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www.heatingandventilating.net


District heating


Putting the heat in heat networks


Mike Hefford, Remeha CHP’s general manager, explains why Combined Heat and Power (CHP) should be at the core of any heat network


T


he recently published Clean Growth Strategy, along with the Industrial Strategy White Paper, has put low


carbon heating high on the UK energy agenda. Reports suggest heat networks should now be the chosen method of efficiently heating large housing developments and dense urban areas. According to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the UK “will need to drive a significant acceleration in the pace of decarbonization” in order to meet its fourth and fifth carbon budgets (covering the period between 2023 and 2032). To drive energy efficiency, the government aims to invest around £162m in research and innovation in energy, resource and process efficiency, including up to £20m to encourage switching to lower carbon fuels. One way to do this is through building and extending heat networks across the country, which are supported by public funding until 2021. Heat networks (also known as district heating systems) can help reduce carbon and greenhouse gas emissions whilst decreasing our reliance on carbon-based energy. In fact, up to 60% of the UK’s heat demand could be met by efficient heat networks. While a number of different heat


sources can be used in a heat network, a low carbon technology such as CHP enables both energy costs and carbon emissions to be reduced. CHP is approximately 30 per cent more efficient than relying on traditional heating plant and electricity supplied solely from the grid.To get the maximum output from the CHP, it needs to work in tandem with new or existing boilers and/or water heaters. In a properly designed and commissioned system, heating and hot water will be supplied by the CHP first, with any additional thermal demand being supplied by the boilers. A 2015 report into heat networks


concluded that there was technical opportunity in the UK for CHP to supply


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more than 390TWh per year to commercial, public and residential applications. However, CHP will only operate efficiently and generate cost savings if it is running constantly at full output – there must be enough demand for the heat and electricity produced. When specifying CHP it is best to keep it as small as possible. However, some specifiers and consultants tend to follow the ’10 per cent for luck’ rule, which can lead to the installation of an oversized system. A better rule to follow is that no heat demand equals a CHP system that is not running – and without that, the anticipated electricity will not be generated. CHP suppliers such as Remeha can help with the feasibility study requirements which determines whether the base load for heat and electricity for the building is sufficient to keep the unit operating optimally. For example, on an R-Gen 50/100-CHP unit the heat produced is around 100kWt (depending on the return temperature to the unit) and the electrical output is 50kWe. If the base loads are above these


figures, the CHP will run continuously, supported by high efficiency condensing boilers when there’s high demand. Both the heat and electricity generated from the CHP will be sized to be used within the building its supplying. Successful CHP installations require a team approach from the outset, with the CHP supplier involved in every part of the design and installation process. Once installed and operational, it is crucial that a long-term maintenance contract is put in place so that the supplier can monitor the system to guarantee optimum performance and operational life. CHP suppliers offer remote monitoring of CHP units, whereby a modem is connected to either a landline or mobile network, which can transmit data between the site and the unit’s monitoring centre. CHP engines are maintained on a running hours basis and remote monitoring is a valuable


The Remeha R-Gen CHP range provides heat and power for applications with consistent heating and electricity


tool that alerts both user and service team when a service is becoming due. According to the Association for


Mike Hefford, Remeha CHP’s general manager


Decentralised Energy (ADE), although average grid emissions may fall through throughout the 2020s, gas CHP will continue to reduce carbon emissions by up to 30% far into the 2030s. Heat networks, incorporating CHP, offer reliable and easy to maintain heating solutions for groups of buildings, whether they be residential housing, apartment schemes or commercial premises. With this in mind, the most economical solution to reduce our carbon footprint is to build more heat networks powered by CHP. With government support and funding we are likely to see CHP at the forefront of towards the drive heat networks. Remeha’s CHP range spans 5.5kWe to


100kWe and includes one of Europe’s biggest selling mini-CHP unit - the R-Gen SenerTec Dachs.


February 2018 15


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