CHP Focus News

Energy from Waste Combined Heat and Power Project has Recieved Planning Permission from Plymouth City Council

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:08:46 +0000

An Energy from Waste (EfW) CHP plant will be built at Devonport Docks. The developer company has a long-term waste contract with the South West Devon Waste Partnership (SWDWP). The company will be handling residual waste on behalf of SWDWP members, including Torbay Council and Devon County Council.

Combined Heat and Power plant will have the capacity to handle up to 245,000 tonnes of residual waste a year. It will be situated at the North Yard of the Devonport naval base in Plymouth which will be supplied with steam and electricty under a 25-year energy services agreement with the Ministry of Defence. Construction is due to start on the plant in 2012 and it is expected to be operational by mid-2014.

DEFRA Energy from Waste Guide

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 12:39:39 +0000

Defra has recently published “Energy from waste: a guide to the debate” that highlights key environmental, technical and economic issues and aims to raise the level of understanding and debate around energy from waste plants. It is useful for combined heat and power (CHP) developers deploying waste derived fuel technologies. The guide confirms that using a CHP unit can give overall efficiencies in excess of 40% and it is economic when there is a continuous heat demand (like industrial sites in continual operation, or through district heating systems in mixed-use community developments).

Energy from Waste guide is available here.

Alongside the Energy from waste guide DEFRA has also published updated waste technology briefs which provide more details relating to specific energy from waste technologies.

Incineration of Municipal Solid Waste <PDF>
Advanced Biological Treatment of Municipal Solid Waste <PDF>
Advanced Thermal Treatment of Municipal Solid Waste <PDF>
Mechanical Biological Treatment of Municipal Solid Waste <PDF>
Mechanical Heat Treatment of Municipal Solid Waste <PDF>

CHPA Awards 2011: Winners announced

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:03:32 +0000

The CHPA Awards, showcasing achievement, innovation and best practice from across the combined heat and power and district heating sector, were presented by Alan Whitehead MP on 22 November. The Awards, now in their fourth year, were presented in five categories.

The Innovation Award - was presented to the scheme at The National Sports Centre. A record-breaking low carbon CHP solution at the iconic National Sports Centre in Crystal Palace, a listed heritage building which was opened in 1964. The project is particularly innovative for utilising waste heat from the gas engine exhaust to enhance efficiency and performance.

The Community and Residential Award was presented the scheme at Graylingwell Park. Graylingwell Park is set to be the UK’s largest net zero carbon new development built to date. It boasts an integrated district heating scheme that is introducing the benefits of distributed energy to a new sustainable community on this former hospital site.

The Industrial and Commercial Award was presented to the sceheme at UPM Caledonian paper mill. With huge amounts of electricity and heat required to drive processes in the pulp and paper industry, UPM Caledonian has explored ways of reducing its energy costs while improving competitiveness at its Irvine site. The CHP plant has been instrumental in helping UPM to reduce its CO2 emissions by around 75,000 tonnes annually.

The Public Sector Award was presented to the Olympic Delivery Authority for the Olympic Park and Stratford City. The scheme comprises two inter-linked energy centres serving the Olympic Park’s temporary and permanent venues, the Olympic Village, Westfield Stratford Shopping Centre and businesses and homes in Stratford area. The energy centres will also deliver low carbon energy to the Olympic Park’s legacy buildings and surrounding developments, including the regeneration of Stratford City.

The Champion Award, recognising an outstanding contribution to the advancement of CHP or district energy in the UK, was presented to Bill Clark, Sustainability Policy Manager at Southampton City Council.

Combined Heat and Power Helps London Hospitals Reduce CO2 Emissions

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:45:26 +0100

Two of London oldest and most famous hospitals have reduced their energy costs by more than £1.5 million and reduced CO2 emissions by nearly 11,300 tonnes thanks to combined heat and power (CHP) technology.

Both of the hospitals have installed 3MWe reciprocating engine CHP systems to generate cost effective onsite heat and power. The NHS Foundation Trust for the two hospitals made the choice in response to growing energy costs, which reached around £10 million a year by 2004.

UK CHP Development Map

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 10:11:04 +0100

The revised UK CHP Development Map has been launched. The map was originally developed as a tool to assist power station developers consider the opportunities for supplying heat and delivery of combined heat and power (CHP) as required under planning policy. However, it can also be used by both small and large organisations to help identify the locations where the supply of CHP heat would have the greatest potential, and therefore the largest positive environmental impact.The map includes heat loads across all UK sectors including industrial, commercial, public and domestic. The latest generation of the map offers a number of enhanced features, which include:

Refined and updated heat load data;
Greater zoom resolution;
Improved search functionality such as Radius and Area Search tools;
Ability to search on local authority level and middle and low level output layers providing greater search resolution.

The construction of 1900 new low-carbon homes in London.

Tue, 10 May 2011 12:40:58 +0100

Two developments at the former St. Andrews Hospital in Newham, east London and New South Quarter in Croydon to the south of the city will build 1900 new low carbon homes supplied by centralised combined heat and power (CHP) units and biomass boilers to supply heat and hot water to residents.

The developers claim the new community energy schemes could offer a reduction in CO₂ emissions of up to 44%, compared to new homes built to minimum standards and heated by gas, and the developments will save an estimated 18,500 tonnes of carbon emission over the next ten years by avoiding the use of individual gas boilers. An energy company will manage and maintain the community energy schemes at each of the developments through an Energy Services Company (ESCo) agreement.

Work Begins on UK Eco-town Powered by Biomass CHP

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:05:34 +0100

Work has officially got under way at the new community of Cranbrook in Devon, UK, where a state-of-the-art £25 million energy centre supplying both heat and hot water will serve the new town.

A single company will be responsible for the design and operation of the heat distribution network and energy centre, including heat interface units that will pipe heat into the individual homes and commercial premises.

The low-carbon heat source will change as the developments grow, with gas-fired boilers being supplemented by gas-fired CHP and later by biomass fuelled CHP. The company estimates that the biomass CHP, which will also generate electricity for the national grid, will provide an estimated 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide saving per year for the first 2900 homes at Cranbrook.

£860 million funding for the Renewable Heat Incentive

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:26:37 +0100

UK Government environment spending is to increase by 21%, to ensures that the UK can meet its environmental goals, including the 2020 targets for a 34% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and for 15% of energy to be from renewable sources and improving efficiency.£860 million funding for the Renewable Heat Incentive which will be introduced from 2011-12 to drive an increase of renewable heat over the coming years. Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne said: "We remain on course to deliver on our promise to be the greenest government and secure the low carbon investment we need."

Approved plans for CHP / Waste-to-Energy Gasification facility in East London

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:21:31 +0100

Waste management company has received planning permission to develop a 15MW waste-to-energy gasification facility at a site in Dagenham Docks, East London.

The plant is expected to treat 120,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste each year and produce enough renewable electricity to power 31,500 households in the Barking and Dagenham area, as well as providing heat, cooling and power to other businesses occupying the Sustainable Industries Park site.

The merchant gasification facility will be used primarily to treat commercial waste arisings in the region. The plant is expected to undergo commissioning in 2012, with the aim of being operational by 2013.

Granted planning permission for Anaerobic Digestion (AD) and CHP plant in Warminster

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:54:39 +0100

Wiltshire council has granted planning permission for the redevelopment of Bore Hill farm, in Warminster, which will include a biogas plant treating food waste and animal slurry using Anaerobic Digestion (AD) and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) technology.

£52m Integrated CHP and Waste to Bioethanol plant set to build in Tees Valley

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 09:02:12 +0100

INEOS Bio awarded £7.3m grant from One North East and the Department for Energy and Climate Change for construction of Integrated CHP and Advanced Waste to Bioethanol plant.

INEOS Bio plant is the first commercial plant in Europe using its advanced BioEnergy Process Technology .The Ineos BioEnergy Process Technology combines thermochemical and biochemical technologies to achieve energy-efficient and low-cost biofuel production from a wide range of biomass materials, including household and industrial waste. The Ineos Bio technology is an anaerobic fermentation step, through which naturally occurring bacteria convert gases derived directly from biomass into bioethanol. This bioethanol production is integrated with combined heat and power generation. The plant is designed to produce 24,000 tonnes per year (30 million litres) of carbon-neutral road transport fuel and generate more than 3MW of clean electricity for export from over 100,000 tonnes per year of biodegradable household and commercial waste.

The green light to build a £203m CHP plant in Cardif

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 10:00:45 +0100

Go ahead for Welsh Combined Heat and Power plant

Waste management company has been given the green light to build a £203m combined heat and power plant on an industrial site in Cardiff. The facility at Trident Park in Cardiff Bay will generate 30MW of electricity, enough to provide electricity to more than 50,000 homes and the scheme will process up to 350,000 tonnes of residual waste annually. The plant is expected to take three years to construct and have an operating life of 25 years.

UK's largest Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant achieves first firing

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:05:00 +0100

The first firing of the new 1,275 MW Combined Heat and Power plant (CHP) in Isle of Grain in Kent was successfully completed on 2 June 2010. The £500m station has three combined-cycle units that will burn natural gas, and will supply waste heat in the form of hot water to the nearby liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal. It is expected that this scheme on the Isle of Grain will be one of the world's largest CHP plants. The plant is set to start commercial operation during the final quarter of 2010.

The Anaerobic Digestion Plant will be built at Barkip, North Ayrshire.

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:13:24 +0100

An anaerobic digestion CHP plant is under construction in Scotland, the AD plant is expected to become operational in early 2011. The design includes a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit producing power and heat and will be capable of processing 80,000 tonnes of organic waste and generating 2 MWw of renewable electricity annually.

Bioenergy Capital Grants Round 6

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:28:26 +0000

The UK Government has made £4 million in funding available for business and community organisations, such as schools and hospitals, to help towards the cost of buying and installing biomass-fuelled heating and combined heat & power projects in England. The £4 million in funding is available overall under Round 6 of the Bio-energy Capital Grants scheme, with grants up to £500,000 on offer to individual projects. For full details and how to apply for the grants visit www.bioenergycapitalgrants.org.uk.

CHP Focus user survey

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:22:30 +0000

Please help us improve our website - take part in this 5min survey

Consultation on the grandfathering policy of support under the Renewables Obligation

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:16:26 +0100

Consultation on the grandfathering policy of support for Dedicated Biomass, Anaerobic Digestion and Energy from Waste under the Renewables Obligation.

Reference Number: 10D/671

Open Date: 2010-03-31
Close Date: Example: 2010-05-28

Following representations from industry, and discussions with banks and equity investors, we announced we would revisit our current grandfathering policy for dedicated biomass, anaerobic digestion and energy from waste. We do not intend to revisit grandfathering policy for any other technology in this consultation.

The purpose of this consultation is to:

seek views on whether our preferred option is the best way forward
gather evidence on the costs for dedicated biomass, AD and EfW, and the proportion of costs attributable to non fuel costs
test our assumptions over investor reaction to grandfathering and therefore the likely amount and timing of investment that would come forward under different
options

seek views as to whether there are any other unintended consequences of our preferred option

Ed Miliband opens new CHP at St Thomas' Hospital

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:09:45 +0100

Ed Miliband, secretary of state for energy and climate change, opens a new combined heat and power CHP plant at Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals. The NHS Foundation Trust has become one of the first healthcare trusts in London to produce its own electricity and heat.

There are CHP units at both Guy's Hospital and St Thomas' Hospital, each use a gas engine to drive an alternator that produces enough electricity to meet half of the trust's requirements. The engine heat is recovered as steam and hot water and used for the hospitals' heating requirements. Overall the units will reduce CO₂ emissions by almost 11,300 tonnes per year. It will also save the trust more than £1.5 million in energy costs annually.

Feed-in Tariffs (FITs)

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:57:36 +0100

The Government has used powers in the Energy Act 2008 to introduce a system of feed-in tariffs to incentivise small scale (less than 5MW), low carbon electricity generation. The Government Response to the Consultation on Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) set out our decisions in relation to the FITs scheme.

These feed-in tariffs work alongside the Renewables Obligation (RO), which will remain the primary mechanism to incentivise deployment of large-scale renewable electricity generation, and the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) which will incentivise generation of heat from renewable sources at all scales. The Government launched the Renewable Heat Incentive consultation on 1 February 2010.

Future Energy Generation for the University of Liverpool

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:58:33 +0100

An engineering services firm has completed work on a £14m energy centre that they say will provide a new and more efficient way for the University of Liverpool to generate and utilise energy. The project comprises a new energy centre and centralisation of the existing campus energy infrastructure which will reduce the University's annual energy consumption by over 13000 MWh and CO2 emissions by over 1,500 tonnes. The gas powered Combined Heating and Power (CHP) unit and associated combination boiler will provide electricity and primary high-temperature heat to supply most of the University's buildings.

Green light for Cheshire waste fuelled power station

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:49:51 +0100

A new 95 Mega Watt power plant capable of turning 600,000 tonnes of waste each year into electricity and heat, to be built at Ince in Cheshire, was approved by the Government today. The waste, which would have otherwise gone to landfill, will instead be used to generate electricity to power a new Resource Recovery Park. Excess electricity will also be exported to the National Grid.

The approval follows a public inquiry held into both the power plant and the Resource Recovery Park, which recommended that consent should be granted for the construction and operation of the plant and also that planning permission be given for the Resource Recovery Park.

The separate planning permission for the Resource Recovery Park was also given today by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, John Denham.

Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:59:05 +0100

To meet our 2020 15% renewable energy target, we need to develop new ways of generating renewable energy in all sectors, including heat. Heat generated from renewable sources accounts for approximately 1% of total heat demand – this may need to rise to 12% to hit our binding EU targets.

We will not be able to expand renewable heat without some form of financial assistance because other forms of heat are currently cheaper. Such support will enable more people to afford renewable heat and, by expanding the market, help bring costs down more quickly.

Common examples of renewable heat technologies include: air- and ground-source heat pumps, biomass boilers, solar-thermal water heaters and combined heat and power (CHP) plants which use renewable fuels.

Powers in the Energy Act 2008 allow the setting up of a Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). Our aim is to make the RHI as accessible, flexible and user-friendly as possible to potential investors in renewable heat at all scales. We are working to have the RHI in place for April 2011.

Tesco Distribution Centre to be powered by AD CHP

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:11:36 +0000

Tesco's new distribution centre and Stobart Group in Widnes to be entirely powered by energy generated from food waste. Juliette Bishop, corporate affairs manager at Tesco, said the project was in line with the company's sustainability targets, "It's great that we can demonstrate that our food waste is directly providing power back into our operations, helping us to reduce waste going to landfill and our carbon footprint".

Annually, PDM's CHP plant at Widnes uses more than 230,000 tonnes of biomass fuels derived from food wastes and other bio-wastes to generate renewable combined heat and power.

The CHP plant of Anaerobic Digestion facility has begun operation in Staffordshire

Fri, 21 May 2010 14:42:11 +0100

The WRAP-funded £3 million anaerobic digestion CHP facility officially opened on 18 May 2010 on a farm in Staffordshire. The Combined Heat & Power (CHP) plant will produce about 1.3MW of power for export to the National Grid.

UK Heatmap Launched

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:43:08 +0100

A revised UK industrial heat map has been developed for the UK Government. The groundbreaking initiative is part of the Government’s strategy is to help promote decentralised energy for both new and existing buildings. The map has been developed as a successor to the original tool aimed at assisting power station developers consider the opportunities for combined heat and power (CHP) as required under planning policy. However, due to its increased scope, the updated map can now be used by both small and large organisations to help identify the locations where CHP, renewable heat plants and district heating would have the greatest technical and economic potential, and therefore the largest positive environmental impact.

The interactive heat map presents the heat demand within the UK across various sectors. The search and zoom facilities allow users to search using grid references, highlight and isolate the heat use in specific post code districts.

This new service will be invaluable for organisations who are exploring the opportunities for the development of CHP and renewable heat plants. The search facility returns a high level of detail identifying the heat demand within the search area, which can be varied from 1 km² up to 100 km². The heat demand can also be separated by sector with large users highlighted on an individual basis.

UK hospital combines CHP and ground source heat pumps

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:20:59 +0100

Malvern Community Hospital , scheduled to open later this year, is to use a combination of CHP and ground source heat pumps for its on-site energy supplies. By generating its own green power, the hospital is projected to save £8700 (US$13,340) per year on its energy bills, and reduce its carbon emissions by 15 tonnes per annum. The CHP system is a reciprocating gas engine rated at 33 kW of electrical output that will also generate 55 kW of heat for the building and the ground loop for the heat pump.

Whisky-fuelled biomass CHP plant is to be built in Scotland.

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:58:05 +0100

The GreenSwitch CHP plant, which is capable of using wet biomass, will be powered using whisky distillery by-products. The £50m joint venture will use by-products such as process water, pot ale and draff for biomass fuel. Wood chip from sustainable forests will also help fuel the plant. Construction on the plant is hoped to begin in early 2010 once construction and engineering contracts have been awarded. The plant should be active by 2012.

Local Authority Planners Workshops

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:04:45 +0100

DECC and Defra are sponsoring a series of one day events for Local Authority Planners, Procurement Directors and other officials working on a waste management or sustainable energy agenda on the opportunities for developing CHP from anaerobic digestion and energy recovery from waste plants. These events will cover a range of issues including various technologies and fuels, the benefits and challenges of heat recovery and guidance on procurement and contracting strategy.

The events will run from June 2010 to October 2010 and will be held in each of the nine English regions. Local Authority waste and planning officers in England interested in attending these workshops should

Events Timetable
Date	Region
Sept 8^th	North West - Liverpool
Sept 14^th	South East - London
Sept 21^st	Yorkshire and The Humber - Leeds
Sept 29^th	East of England - Norwich
Oct 5^th	East Midlands - Nottingham
Oct 12^th or 14^th*	Greater London
*Date to be finalised

CHPA Awards - call for entries

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:20:34 +0100

Closing date for entries - 13 September 2010

Winners announced - 25 November 2010

Website | Enter now | Book now

The Combined Heat and Power Association (CHPA) Awards showcase achievement, innovation and best practice from across the sector over the past year.

Organisations involved in the delivery, operation or ownership of CHP and/or district heating projects are encouraged to enter. The awards are a great way of highlighting the benefit these innovative approaches to energy provision have delivered for your organisation, for clients and wider communities.

There are five categories for entry: Innovation, Champion, Industrial and Commercial, Community and Residential and Public Sector. The awards are now open to entry. Submissions will need to be made no later than Monday 13th September. Further details about the entering the awards and the categories is available and can be found on the CHPA Integrated Energy 2010 website.

So:

Do you have something to shout about?
Do you think your scheme will make the cut?
Do you want to gain the recognition you deserve?

Then enter the Awards!

Winners will be announced at the CHPA Awards Gala Dinner on Thursday 25th November 2010. Now in its third year, the evening provides opportunity for organisations and professionals from across the growing sector to celebrate success and collective attainment. The venue for this years ceremony will be the grade II listed, Gibson Hall, in the heart of the City of London. Book your place or table at the sector event of the year.

The CHPA Awards and Gala Dinner, follows the CHPA Annual Conference. This flagship one day event looks at innovative approaches used in delivering energy locally for the benefit of communities, business, industry and consumers across the UK. Greg Barker MP, Minister of State Department of Energy and Climate Change and David Kennedy, Chief Executive, Committee on Climate Change, amongst other high profile speakers are already confirmed. See here for more information on the programme, benefits of attending and to book your place.

Permission granted for waste treatment and renewable power company's CHP plant

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 13:42:17 +0100

Waste treatment and renewable power company plans to develop a combined heat and power (CHP) plant on the site of its existing waste treatment facility in Rotherham.

The company received planning permission for the CHP plant from the Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council last month, and has submitted a separate application for the AD plant which could be positioned alongside a smaller CHP.

Chris Huhne visits CHP plant at Museum of Liverpool

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 09:36:54 +0100

Chris Huhne, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, visited a green combined heat and power (CHP) energy scheme that meets the energy needs of the new flagship Museum of Liverpool, opening summer 2011. Huhne used the opportunity to underline the wider importance of this highly efficient energy technology, in securing cost and carbon savings across the public sector as a whole.

After his tour Chris Huhne explained: "As a Government we have committed to cutting the carbon emissions in the public sector - starting with 10% in the first 12 months. The Museum of Liverpool has shown what is possible, and I expect that CHP schemes like this one can help us deliver on our low-carbon goals.

"The relevance of renewable and low carbon CHP is clear. Unlocking both significant cost and carbon savings, it has huge potential to transform energy use across the public sector. The Museum of Liverpool scheme I have seen today is clearly testament to this."

Guy's and St Thomas' saves £1.5m a year on CHP clean energy project

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 11:11:09 +0100

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust has revealed that an innovative Combined Heat and Power (CHP) solution has underpinned a £1.5m cut in its annual energy spend and a 20% year-on-year reduction in its projected carbon dioxide emissions.

The news comes as the Carbon Trust today launched a new guide aimed at encouraging more organisations to explore the potential for CHP systems to deliver cost and carbon savings.

Guy's and St Thomas' has worked with the Carbon Trust on its public sector carbon management programme for the last three years. As a result, Guy's and St Thomas' invested £10m[1] in CHP engines which have brought substantial savings on energy costs while providing heat for the hospital wards and hydrotherapy pools among other uses.

[1] The Department of Health's Energy and Sustainability Fund granted Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust £10m to install combined heat and power engines.

DECC Renewable Heat Incentive update

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:32:23 +0100

DECC remain committed to the ambition of moving from 1% to 12% of all heat generated from a renewable source by 2020 and the introduction of the RHI represents over £850m of investment over the Spending Review period. Following the February consultation and in light of the Spending Review announcement, DECC will now consider further the operation of the scheme including RHI tariffs and technologies supported. DECC expect to speak to stakeholders in the next few weeks ahead of an announcement on the detailed design of the scheme before the end of the year.

CHP Focus Workshops

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:23:00 +0000

CHP Focus workshops for SMEs and the Health & Education Sectors

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is planning to hold two free workshops in the Banbury and London areas in early 2011 to help businesses in the health & education sectors and the industrial & commercial sectors realise the benefits that Combined Heat & Power (CHP) can bring.

The workshops will cover several topics including:

The financial and environmental benefits that CHP could deliver to your organisation
Developing CHP
CHP applications and
The Government incentives available for Good Quality CHP schemes.

Case studies of successful CHP schemes will also be presented. Following the workshop there will be the opportunity to tour a CHP Scheme and speak with the operator.

In the current economic and regulatory environment, these workshops will be of interest to a number of you who are under pressure to deliver environmental and energy cost reduction targets through improved energy efficiency.

The draft agenda for each event is available on the CHP Focus website. Delegate places are limited and available on a first come-first served basis. If you wish to attend please complete the attached registration form, stating clearly which event you wish to attend, and return this, by the date stated on the form, to Sheena Newell at AEA, sheena.newell@aeat.co.uk or fax to 0870 190 6334.

CHP & District Heating Opportunities Workshop

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 14:48:28 +0000

CHP & District Heating Opportunities 18/2/2011

This free workshop will examine the benefits of utilizing CHP either in single buildings, or as part of a wider, community-scale district heating network, as well as the policy and financial tools available to help authorities deliver schemes. Of particular interest will be the ability to provide improvements with little or no capital outlay via Energy Services contracts.

Speakers will provide evidence of their positive experiences through case studies and work in progress, and explain the relevant policies that can assist project delivery. CHPA members will be able to answer technical queries as well as presenting some of the financial models currently on the market.

CHP in facilities management - Seminar

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 14:50:02 +0000

Cutting cost and carbon emissions – CHP in facilities management 3/3/2011

This free seminar for facilities management professionals will discuss the benefits and practicalities involved in CHP, district heating and trigeneration technologies. The opportunity for using Energy Services Companies (ESCOs) to provide guaranteed savings with little or no capital expenditure will also be examined, as well as a variety of other funding options.

£13m 'zero carbon' school contract

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 16:00:21 +0000

London Borough of Islington has tendered a £13m contract to create one of the first ever 'zero carbon' schools in the UK. The project at Crouch Hill Community Park, which starts in late February, will involve new accommodation for a primary school and a nursery, a community energy centre and a refurbished building for a youth centre. The development will have a carbon negative footprint when in use, it has been said. This will be achieved by the school sharing heat distribution from the new energy centre with an adjacent housing development.

The energy centre will use a biomass boiler and gas fired combined heat and power unit to provide the school's heat and power needs. The school is expected to achieve a BREEAM rating of "outstanding" and it will be completed in summer of 2012.

Biogas CHP for UK cold store

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 16:03:04 +0000

Cannington Cold Stores' Bridgwater site in Somerset is to install four 342 kWe CHP units provide electricity by burning biogas from the anaerobic digestion of waste food from the site. The biogas-fuelled solution will help the chilled storage company improve its environmental impact with surplus electricity exported to the grid, earning Cannington Cold Stores ROCs. Heat from the units is used to feed the digesters to run the biogas generation process. It is projected that CO₂ emissions with be reduced by 1500 tonnes.

The family-owned business provides frozen, chilled and ambient storage down to -25°C. The energy demand in maintaining these temperatures across such a large site means that Cannington Cold Stores needed to look at an on-site solution to improve its carbon emissions but also cut energy costs.

The Royal Free Hospital's CHP scheme will warm Camden householders

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 10:12:06 +0000

The Royal Free Hospital in London is to heat 1,500 homes in Camden with surplus heat generated from its Combined Heat and Power (CHP) network.

The hospital will provide around half of the heat for the homes, with the rest coming from the energy centre. The centre will also act as a backup for the hospital if heating and hot water supplies are interrupted.Camden Council estimates that 2,800 tonnes of carbon will be saved annually through the project and says that residents will benefit from lower cost energy.

Whisky by-product set to power CHP plant

Tue, 10 May 2011 11:20:10 +0100

A £60.5 million 7.2 MW_e Combined heat and power (CHP) plant is set to be built in Rothes, Scotland that will produce energy from whisky distillation by-products.

Residue known as 'draff' will be collected from local Speyside distillers to fuel the plant and the heat generated will be used in processes producing animal feed and being used to evaporate pot ale residue to make an edible syrup.

Incorporating an energy production element into this existing animal feed production process is expected to save around 46,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.

250kW Biogas CHP System in Herefordshire

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:40:29 +0100

On the 1^st August 2011 a new CHP system will use biogas for renewable electricity and heat generation in Herefordshire, England.

Some of the electricity will be used to power the poultry houses and anaerobic digester on the farm site, with the remaining 90% will be sold to the national grid. The heat generated from the CHP will warm the chicken houses, reducing the consumption of expensive fuel oil and propane gas.

The CHP plant will generate 250kW of electricity – enough to power 450 houses – and 200kW of heat. The AD plant has been designed to handle 700 tonnes of chicken waste a year, in addition to 1,000 tonnes of cattle slurry and 3,000 tonnes of maize silage.

Final Unit Starts-up at 1.3GW CHP Plant in Kent

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 10:11:44 +0100

The third and final unit at a 1.3GW Combined Heat and Power (CHP) power station in Kent is now commercially available.

Construction and commissioning of the innovative CHP scheme that will provide heat in the form of hot water to a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, making it one of the world's largest CHP plants.

At present, the LNG terminal uses natural gas to heat the liquefied natural gas before injection to the gas network. The CHP scheme will have the capacity to transfer up to 340 MW of heat energy recovered from the steam condensation process within the CCGT to the LNG vaporisers, allowing for a reduction in carbon emissions of up to 350,000 tonnes a year.

In combining gas turbine and combined cycle technology with CHP, the plant is expected to have an overall efficiency of up to 73%. When fully operational the plant will fully qualify as Good Quality CHP under the government certified CHP Quality Assurance Scheme.

CHPQA Workshop Presentations Published

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:45:14 +0000

The CHPQA Programme recently held a series of three events in Oxfordshire, for existing and potential owners and operators of CHP. A workshop was held in the morning and seminar in the afternoon of each day. The Workshop: was very 'hands on' with the focus being on what RPs need to do to obtain CHPQA certification for new and existing schemes and then, once certified, what they need to do to obtain the fiscal benefits.

The presentations are now available for download from the Workshops page.

5.2 MW Gas Turbine CHP at Aberbeen Health Campus

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 14:18:22 +0100

Foresterhill health campus in Aberdeen, Scotland one of the largest health campuses in Europe is commissioning a new gas turbine package combined with a waste heat recovery boiler. The Gas turbine produces 5.2MW of electricity plus 12 tonnes of steam per hour, ensuring the constant availability of power essential for the safety-critical services provided across the health campus.

Key facilities at the site include Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital, Aberdeen Maternity Hospital and the University of Aberdeen Medical School.

The Centre is designed to make an estimated 15 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions for the Campus equating to some 4500 tonnes per year. It is also expected to return energy savings of around £1 million per year.

The health centre comprises an 850 m² energy centre which houses a 1.5MW biomass steam boiler and two 8.5MW and one 6.5MW dual-fired steam boilers to supplement the existing gas turbine. Locally sourced wood chips will fuel the biomass boiler. The centre has recently become fully operational, having been brought on stream in stages since December 2011.

This £ 12.5 million energy centre has been awarded an ‘Excellent' rating in the 2012 BREEAM assessment, for its abatement of carbon emissions and waste.

Leicester district heating scheme becomes operational

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 14:53:29 +0100

The first phase of the Leicester district heating scheme has become operational. The scheme includes the optimisation of four existing district heating schemes in the city, while extending the network to other users, including the University of Leicester and HM Prison Leicester. This project, involving the Leicester City Council and Cofely, is estimated at £15 million, with an investment of £14 million by Cofely and additional funding from the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP).

So far 7km of insulated pipes have been laid across the city. Upon full completion the scheme is anticipated to deliver heating and hot water to 32 administrative buildings including De Montfort Hall, the town hall and various schools, community centres, libraries and close to 3,000 council homes.

The scheme uses a combination of 5MWe of low carbon gas-fired combined heat & power (CHP), 50MWth of gas boilers and 100kW wood chip fuelled biomass boilers to achieve CO2 emissions savings of 12,000 tonnes per annum. About 3.2MWe of electrical energy is expected to consumed within the University.

Over 300 new CHP schemes in 2011

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 15:51:35 +0100

Annual statistics produced by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) showed that over additional 300 CHP units came into operation last year, with the majority of units in the 30-600 kW category, as used in offices, leisure centres and hotels. This is the result of 194 small scale schemes (ranging from 30 to 600 kWe which were reported by suppliers but are not registered under CHPQA) and 140 new CHP schemes (registered with CHPQA) coming into operation, while 31 CHP schemes which were operating in 2010 subsequently closed and did not operate in 2011.

Overall CHP installed capacity at the end of 2011 stood at 6,111 MWe, an increase of 57MWe (1%) compared to 2010. Largely, CHP now provides 7.5% of the UK's electricity requirements and saves 14 million tonnes of CO2 per year. When E.ON's 1,275 MW Isle of Grain CHP facility is completed later this year, that total will rise by an additional 3 million tonnes.

The statistics also showed a rise in the use of renewable fuels in CHP plant to 6.2% in 2011, mainly due to an increase in the use of sewage gas
and wood fuels.

London's Shard gets CHP

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:48:05 +0100

Located in the heart of London, on the south bank of the River Thames, the Shard is a 306-metre glass spire. The Shard will be home to office space, residential apartments, a five-star hotel, retail units and restaurants spread across 600,000 square feet and 72 storeys. At time of completion the Shard building is the tallest building in the European Union and the second tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom. Mindful of the Shard's environmental impact and in order to maintain the highest levels of energy efficiency, the building is fitted with a natural gas-fuelled combined heat & power plant. The Shard utilises a gas engine and the cogeneration facility was engineered, installed and will be maintained by the energy services provider.

This combined heat and power (CHP) plant will provide both 1.131MW of electricity and 1.199MW of hot water at high efficiency (85.3% total, 41.4% electrical) to the surrounding area. This helps to reduce carbon emissions and contributes to the low-carbon footprint of the building. In parallel this provides significant cost savings versus the separate purchase of electricity and gas from the national grids. The generators are located in the basement of the building and are housed in acoustic enclosures in order to negate the emission of sound from the engines. The gas engines are also characterised by very low levels of NOx emissions (<250mg/Nm3) which is important to achieve the strict air quality requirements in the capital.