to attract new investment that will boost jobs and regeneration.”