ENERGY


Over time, we will also benefit from the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive and this could save us an additional £15,000, annually. As well as using these savings to make investments in other areas of the school, our teachers have also gained a ready-made educational tool to help children understand the long term value of renewable energy.” Also looking forward to considerable savings while promoting sustainability is Paul Harris, estate and facilities manager at Highfield and Brookham Schools in Liphook, Hampshire that require a huge 1.3m kWh per annum. “Last year we spent around £98,000 on oil which we now will not need, so this will be a direct and instant saving. We are also applying for the RHI scheme which should give us approximately £50,000 per annum index linked for the next 20 years.” Incentive payments are linked to the amount of renewable heat generated and even small-scale users will generate at least – and often more than – the cost of the wood chip or wood pellet fuel each year in incentive payments. Initially, the school is buying in the woodchip needed to fire the boilers but they are fortunate enough to have extensive woodlands on site and plan to use this to


Highfield School


Over the autumn, the boilers and the interfaces around the school were installed and the system was up and running before the Christmas break. Removal of the existing boilers and installation of the new heat exchangers was carried out during school holidays to minimise disruption. The final two heat interfaces were put in place over the


E LESSONS OF


source their own woodchip, becoming ultimately self-sufficient.


They too are fully exploiting the educational opportunities, as Paul explains: “We’ll be using the biomass process within the school curriculum and will have all of the children visiting the building. We’re already introducing it into aspects of the children's projects and focusing the children on renewables within the curriculum.”


In addition to biomass, the estate has installed a number of other sustainable technology systems including solar thermal, solar PV, ground source heat and air source heat systems.


Using a biomass system means installing an entirely new plant. While the cost is subsidised by government incentives, the switch can be achieved with minimal disruption to education. At Highfield and Brookham Schools, work began last summer when the district heat pipes were installed and the boiler and chip storage building were erected during the long break.


then electricity produces a massive 530kg/MWh; oil gives 350kg/MWh and natural gas releases 270kg/MWh. Wood produces just 7kg.MWh.


Mark Smith, assistant head at St


James Primary School in Elstead, Surrey, was an early convert to the carbon neutral biomass solution. His school has had a biomass boiler since August 2010. He


housands of pounds in the process


Easter break when the school was able to complete their application and apply for the RHI support.


THE ‘CARBON NEUTRAL’ SOLUTION The production of biomass energy is considered to be a sustainable process as trees takes carbon out of the atmosphere as they grow, and returns it as they burned. Managed on a sustainable basis, biomass can be harvested as part of a constantly replenished crop, usually by woodland management or coppicing, or as part of a continuous programme of


replanting. The new growth takes up CO2 from the atmosphere and the combustion of the previous harvest releases it. This maintains a closed carbon cycle with no net increase in atmospheric CO2


levels,


sometimes referred to as ‘carbon neutral’. Further savings in CO2


are made


when biomass is used as an alternative to a fossil fuel. Savings depend on the fuel being displaced, but these can be very significant. If the net CO2


emissions are calculated over the life cycle of a fuel,


says: “After exploring a range of heating possibilities for the school, we opted for biomass, given its excellent sustainability profile and cost effectiveness. It was also compelling for us to select an energy option which allows us to use a locally sourced fuel supply – not only does this help to minimise our carbon footprint, but it also allows us to support industry within our local community.”


LC Energy has established a tradition of working with schools to further the understanding of biomass and develop the educational opportunities around the process. James Little, LC Energy’s business development manager explains: “We work with schools to help illustrate the whole tree-to-heat story to pupils. The children always find it engaging to have a hands- on approach to learning about energy production and giving them a Norway Spruce to plant at home really gets them involved – nothing like a spot of competitive tree growing to get the creative juices flowing!” www.lcenergy.co.uk


PUBLIC SECTOR SUSTAINABILITY • VOLUME 3 ISSUE 3 23


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