Plenty happened in January 2020. New developments and new ambitious targets for governments, below is a selection of news stories in January.
Ambitious plans for new developments including district energy centre in Leyton (5 Jan)
One of the largest single planning applications in the history of the borough has been submitted to Waltham Forest Council. Plans for The Score Centre site opposite Coronation Gardens and Leyton Orient’s football ground include 750 homes, a new indoor sports complex, health centre, commercial space, civic square, nursery and district heating centre.
Scottish Government announced new build homes will be more energy efficient (5 Jan)
New regulations will be developed to ensure all new homes use renewable or low carbon heating from 2024. This move to increase energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions for new build homes will run alongside a £30 million investment in renewable heat projects. Renewable and low carbon heating systems will also be phased in for non-domestic buildings given consent to build from 2024 as part of a number of Scottish Government initiatives to help tackle the climate emergency.
East Cambridgeshire moving from oil to renewable heat (12 Jan)
Funding of nearly £300,000 has been granted to a project which will see homes in an East Cambridgeshire village stop relying on oil and move to renewable heat. Following a series of technical studies it was decided that the best option would be to install a ground source heat pump that would pump thermal energy through a network, into homes within the village.
Ian Calvert new Director of ADE (17 Jan)
Ian will be responsible for the development and implementation of the Association’s vision for the future of our energy system as we move towards net zero, and will oversee the Association’s strategic relationships with members, government, regulators and wider stakeholders.
UK Green Building Council publish performance targets for offices (14 Jan)
UKGBC has published new energy performance targets for commercial offices that are aiming to achieve net zero carbon in operation. Following direct engagement with industry and analysis of the projected zero carbon energy capacity of the UK, UKGBC is recommending that the offices sector should reduce energy demand by an average of 60% by 2050 to help the UK achieve net zero.
Innovative energy scheme proposed for South Tyneside (20 Jan)
The Viking Energy Network would work by harnessing low-grade heat from the River Tyne and exporting it to 11 council-owned buildings in Jarrow, including high-rise flats, schools and sheltered accommodation schemes.
Wales to introduce low carbon homes to reach targets 2050 (20 Jan)
The Welsh government has announced ambitious new proposals which would lead to all new homes in Wales being heated and powered only from clean energy sources from 2025. The consultation proposals unveiled by Housing Minister, Julie James, are part of wider Welsh Government plans to address the climate emergency it declared last year. Later this year, ministers will bring forward legislation to adopt a 95% greenhouse gas reduction target, with an ambition to reach net zero in future.
New clean energy innovation test-bed campus for E.ON (22 Jan)
The developers of what purports to be the UK’s first “smart” commercial campus have singed a 50-year deal with E.ON, that will see the utility giant develop, test and scale-up clean energy solutions in the west country. E.ON will work with the landowner and developer Gravity. In partnership, the firms will work to develop, test and scale-up on-site solutions such as renewable electricity generation and storage arrays; low-carbon heat networks and energy-efficient cooling systems.
Spring to heat Welsh primary school (24 Jan)
A project to heat a primary school in Taff’s Well with the only thermal spring in Wales has been given the go ahead. There is also the possibility of a second phase to the project by expanding the use of the spring water into a small but wider district heating network.
Stockholm plans world’s first carbon-negative district heating (28 Jan)
A JV with Fortum wants to test linking a carbon capture system (CCS) to a bio-fuel powered combined-cycle plant. Stockholm Exergi has more than 800,000 heating customers. In addition, its district cooling is utilized in over 400 hospitals, data centers and companies. The joint venture’s targets to use 100% renewable fuels by 2022. The CCS plans at biofuel-powered district heating are part of Stockholm’s target to become the first city in the world with a positive carbon footprint by 2040.
Scotland to attract green investments in collaboration with London (28 Jan)
Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon and the Lord Mayor of London William Russell are spearheading a joint effort to grow the Scottish green finance sector. The events are viewed as a forum to progress the green finance agenda ahead of the United Nations’ climate change summit (COP26) being held in Glasgow in November. Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, says “For this to happen government and the private sector must work in partnership. I want Scotland to be seen as the best place to make green investments, not just in major schemes but in smaller, sub-£10 million projects such as district heating networks.”
Bromsgrove with ambitious plans including heat networks (28 Jan)
A new heat network which could be established in Bromsgrove has the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of some of the town’s public buildings long-term by between 30 and 60 per cent. Ambitious plans have been unveiled for the centre which would extract warm water from an aquifer 200 metres underground. The initial cost of the exploratory work would be £250,000, including £70,000 to drill the borehole and £30,000 on technical advice surrounding it.
ADE announces call for innovation in “dragon’s lair” challenge (31 Jan)
The Dragon’s Den session will profile businesses that are innovating in the way they engage with and deliver to customers, across power, heat, flexibility and efficiency on a domestic, commercial or industrial scale. We are looking for innovative technologies and business approaches that are shaking things up and can demonstrate new ways of doing things.
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