SUSTAINABILITY
a gas consumption of 15 GWh, in 1990 (Fig 1). The modelling – illustrated using graphs – showed that in 1990, most energy-related emissions were associated with electricity use – the main source of grid electricity generation having been coal, resulting in ‘very high carbon intensity factors’. During the 1990s, the ‘dash-for-gas’ following privatisation of the CEGB saw much of the coal generation displaced by gas-fired power stations, resulting in significant emissions reductions. However, by 2005, the generation mix had ‘levelled out’ – at around 40% coal and 40% gas, with most of the remainder originating from nuclear, and renewables contributing just a very small percentage.
Installation of a CHP system David Oliver explained that with grid electricity ‘levelling off’ at around half a tonne of CO2
Emissions from gas and Electricity – ‘Normal Progression’ 12000 10000
Installation of CHP in 2005 increases gas use, but reduces electricity
8000
imports and site carbon footprint
Accelerated reduction in grid emissions due to coal power stations and increase in renewables
6000
n Natural Gas n Electricity n Total
Baseline of a hospital with 15 GWh of gas and 12 GWh of electricity demand
4000
2000
0 per MWh in the first decade
of the 21st century, one way to both reduce carbon emissions and save money had been to install a combined heat and power plant; Inenco’s model assumed the hospital had installed such a system ‘in or just before 2005’ – resulting in a reduction in electricity imports, but increased gas demand, although the CHP had brought an overall carbon reduction. Returning to grid electricity, and ‘the next big step in decarbonisation’, in 2011, saw electricity market reforms providing subsidies for renewable projects, and leading to increasing taxation on carbon, making coal less attractive. David Oliver said: “The biggest rate of change has occurred in the last five years, and in 2019 the UK generated around 37% of its electricity from renewables, and just 2.5% from coal.” While the carbon intensity of electricity had thus ‘more than halved’ in under a decade, with the last coal-fired power station set to close by 2025, decarbonisation was slowing. The NHS has, however, already addressed carbon emissions from electricity, and from this year the purchase of renewable electricity allows them to be zero.
“Unfortunately,” David Oliver added, “since 1990 there has been virtually no change in the intensity factors for gas. Green-gas is now being produced in bio- methane plants, but represents only a tiny fraction of total gas use, and projects that inject hydrogen into the gas grid are unlikely to make a significant impact in the next decade. So, here’s the challenge: how do you decarbonise heat, and what about all the other sources of NHS carbon emissions?”
‘‘
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 Year
Decarbonisation of Grid Electricity due to changing fuel mix Figure 1: Decarbonisation of gas and electricity – the story so far. Creating your Green Plan
Having set the scene, David Oliver handed over to Beth Goodwin, to explain what to include in a Green Plan. She said: “We need to be clear this isn’t just a carbon reduction plan; it’s a live, 3-5 year strategy document, and outlines, say, an acute Trust’s aims, objectives, and delivery plans, for sustainable development. It’s written around the NHS Long Term Plan, and should help the Trust deliver on its goals, improve the health of its local community, achieve its financial goals, and meet its legislative requirements.”
Given that Green Plans must be Board- approved, they needed to be ‘both ambitious and realistic’, with progress reported to the Board annually, and with at least one review, ‘with better targets set if applicable’. Having evolved from the original SDMPs, Green Plans took a broad view of sustainability, and the associated report should cover not only the environmental impact of the actions incorporated, but equally their social and financial impacts.
Goals to include
Beth Goodwin explained that among ‘the essential’ goals to include were to: n Reduce carbon, waste, and water, including by phasing out coal and oil fuel as primary heating.
n Switch to lower carbon asthma inhalers. n Reduce the carbon footprint from anaesthetic gases.
It’s written around the NHS Long Term Plan, and should help the Trust deliver on its goals, improve the health of its local community, achieve its financial goals, and meet its legislative requirements
32 Health Estate Journal March 2021
n Improve air quality – including by cutting business mileages and fleet air pollutant emissions by 20%.
n Reduce the use of avoidable single-use plastics.
These imperatives had been built upon further in the Operational and Planning Guidance 2020/2021, which includes direct targets, designed to help Trusts refine their ‘green planning’. These include: n Cutting business mileages and NHS fleet air pollutant emissions by 20% by 2023/24.
n Moving to purchasing 100% renewable electricity by April 2021.
n Replacing lighting with LED alternatives during routine maintenance.
n Ensuring that all new-builds and refurbishment projects are delivered to Net Zero carbon standards.
n Implementing the Estates and Facilities Management ‘Stretch’ programme.
n Signing up to, and delivering, the NHS Plastics Pledge.
n Reducing the carbon impact of metered dose inhalers, and the proportion of desflurane to sevoflurane used in surgery to under 20% by volume.
The SDAT
She said: “These measures will give a great basis for your Green Plan.” There was, however, ‘a key tool’ to assist with increasing the scope of an organisation’s sustainability measures – the SDAT (Sustainable Development Assessment Tool), which measures sustainability across 10 key areas, and includes just short of 300 'yes/no/in progress' statements designed to give a score, and clear targets to achieve. Although not mandatory, Beth Goodwin said it was good practice to include a target to improve on the
2035 2040 Green Procurement of Electricity
Tonnes of CO2
e per year
©Inenco
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