CHP & DISTRICT HEATING


System Architecture


LTE Modbus NB-IoT


Remote Monitoring & Optimisation Platform


Heat Generating Equipment Boilers ASHPs Heat Interface Units


Smart Metering


M-Bus


API API


Data Management Portal Billing Authority


Energy Optimisation


Heat networks system architecture


making projects more economically viable while ensuring greater reliability and security as demand on the electrical grid intensifies. In a typical scenario, 80% of the annual heat might come from the heat pump(s) and the remainder from boilers. However, in mission critical networks, resilience must be prioritised in the campus heat network design, which might mean that redundancy needs to be increased as high as 100%. To reiterate, the principle is that alongside environmental sustainability, energy reliability, affordability and security should also be addressed. And as future-proofed natural gas


How heat networks can help universities meet net zero goals


The latest campus heat network designs could provide universities with a solution to low-carbon heat on campus and to neighbouring buildings, says Stephen Hart.


Stephen Hart www.baxi.co.uk


F


Director of integrated solutions at Baxi


ollowing an exceptional year of extreme weather, the need to reduce carbon emissions has never been more evident.


Universities are tackling the net zero challenge head on with a sector-wide target of reducing emissions by 75% by 2035. Many have gone one step further, setting ambitious individual net-zero goals two or three decades ahead of the government’s 2050 target. But decarbonising heat still typically presents challenges for universities due to old and inefficient existing campus heating infrastructure. One effective solution, given the high


density of buildings and users, matched by a predictably high heat demand, could be to implement a low-carbon campus heat network.


Campus heating Heat networks have been identified as having a crucial role to play in decarbonising heat in UK buildings. The government’s ambition is for 20% of UK heat demand to be supplied from heat networks by 2050, up from an estimated 2-3% today. Government and private sector funds are available to help increase uptake rate. A heat network provides hot water


and/or space heating to consumers in multiple buildings (district heating) or consumers in multiple dwellings within a high-rise tower block (communal heating).


Campus heating is a subdivision of district heating and operates in the same way. Where it differs from a district heating system is that the heat generator is also the owner of the buildings which are connected by underground pipes to a central energy centre.


So what compelling benefits do heat networks offer universities to accelerate their net zero journey? First, they are well suited to highly populated areas with high heat demand


such as a university campus. Added to this is their ability to facilitate mass decarbonisation while providing greater energy security. Installing a new campus heating or


cooling system offers universities a real opportunity to ensure a mission- critical solution that will improve both economic and environmental sustainability while delivering greater energy security and resilience. Looking ahead, there is the potential


to scale up and become a heat network hub to support whole community heating. Developing a heat network on campus could therefore unlock additional future opportunities to provide low carbon heat to businesses and homes off campus.


Designing a campus heat network


Energy centre plant room with ASHP EIBI | JULY � AUGUST 2024


When designing a campus heat network, it’s important to remember that heat networks are heat source agnostic. Many new heat networks are designed to use low-carbon heat sources such as heat pumps or renewable heat such as biomass, now or in the future. They can also use heat recovered from industry or urban infrastructure such as factories, or mines and rivers. Certainly, electric technologies such as heat pumps are the dominant heat source in new heat networks (Source: Heat Trust). Interestingly, CIBSE Code of Practice CP1 suggests that a hybrid engineered approach with gas boilers providing additional capacity at times of peak demand would reduce CAPEX,


boilers installed today could run on biofuel tomorrow – and potentially on site-generated green hydrogen in the future – full decarbonisation is still ultimately achievable. 48% of the 130 heat network


operators surveyed by government in 2022 said they were likely to switch to a low-carbon heat source at the end of their generation asset lifetime. This supports the view that, rather than focusing on the carbon intensity of the technology at the outset, the priority should be to create the heat network infrastructure and ensure resilience.


Staged approach Let’s consider the stages involved. The first step is to carry out feasibility and design studies. Consider working with heat experts who can offer digital tools to provide pre-contract design advice and engineered solutions based on low carbon technology generators to support funding applications. At the build stage, evaluate the latest


manufacturing techniques to make installation as smooth as possible. For example, when designing the energy centre, a prefabricated packaged plant room might be considered the best solution to meet all requirements. If this is the chosen approach, look to partner with heating solutions providers who can supply full in-house offsite manufacturing and engineering capabilities as well as all the products. Optimise system performance and


drive efficient maintenance through wireless remote monitoring and control. A 24/7 real time monitor will enable engineers to diagnose any fault remotely and ensure first time visit success while analysing energy data will help identify opportunities for system optimisation. The aim should be sustainability at no cost to resilience. In summary, campus heating


systems offer a technically and economically feasible opportunity to drive universities’ carbon emission reduction strategy, reduce their carbon footprint and improve financial sustainability, security and reliability. ■


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