Energy Manager October 2020

OCTOBER 2020

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How to prepare your heating system for another wave of COVID-19

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

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14

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A space to thrive: How learning environments can boost productivity

Controlling the cost of COVID ventilation

How offsite benefits the ‘new normal’

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FRONT COVER STORY:

How to prepare your heating system for another wave of COVID-19 See page 26

OCTOBER 2020

PUBLISHER: Ralph Scrivens ralph@ energymanagermagazine.co.uk PRODUCTION: Sarah Daviner sarah@ energymanagermagazine.co.uk ACCOUNTS: accounts@ energymanagermagazine.co.uk PRINT: Mixam Print

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INSIDE: 4

News

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Opinion

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Monitoring & Metering

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Net Zero

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Boilers & Burners

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Heating

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CHP

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Ventilation

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District Heating

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Renewable Energy

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Water Management

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Driving the Future ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

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NEWS

IPG’S FLAMELESS CERAMIC TURBINE: A SOLUTION FOR CLEAN, OFF-GRID POWER IN UK EV CHARGING

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ntelligent Power Generation (IPG) set to demonstrate the impact of their breakthrough turbine technology in UK electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, following a £1m contract from Highways England.

IPG secured £1m as part of the Highways England (HE) and Innovate UK’s £20m ‘Innovation call’ to invest in projects that can help improve air quality and operation of England’s roads.

Completing in Early 2021, IPG’s project will demonstrate the role of their Flameless Ceramic Turbine technology in bringing EV charging to high-use and remote locations through clean, cheap, grid-independent power generation.

In efforts to scale EV charging infrastructure to support the expected rise of electric vehicles on the road, the UK government is set to increase the number of high-powered rapid chargepoints in England from 809 (as of 1 January 2020) to 6,000 by 2035.

This growth will require high megawatt capacities across England’s road networks.

But, in many high-use areas and remote locations, upgrading grid connections to meet future charging demand is not practical or commercially viable.

IPG’s Flameless Ceramic Turbine is a 100kW modular generator, delivering cleaner, cheaper, grid-independent power for the net-zero future. Up to 8

turbines fit in a 20ft shipping container, forming a deployable power solution for EV charging companies that can be scaled to match demand in any location.

In bringing power plant efficiencies to the microscale through high-temperature ceramics, IPG’s turbine delivers a 51% fuel efficiency, reduces CO2 emissions by 43% and fuel costs by up to 76%.

Breakthrough flameless combustion eliminates all pollutant emissions such as NOx, CO, and PM, and enables the fuelflexibility that is crucial in creating demand for clean alternative fuels, accelerating the transition to a net-zero carbon economy. www.intelligentpowergen.com

NHS becomes the world’s first national health system to commit to become ‘carbon net zero’, backed by clear deliverables and milestones

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he NHS has adopted a multiyear plan to become the world’s first carbon net zero national health system. The commitment comes amid growing evidence of the health impacts of climate change and air pollution, and aims to save thousands of lives and hospitalisations across the country.

Air pollution is linked to killer conditions like heart disease, stroke and lung cancer, and academics have linked high pollution days with hundreds of extra out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and hospital admissions for stroke and asthma.

The changing climate is leading to more frequent heatwaves and extreme weather events such as flooding, including the potential spread of infectious diseases to the UK. Almost 900 people were killed by last summer’s heatwaves while nearly 18 million patients go to a GP practice in an area that exceeds the World Health Organisation’s air pollution limit.

Scientists believe perhaps a third of new asthma cases might be avoided by cutting emissions, while Lyme Disease and encephalitis are among conditions expected to become more common as temperatures rise.

NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said: “2020 has been dominated by COVID-19 and is the most pressing health emergency facing us. But undoubtedly climate change poses the most profound long-term threat to the health of the nation.

“It is not enough for the NHS to treat the problems caused by air pollution and climate change – from asthma to heart

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attacks and strokes – we need to play our part in tackling them at source.”

“The NHS has already made significant progress decarbonising our care, but as the largest employer in Britain, responsible for around 4% of the nation’s carbon emissions, if this country is to succeed in its overarching climate goals the NHS has to be a major part of the solution.”

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), said: “Cutting carbon emissions is essential to protect health, everywhere in the world. I welcome the leadership of the largest single health system in the world, the National Health Service in England, in committing to be carbon neutral in its own operations by 2040, and to drive emissions reductions in its suppliers and partners. Health is leading the way to a greener, safer planet.”

NHS England convened the NHS Net Zero Expert Panel in January following the launch of the Climate Assembly UK, to take and analyse evidence on how the health service can contribute to nationwide carbon reduction efforts.

Led by Dr Nick Watts, Executive Director of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, the Panel comprised public health and climate experts as well as patient and staff representatives.

Their report, endorsed by the NHS board today, sets out how the health service has already cut its own carbon footprint by 62% compared to the internationalstandard 1990 baseline, and by 26% when indirect factors are included.

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

Based on the findings of the report the NHS has formally adopted two targets, set as the earliest possible credible dates for the NHS to achieve net zero emissions: • for the NHS Carbon Footprint (emissions under NHS direct control), net zero by 2040, with an ambition for an interim 80% reduction by 2028-2032, and; • for the NHS Carbon Footprint Plus, (which includes our wider supply chain), net zero by 2045, with an ambition for an interim 80% reduction by 2036-2039.

Dr Watts and his team will engage widely to support delivery, with interventions including: • new ways of delivering care at or closer to home, meaning fewer patient journeys to hospitals; • greening the NHS fleet, including working towards road-testing a zero-emissions emergency ambulance by 2022; • reducing waste of consumable products and switching to lowcarbon alternatives where possible; • making sure new hospitals and buildings are built to be net-zero emissions, and; • building energy conservation into staff training and education programmes.

All local NHS organisations will name a senior lead to achieve these improvements. www.improvement.nhs.uk For more info visit: www.england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/

NEWS

FREE WHITE PAPER EXPLAINS ‘WIN-WIN’ COMMERCIAL CASE FOR POWER-AS-A-SERVICE MODEL

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he changing landscape of the energy sector is driving the uptake of new service-based models for the maintenance and care of electrical infrastructure, concludes a new White Paper from Vattenfall Networks Solutions.

Vattenfall’s free-to-download White Paper is essential reading for anyone concerned with the ownership and management of high-voltage electrical infrastructure in energyintensive businesses where network stability is business-critical.

Written in jargon-free, uncomplicated language, the White Paper - which can be accessed from Vattenfall’s website, communicates a clear commercial case for Power-as-a-Service (PaaS).

Vattenfall’s PaaS service, which is the first of its kind in the UK, provides major energy users with power services in exchange for a fixed monthly fee. It can help major energy users by freeing up significant working capital from their high voltage energy infrastructure for reinvestment in their core business.

For anyone not yet familiar with this service model, the Paper offers an overview of PaaS and establishes the short, medium and long-term commercial advantages it brings to energy

intensive businesses.

The White Paper will be of interest to multiple layers and job functions within organisations ranging from production and engineering professionals concerned about energy resilience and security and stability of energy supply; to CEOs and CFOs focused on the negative financial and branddamaging impacts of power-outages and unplanned downtime.

The Paper also explains the operational, financial and environmental benefits of PaaS and provides examples of real-life best practice case studies where companies are already benefiting from the model.

“Managing your own high-voltage energy infrastructure is a complex task that requires significant resources, in terms of skills and capital,” says Stewart Dawson, Managing Director of Vattenfall Network Solutions.

“At a time when many businesses are exploring new ways to release value from their electrical assets, our Power-as-a-

Service model provides peace of mind for major electricity users while freeing up financial capital. As PaaS is still a new commercial model, we felt that it was important to support the market with content that explains this model from the ground-up. We urge anyone concerned with maintaining a reliable energy supply in their business to read the paper and open up a conversation with us to see how we can help.”

To download a copy of the paper, visit: https://networksolutions.vattenfall.co.uk/poweras-a-service-white-paper

AN INNOVATIVE NEW BEHAVIOUR CHANGE PROGRAMME TO HELP DRIVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY MEASURES IN ORGANISATIONS GLOBALLY

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he Energy Conscious Organisation – EnCO programme is a joint project from ESTA – Energy Services and Technology Association and the Energy Institute.

The ambition for this programme is based on our aims and beliefs as follows: • To tackle the climate emergency an approach is required to embrace Behaviour Change improvements, particularly from an energy perspective, which evidence would suggest is equal to or greater than improvements using technology – which currently receive significant investment • A short to medium term vision is that ‘Energy Conscious

Organisations’ will generate 10% of energy reduction savings through Behaviour Change by 2025/30’ • This target can be exceeded by organisations embracing a more structured, code of practice driven, approach to Behaviour Change • The potential is significant as this market is largely untapped.

Furthermore, evidence shows that behaviour change projects are quick payback and low investment (even when including the cost of internal resources) • EnCO provides the methodology and approach for delivering Behaviour Change programmes as a holistic, robust, best practice approach

• The initial Energy Conscious Organisation vision is to generate ‘50 to 100 proven case studies using IPMVP in the next three years’ such that EnCOs become mainstream This programme is aimed at businesses and organisations of all sizes, types and sectors, both public and private.

There is now a structure in place to train and accredit Registered EnCO Consultants and Approved EnCO Practitioners and guidelines will shortly be available on how end user organisations will be able to gain the EnCO accreditation.

Full details can be found at: www. energyconsciousorganisation.org.uk

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

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NEWS

E-STOR ENERGY STORAGE TO OPTIMISE VALUE OF MULTIPLE LOW CARBON ENERGY SOURCES

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econd life battery pioneer, Connected Energy, will install one of its new generation of energy storage systems as part of UK trailblazing project, the Mildenhall Hub. As well as the E-STOR system, the project, due for completion in 2021, will include a 160kWp solar array, an 85kW natural gas-powered Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit, and a 300kWth ground source heat system (GSHP). There is potential for more solar panels to be installed at the hub over the coming years.

The project has been led by West Suffolk Council working with other partners in education, leisure, health, community and public services.

Capitalising on Connected Energy’s control software, the E-STOR will be used to optimise how the various zero and low carbon energy sources are utilised to minimise costs and the carbon intensity of the energy mix. The energy storage system will be used to capitalise on the locally generated electricity, and minimise the electricity drawn from the grid, in particular during peak tariff periods.

The 300kW/360kWh containerised E-STOR system to be used at Mildenhall Hub, comprised of 24 second life Renault Kangoo batteries, will initially provide Triad avoidance and frequency response services but the renewable optimisation will be the primary function when the full PV array is installed.

The Mildenhall Hub E-STOR will be the second installation of the new generation

Connected Energy E-STOR 1 – The new 300kW/360kWh E-STOR system Image courtesy of Connected Energy

systems for Connected Energy, quickly following on from the announcement of its first system, at The Hold for Suffolk County Council, in July 2020. The new generation systems include a range of enhancements building on learning from systems Connected Energy has installed over the last five years.

By working with Renault and Hitatchi ABB Power Grids, Connected Energy have increased efficiencies on both the power and capacity sides of the E-STOR system, as well as significantly reducing the cost of cooling the system, whilst

increasing the effectiveness and control.

The multi-million-pound Mildenhall Hub project will include a new school, leisure facilities, a health centre, an advice centre, library, community services and office space for public sector partners. The site’s GSHP will naturally warm its swimming pools.

Collectively the greenhouse gas emissions savings across the site are estimated to amount to 200 tonnes in 2021 and 2,300 tonnes over the 20-year lifetime for the plant – the equivalent of taking 820 cars off the road1. www.c-e-int.com 1 figures provided by West Suffolk Council

TEAM ENERGY AWARDED PLACE ON G-CLOUD 12 FRAMEWORK

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nergy and sustainability consultancy specialist, TEAM Energy, has successfully been listed on the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) G-Cloud 12 Framework, to offer its cloudbased services to the public sector.

Organisations looking to adopt digital solutions that enable their energy and sustainability ambitions, can use G-Cloud 12 to access TEAM’s suite of services including their innovative Sigma energy management and tenant billing solutions. To support their successful deployment, the company is offering service design, data migration, project management, software testing and staff training on the Framework.

TEAM’s appointment to G-Cloud 12 is one of several recent achievements. Last month they celebrated 35 years of business, and became one of the first organisations

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to appoint registered Energy Conscious Consultants through the Energy Services and Technology Association (ESTA) EnCO Training Programme. As part of the ongoing expansion of their Consultancy offering, the company has also recently launched a number of new energy services, including their Energy Behaviour Change Programmes and MOP efficiency contract service.

Commenting on the good news, Pete Morrell, Sales Manager for TEAM said: “We’re delighted to achieve accreditation for the latest iteration of G-Cloud. This framework gives public sector organisations a more effective and cost-efficient route to adopting technology to support their energy and carbon management.

At a time when the public sector can really benefit from digitising their existing energy management to streamline their

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

processes and create cost and resource savings, this Framework is vitally important. “ Public sector organisations wanting to deploy Sigma energy management solutions will benefit from TEAM’s firstclass implementation, support and advanced training programmes.

G-Cloud 12 is the latest iteration of the Government procurement framework that provides public sector customers with an alternative route to procuring digital services, helping them avoid traditional procurement processes that can often be lengthy and constrain buying decisions.

Hosted via the Digital Marketplace, each iteration of the framework offers organisations innovative technology solutions to meet their unique industry challenges. www.teamenergy.com

NEWS

Salix Finance to deliver Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) £1 billion Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to tackle carbon emissions

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he Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has launched a £1bn Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme as part of the Chancellor’s ‘Plan for Jobs’ commitment to support the UK’s economic recovery from COVID-19, supporting skilled jobs in the low carbon and energy efficiency sectors. The scheme will also support the Government’s net zero and clean growth goals and will be delivered by Salix Finance, an organisation with a long track record of supporting the public sector to improve energy efficiency.

The scheme, opening today, will provide grant funding for energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation measures across the public sector, Central Government Departments and non-departmental public bodies.

The finance will be targeted at nondomestic buildings in England and will support the delivery of green investment initiatives to deliver significant carbon and financial savings in the public sector and stimulate the economy.

The Government has also launched a Public Sector Low Carbon Skills Fund

today. The fund will be delivered by Salix Finance and will enable the sector to access funding for the identification, development and management of energy efficiency projects and apply to the Public Sector Decarbonisation scheme.

Which organisations can apply for the scheme and funding?

Both schemes invite Public Sector bodies, Central Government Departments and non-departmental public bodies, to apply for funding.

Grants@salixfinance.co.uk PSLCSF@salixfinance.co.uk

RENEWABLES LOOK TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES AS COVID-19 PANDEMIC OFFERS SNAPSHOT INTO THE FUTURE OF THE ENERGY SYSTEM

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martestEnergy’s ‘Smart Generation: State of the Market Report 2020’ outlines how flexibility and maximising merchant revenue models will be key to successful generation projects in the post-subsidy energy landscape.

SmartestEnergy’s latest report picks up where their Annual Energy Entrepreneurs report series left off, revealing that independent generation continued to deploy 75.4MW of capacity in 2020 despite dwindling subsidy-support and construction delays caused by COVID-19.

However, the future remains positive for the deployment of independent renewables according to the report, which states that the independent sector could account for anywhere between 84GW – 148GW of low carbon and renewable generation as the UK aims to reach net-zero by 2050. Project developers are now looking towards merchant revenue models, co-location with battery storage and innovative contract structures, such as Corporate PPAs, to turn that vision into reality.

The report also details how record low levels of demand caused by the closure of workplaces across the UK in response to the coronavirus, coupled

with favourable weather conditions for renewables, created a new scenario for National Grid to deal with as generation was required to turn down in order to help manage the energy system.

In order to do this, the System Operator primarily called upon the Balancing Mechanism (BM) alongside a newly introduced service, Optional Downward Flexibility Management (ODFM), which allows National Grid to turn down assets on the distribution network that they were previously unable to access.

Across the Spring Bank Holiday Weekend (22nd – 25th May) just over 68GW of generation was turned down to help keep the electricity network in balance. As more renewable generation connects to the grid and demand-side energy efficiency improves, scenarios like this are expected to become more commonplace in the future.

Key figures from the report include: • Over the past decade, coal has gone from making up 28% of the UK’s overall Fuel Mix in 2010, to 2% in 2020 • Across the same timeframe, the independent renewable

sector has grown from just under 7GW to 24.8GW of capacity (Solar accounting for 8.3GW, Onshore Wind 8GW) • Across 2019-20, 279.7MW of independent renewable generation deployed in Scotland • 74MW of operational battery storage is now located with renewables across the UK • The average value achieved by assets bid into the Balancing Mechanism by SmartestEnergy between Oct 2019 – Jun 2020 was £66.26/MWh; the total volume traded by SmartestEnergy in the BM across the same time period was 15.69GW • Over the Spring Bank Holiday Weekend (22nd-25th May) solar and wind generators achieved an average value of around £2,500/MW when they were turned down as part of ODFM https://www2.smartestenergy. com/SGSOTMReport2020

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

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OPINION

ACHIEVING ZERO CARBON FOR ZERO COST: WHY GIVING THE GREEN LIGHT TO SUSTAINABILITY DOESN’T NEED TO COST THE EARTH Pradyumna Pandit, Mitie, Managing Director of Sustainability and Energy Services.

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mages of ice sheets melting and wildfires on the news have continued to strengthen the support for sustainability initiatives, with many consumers now demanding that businesses and the Government do more to drive a ‘Green Recovery’.

This movement has spread through to the business community, with some organisations tying executives’ compensation to sustainability targets and investors increasingly focused on Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) rankings when considering their investment decisions.

With the UK officially in recession, many businesses are now facing increasing challenges when it comes to managing their properties and allocating their CAPEX budget. As a result, we’re now seeing sustainability directors and facilities managers facing the challenging task of implementing ambitious green recoveries with a small budget.

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The good news for businesses in this position is that by implementing the right solutions, firms can improve their buildings’ energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions at little to no cost.

Indeed, at Mitie, we’ve designed over 150 interventions to help businesses cut their energy use. These solutions were developed as part of Plan Zero, our commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2025 and to help our customers meet their own environmental ambitions. And, have saved our customers 300,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, during financial year 19/20.

From eliminating carbon from power and transport, to eradicating non-sustainable waste and enhancing building’s energy efficiency, our Plan Zero approach considers every aspect of a business and how it can be more sustainable. However, given the central role of the building in achieving net zero carbon emissions, many of these solutions can support sustainability and facilities managers looking to improve site’s efficiency, generating important financial and carbon savings. These financial savings can then be reinvested to fund further sustainability solutions, putting a stop to the budget vs. environment dilemma.

As reviewing the energy use of every single asset can be a tedious process, especially if the company has multiple sites across the UK, we recommend investing in a Carbon and Energy Management System (CEMS). Using a CEMS can take the load off your shoulders, as it organises energy consumption data, estimates the business’ carbon emissions and provides information in the format required by reporting guidelines.

In addition to setting and tracking objectives and completing reports, reviewing energy bills can help spot mistakes, such as additional charges that may be increasing energy costs. Indeed, during the financial year 19/20, we saved our customers over £3m just by reviewing and spotting issues in their energy bills.

Bill validation can also help identify opportunities to reduce energy consumption. For example, if bills show certain buildings are using significant amounts of energy when they’re in fact empty, it could highlight that the site needs to go into hibernation. By hibernating the building when empty – not just in the case of lockdowns, but on weekends and bank holidays too – significant energy, carbon and cost savings can be made.

SET REALISTIC, ACHIEVABLE AND STRETCHING OBJECTIVES

START SMALL

Before diving into the number of interventions available to improve carbon consumption, it’s important to take a step back and get a picture of the business’ energy consumption, including how much energy is being used and where. This data will provide a benchmark for setting energy and carbon saving targets and milestones against which to measure the business’ progress. Whether you plan to achieve these targets in five or 20 years, it’s important to ensure that objectives are quantifiable, achievable and realistic, but also stretching.

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

Once all the objectives are set, it’s time to get on your feet and review each site to identify new opportunities to improve energy efficiency. We recommend starting small, for example by replacing all fluorescent and halogen lights with energy efficiency LEDs. These changes may seem simple; however, when scaled up across sites, they can have a big impact. Indeed, by changing all light bulbs to led and installing passive infrared sensors (PIR), which switch on the light when movement is detected, businesses can save up to 30% in their energy bills.

As financial and energy saving start adding up, businesses can reinvest

OPINION these funds in bigger solutions, such as making sure all windows are double glazed, improving the building’s insulation, ensuring that heating is only switched on when needed and retrofitting or modifying equipment, such as air conditioning units, to make it more energy efficient. These initiatives can, in turn, reduce the need for heating, leading to a snowball effect of energy, carbon and cost reductions.

Businesses willing to go the extra mile in their efforts to improve energy efficiency should also consider investing in technology solutions, such as remote monitoring. When connected to sensors installed in assets, including air conditioning and boilers, remote monitoring solutions can keep track of systems in real-time and control equipment remotely. As a result, it’s possible to adjust settings, such as temperature levels, depending on specific conditions, reducing energy consumption.

These sensors can also be used to ensure that the equipment is running smoothly and to raise the alarm should it require maintenance or repair. Not only can this preventive maintenance save money from repair costs, it can also reduce carbon emissions by ensuring that assets are as energy efficiency as possible.

Most of these solutions don’t require large capital investments and can generate significant savings, which can then fund further sustainability and energy management solutions. However, for businesses unable to cover the initial investment, we also provide a ‘no saving, no fee’ approach. This means that if we don’t meet set carbon saving targets, there’s no fee to customers.

MAKE THE SWITCH TO RENEWABLE Beyond improving energy efficiency, businesses looking to become truly net zero must consider switching to renewable energy. With subsidy-free power purchase agreements (PPA) available to protect the business against price increases, especially during the winter, renewable energy makes financial sense and helps improve business’ sustainability credentials.

Businesses willing to take the matters in their own hands can look to generate their own renewable energy on-site, through solar panels or ground source heat pumps. As well as being the right thing by the planet, this will help protect the business against unexpected price increases and reduce their energy supply risks.

THINK OUTSIDE THE OFFICE BUBBLE Every business is different, meaning that energy efficiency solutions that work for one organisation, won’t necessarily suit another. This is particularly true for companies with a smaller property footprint. For instance, at Mitie, 90% of our carbon emissions come from our fleet, requiring us think outside of the office to achieve significant carbon reductions.

As a result, we’ve focused on our fleet, committing to switch 20% of our car and small van fleet to electric vehicles by 2020 and the rest of our vehicles by 2025. With

www.pssa.info

our objectives on track, we’ve now also launched our EV Fleet Transition service to use our experience and expertise to support businesses looking to switch to electric. This includes helping companies get through each stage – vehicle choice, charging infrastructure, travel policies and maintenance – of the transition process.

Transitioning to electric vehicles not only has environmental benefits, it can also bring a number of financial advantages. Indeed, looking at the whole life cost a switching to electric vehicles offers reduced maintenance, taxes and running costs compared to their petrol and diesel equivalents. In fact, EVs can often generate enough whole-life savings to cover transition costs in just four years.

While our economy may be facing troubled times and some uncertainty ahead, we believe that this should never be a barrier to striving towards a sustainable future. With the right guidance and solutions, businesses with any budget can improve their buildings’ energy efficiency and achieve ambitious net zero objectives. www.mitie.com

The Public Sector Sustainability Association (PSSA) provides a professional association and network for all those working in the Public Sector who have a common interest in sustainability. The aim of the association is to bring together a wide group of people working across all areas of the Public Sector – to educate, train, support and connect as we work towards a more sustainable future.

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

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OPINION

A SPACE TO THRIVE: HOW LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS CAN BOOST PRODUCTIVITY COMFORTABLE INDOOR VENTILATION Education, education, education. This well-practiced rallying cry to hail the importance of learning is as relevant today as it’s ever been, with squeezed funding and national targets applying pressure across the whole system. Yet despite these challenges, the consistently high standards and stretched resources are prompting some new developments in the education arena. With trusts and academies emerging as the major funders of new educational establishments and refurbishments, we are seeing a marked move towards modern, carefully designed buildings which are as inspirational as they are functional.

SCHOOLS…MORE THAN A BUILDING? Wellbeing, health and comfort are slowly starting to move up the agenda in terms of construction and building management as a whole. In turn, schools too are now beginning to be seen as much more than just a place where teaching and learning happens, and more as a part of the solution itself: an effective, positive learning environment where the very fabric of the building and the features within it can contribute to the students’ success.

SO WHAT EXACTLY DO WE MEAN

BY THIS? Any environment where we spend a great deal of time, whether it’s an office, a nursery, a school, or a healthcare facility, needs to have fundamental features in place to ensure we are comfortable. This includes quality of light, enough space and, temperature. No matter how interesting the lesson, successful the sports game or delicious the canteen

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food, a school experience can always be dampened and remembered for the wrong reasons if were uncomfortable for any reason. It’s a simple fact: our comfort affects our ability to concentrate, to enjoy ourselves and to be productive.

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

COMFORT IN CLASS For effective learning to take place, a combination of stimulation and concentration in the classroom is a must.

Much of the stimulation aspect needs to be down to the teachers: teaching style,

OPINION materials or resources used and ways in which to bring the subject matter to life, whether visually, practically or verbally.

CONCENTRATION IS A LITTLE MORE COMPLEX. Individuals also contribute to this: how willing they are to learn, how much sleep they’ve had, even their personality!

Basic human conditions and the environment we are in also play a huge part in how much we can physically concentrate. Being hungry, overtired or the room being too light, dark, hot or cold can seriously affect how much attention we can pay and how much information we can process.

CONCENTRATION LEVELS Thermal comfort plays an extremely important role in our ability to concentrate. Being too hot or cold seriously impairs our comfort level and can distract us from being able to focus on anything else – our human instincts guide us to redress the balance and adjust our temperature to ‘just right’. In schools, this mismatched comfort can lead to less concentration, disruption and ultimately, a lack of effective learning. In terms of the educational environment, choosing the right solution to suit the age group of the students and the space and layout of the room is crucial.

For young children, low surface temperature (LST) radiators are a sensible choice. For corridors and high traffic areas classic style radiators, such as multi-column or panel models are ideal, as they are robust enough to withstand regular contact and movement.

And for sports halls, assembly halls and large spaces, radiant ceiling panels are the best option, due to their height and out of the way position and their ability to only heat necessary objects within a vast space, thus saving energy and money.

REDUCING NOISE TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY Noise is also an issue. Schools are expected to be busy, bustling places, but having quiet in the classroom, or at least, a lack of distracting background noise, can significantly boost productivity and learning levels. A study conducted

by Belgian researchers and published in the Journal of Neuroscience shows that this is particularly true of younger students. The study showed that the brains of children ages 6-9 ‘have a significantly harder time than adult brains tracking and distinguishing voices amid background noise.’ It also found that for younger learners, who are learning to read and distinguish specific spoken words and sounds, having quiet in the classroom was paramount.

LIGHTING UP YOUNG MINDS Another important consideration in creating the ideal learning environment is light. A University of Cambridge study presented at the British Educational Research Association in 2007 showed that if classrooms were too bright, students developed headaches and other symptoms which prevented them from concentrating in class. Flickering fluorescent panels were found to be not only too bright but also a source of distraction and discomfort for classroom occupants.

MULTI-SERVICE SOLUTION Solving all of these issues in an attempt to create the optimal learning space can be expensive, timeconsuming and disruptive, in terms of installing different systems to cover light, heat and acoustics. However, innovative technology and a meeting of minds between indoor climate and lighting experts means that many new educational establishments are

benefitting from a combined approach which houses all three in one.

The multi-service foil, developed by the team here at Zehnder in conjunction with lighting specialists, Whitecroft Lighting, is a system which combines a radiant heating panel, lighting and an acoustics solution to ensure the noise level of the room is suitably balanced.

The multi-service foil combines all the best features of good heating and cooling, lighting and acoustics while allowing other services to be incorporated into its aesthetic design, such as: • speakers • smoke detectors • fire alarms • sprinkler heads An added bonus is that as all of the systems exist in one product, greatly reducing installation times meaning only one team is needed to install the single system.

As technology continues to develop and the world gets busier and more populated with information, getting young minds to focus and learn effectively in the classroom is only going to get more challenging.

Harnessing technology to produce and implement solutions like this which tackle multiple requirements in one unit is a great first step in improving the environments in which the next generation can learn, study and thrive. www.zehnder.co.uk

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

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MONITORING & METERING

AI AND SMART METERS ARE HELPING BUSINESSES BECOME SAFER, GREENER AND MORE COMPETITIVE. HERE’S HOW. Bjoern Reinke, Director of Data and Data Science at Haven Power

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or some time, companies have been using automated meter reading (AMR) and smart meters to manage energy use across their business. These meters provide half-hourly data to energy suppliers. With this information, they can build an accurate energy consumption profile for each customer. These profiles can help customers reduce waste and control their outgoings.

There are a significant number of possible applications for the data from these meters. In fact, this information has the potential to support businesses beyond their monthly or quarterly energy bill. Yet, without the proper technology to interpret it and put it to work, the data sits dormant. This is where artificial intelligence comes in.

By integrating smart and AMR meters with AI and machine learning, energy suppliers can turn raw data into intelligent conversations about sustainability, health & safety, and competitor analysis. These conversations can provide actionable insights, which helps companies improve operational efficiency, security, and in some cases, profitability.

ANOMALY DETECTION The granularity of the data means that suppliers can use it to detect anomalies in a customer’s energy consumption. This allows businesses can pinpoint spikes, outages, or unusual activity and isolate the cause.

Not only is this useful from a moneysaving point of view, but it is also important for health and safety.

For example, if a business experiences significant changes in their overnight usage, it could mean equipment has been left running or that there is an electrical fault – something that could prove costly and, in some

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cases, even dangerous. If your hot water pump is leaking because you have left it on, anomaly detection could detect the change in your usage and alert you to the problem. This protects businesses from potential safety risks and assures them that everything is working as it should be.

BENCHMARKING Benchmarking is another benefit of using AI to interpret energy consumption data. This works by comparing consumption profiles for similar business types and highlighting any key trends based on their similarities and differences.

By using aggregated and anonymous data sets, benchmarking analysis can provide a coffee shop, for example, with insights on whether other coffee shops in the same city are opening or closing an hour earlier. It can also tell whether competitors are consuming less energy.

Which can prompt questions about how to be more energy efficient and reduce the company’s carbon footprint. You can scale benchmarking to any business size in most sectors, with larger companies benefitting from even greater efficiencies.

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

MAKING DATA WORK FOR THE CUSTOMER Anomaly detection and benchmarking are both compelling examples of how you can apply AI to metering data to add value to the customer. They show the importance of models that stimulate intelligent conversations around energy consumption, rather than providing data for the sake of it.

For this information to continue to be interesting and of genuine use, suppliers need to tailor it to customers. These conversations could then lead to decisive action on an individual level. Which could then amount to collective and widespread change. It’s this collective action that will enable the UK to meet its 2050 net zero carbon emission targets and fight against climate change. And it all starts with the smart meter. www.havenpower.com

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MONITORING & METERING

CONTROLLING THE COST OF COVID VENTILATION

Increased ventilation is recommended as an aid to reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission in indoor environments, but there’s a trade-off: more ventilation potentially means more heat loss and higher energy bills.

What can energy managers do to achieve a balance?

Julian Grant of Chauvin Arnoux has some helpful suggestions.

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umerous scientific studies have shown that one of the major methods of transmission for viruses, such as the COVID-19 corona virus at the root of the current pandemic, is via aerosols. In this instance, however, the word ‘aerosol’ does not refer to spray cans with pressurised contents; it has its specialised scientific meaning of fine particles or droplets in the air. In fact, aerosols are usually considered to be made up of particles that are 1 micrometre or less in diameter, and particles of this size are entirely invisible to the naked eye.

We all expel these tiny particles when we breathe, speak and, of course, when we sneeze or cough. What makes them particularly effective in the transmission of disease is that, unlike larger particles, they don’t sink quickly to the ground; they float in the air for a considerable time, and for distances of up to around five metres. The two-metre social distancing rule therefore helps to reduce the risks associated with infection via aerosols, but it is not completely effective.

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

This is a particular problem indoors as, in the outside environment, there is usually enough wind to quickly disperse aerosols. Indoors, the amount of air movement is often minimal and also people tend to be closer together than in outdoor environments. For these reasons, many authorities are recommending or even requiring that levels of ventilation are increased, particularly in public buildings like schools, colleges and medical facilities.

This is all very well but there is also a requirement to keep the occupants of those buildings comfortable, not least by ensuring that reasonable temperatures are maintained. And, on a cold day, heating a room that has all of the doors and windows open can be somewhat costly! Which raises the question of how much ventilation is enough to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission without leading to unaffordable energy bills?

This is not a question that can be answered simply by considering, for example, the design of the building or the layout of the room. Nor is it easy to measure the concentration of aerosols

MONITORING & METERING

in a room, which would otherwise make it possible to estimate the effectiveness of the ventilation. Fortunately, however, there is an indirect approach which is both straightforward and affordable.

Studies carried out by two scientists, Anna Hartmann and Martin Krieger, working in the Hermann Rietschel Institute at the Technical University of Berlin, have shown that CO2 concentration is a good indicator of the effectiveness of ventilation. They note that “with high rates of air exchange, both low CO2 concentrations and low aerosol concentrations can be achieved.

The lower the aerosol concentration, the lower the dose of aerosols that a person in the room inhales and, therefore, the lower the risk of infection.” This implies that measuring the CO2 concentration in the room gives a useful, albeit indirect, indication of the aerosol concentration.

Devices for measuring CO2 concentration are readily available and the C.A.1510 indoor air quality monitor from Chauvin Arnoux is an excellent example. This can measure and record not only CO2 concentration, but also relative humidity and temperature, two other factors that have a critical bearing on comfort levels within a room. As well as providing instantaneous readings, this versatile device also has a data logging function. This makes it possible to examine measurements over a period of time to see, for example, if there was ever any point where acceptable CO2 concentrations were exceeded.

But what is an ‘acceptable’ CO2 concentration? In normal times, it is usually considered desirable not to exceed 1,000 parts-per-million (ppm) and it would seem reasonable to adopt this figure as a guide for the COVID-19

era. Higher concentrations suggest the need for additional ventilation, while lower concentrations are both welcome and desirable provided that they can be achieved, along with reasonable temperatures, without the exorbitant use of energy.

In cases where the measurements indicate that it is desirable to improve ventilation, the German research offers suggestions about how best this can be achieved. It finds that the very common method of simply opening windows and doors more or less at random is ineffective and likely to lead to energy wastage by unnecessarily cooling walls and furniture. In contrast, adopting a strategy of “cross ventilation” where windows on the opposite sides of a room are opened to create a cross draft not only aids faster air exchange, with consequent rapid reductions in CO2 and aerosol levels, but also minimises heat loss.

No reputable organisation would want to compromise the health of those working in or using its premises simply to economise on its energy bills.

However, in these challenging times it is arguably more important than ever to keep costs under control. Bearing this in mind, along with the certain fact that the first step to controlling something is to be able to measure it, investing in a Chauvin Arnoux air quality monitor may well provide you with benefits and savings that well beyond those that its original designers could ever have envisaged! www.chauvin-arnoux.co.uk

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

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NET ZERO

“ IT’S ALL ABOUT THE HEAT” – AND OTHER REVEALING INSIGHTS FROM AN EXAMPLE IN NET-ZERO PLANNING

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hile it may seem like another era, it was just last year in June that the UK became the first major economy to legally commit to ending its contribution to climate change by 2050. Since then, even though COVID-19 may have briefly disrupted the positive momentum, many organisations have made their own public commitments to achieve net-zero targets in even shorter timeframes.

Most organisations are in the earliest stages of the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle for net-zero. Based on work with customers to date, this article provides a high-level worked example for the benefit of those engaged in net-zero planning, as well as a review of key insights gained from the outcome.

Faizan Ahmad, Integrated Solutions Manager, Energy Solutions EDF Energy Steady Progression and Consumer Transformation scenarios respectively).

With these minimal inputs and a modest 2% cost inflation assumption, we can generate the following insightful baseline emissions chart for ABC Logistics:

THE FIRST STEP: BASELINING Let’s consider a small commercial organisation, “ABC Logistics”, where the primary sources of emissions are from the operation of its fleet and facility with the following breakdown: • £25K of diesel spend for 150K business miles per year • £300K for 2500 MWh/year of electricity (plug loads, equipment, lights, space conditioning) • £100K for 2500 MWh/year of natural gas (domestic hot water and space conditioning) At first, considering a 30-year timeframe for baselining may seem challenging. But over such long timeframes, we can ignore complexities such as accounting for annual impacts of weather and operational changes, and just focus on the basics.

For baselining, we need to apply the relevant carbon emission factors till 2050.

Obtaining the relevant figures for gas and diesel is straightforward. But in the absence of on-site renewables, electricity emissions are dependent on the grid carbon intensity which is more uncertain.

For our purposes, we’ll use the average of conservative and aggressive grid carbon intensity models from National Grid’s Future Energy Scenarios 2020 publication (the

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The graph above draws a question about the reasons for the diminishing electricity emissions in the latter years. At present, the grid is already decarbonising rapidly due to the closure of coal power stations and the growth of renewables.

But further to this, optimistic National Grid models suggest that emissions may be driven down even below zero due to the potential growth of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies.

While our example illustrates the broad conceptual thinking required for net-zero baselining, for simplicity, we’ve only focused on Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions which are directly under an organisation’s control, as opposed to downstream Scope 3 emissions.

In addition, for the industrial sector in particular, it’s likely that Scope 1 emissions may include more than just natural gas and diesel, and these would need to be accounted for appropriately.

THE NEXT STEP: REDUCE EMISSIONS! After developing a baseline, the next step is evaluating the impact of various emissions reduction options over the

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

period. While the usual suspects of energy efficiency and renewables will still be key components of any netzero plan, the baseline shows that decarbonising heat and transport are clearly major focus areas as well.

Continuing with the example, let’s assume ABC Logistics puts together essential elements of a carbon management system: a formal policy supported at the C-level, a dedicated team, metering systems, and a budget comprising of external finance, grant funding as well as internal capex.

After evaluating the baseline and any other constraints, the following is deemed within the art of the possible: • A multi-site energy efficiency program covering all O&M, behavioural and capital measures, resulting in 30% savings across electricity and gas by 2021 • A combination of rooftop solar and renewable corporate PPAs to cover 10% of electricity use by 2022 • Converting from gas boilers to heat pumps by 2023 where possible, and as a result offsetting 75% of natural gas use • Converting 90% of the existing diesel fleet to EVs by 2024 For electricity consumed from the grid, an organisation could also minimise its reported emissions through the purchase of certificates. We haven’t considered this measure here given the absence of ‘additionality’, i.e., a traceable cause and effect pattern in reducing on-ground emissions.

For simplicity, let’s assume the carbon measures take effect entirely in the years noted in the programme above. This would result in the following much-improved carbon profile: We didn’t quite achieve net-zero organically in this example, mainly due to residual natural gas emissions.

But this is where carbon offsets may

NET ZERO

be helpful, or alternatively, where renewable-powered district heating networks and hydrogen may play a role in displacing natural gas for residual loads which cannot be directly electrified.

Though not explicitly included above, any comprehensive net-zero plan would also consider storage and demandside-response opportunities. Though the measurable carbon impacts may be smaller, these initiatives are critical in supporting the grid of the future and can unlock sources of revenue for use in other carbon reduction projects.

FOUR KEY INSIGHTS While every organisation will have unique carbon profiles and constraints, there are recurring general themes and interesting conclusions which can be extracted from this example scenario and are worth highlighting: It’s all about the heat – The saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ is definitely true when considering heat decarbonisation. It’s one thing to read reports and hear the general industry buzz about the importance of heat decarbonisation, and it’s another thing

to see a 20-year profile graph and get a first-hand visual sense of the relative impact of gas vs. electricity emissions.

This really helps to highlight the scale and importance of the challenge as well as prioritise opportunities.

A decarbonised grid makes the transport decarbonisation opportunity more urgent - Looking at the baseline chart in the 2030s, a modest £25K diesel spend will result in comparable emissions to a £300K electricity spend! If the grid decarbonises faster, the comparison will be true even sooner. This may be another argument to speed up the EV transition and bring forward the 2035 ban on petrol and diesel vehicles.

Efficiency is still the bedrock for net-zero – What role does energy efficiency play in a world where the grid carbon intensity may go negative, resulting in a situation where using more electricity may reduce emissions? The unfortunately-notso-obvious answer is that efficiency remains critically important.

Optimistic future grid intensity forecasts are not developed in a vacuum and are very dependent on the magnitude of loads served by the generation on the grid. Reviewing the details of the National Grid FES 2020 publication, all aggressive grid carbon intensity scenarios are coupled with an assumption of at least a 20% acrossthe-board improvement in business energy efficiency by 2030, and even more aggressive efficiency improvements across the rest of the economy.

Beyond this, energy efficiency is typically the most cost-effective carbon reduction measure which can subsidise other less economic projects. It is also critical in releasing much-needed grid capacity for heat and transport electrification. Also, mass adoption of heat pumps will not be feasible without a parallel initiative to improve the energy efficiency of building stock in the UK. Net-zero is a collective effort – In the midst of various companies, councils and organisations making independent net-zero declarations and commitments, it is sometimes easy to forget the collective nature of the task at hand: Grid decarbonisation will be dependent on an all-hands-on-deck approach to energy efficiency. Decarbonising residual natural gas consumption and long-haul transport will be dependent on the government facilitating investment in hydrogen and its associated infrastructure as a potential solution.

Businesses deploying private wires or PPAs for renewable energy will still need a utility intermediary to top up the difference when the sun isn’t shining, or the wind isn’t blowing.

And finally, when further considering the carbon impacts from cross-country sectors such as shipping and aviation, it’s clear that achieving global climate goals will truly require an international collective effort.

Much credit to my colleague Aimee Williams who drove the development of the net-zero modelling tools used in this article.

Also, for the more technically-minded, the following additional assumptions were used for modelling - Heat pump COP: 4, Baseline boiler efficiency: 80%, Diesel fuel economy: 0.13 l/mile, EV fuel economy: 0.2 kWh/mile www.edfenergy.com/

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NET ZERO

NET ZERO: TIME TO TURN AMBITION INTO ACTION Tom Greatrex, Chief Executive of the Nuclear Industry Association

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he report of the Citizen’s Assembly, established by a number of select committees to get views on climate change and how to meet net zero, revealed an appetite and push for real action – more electric vehicles, decarbonising home heating, and stopping burning fossil fuels as the main way to generate electricity.

Political scepticism about how far people are prepared to see big changes to decarbonise will be partly assuaged by the findings.

When it comes to how we get the energy to enable decarbonisation, though, there remains a very real gap in public understanding of what is required. While many support the escalation of weather dependent low carbon power sources of wind and solar, the firm power required to complement it appears to be both less well understood and, in headline terms at least, less popular. Yet those choices will need to be made if net zero – and a faster transition to phasing out the use of fossil fuels – has any chance of becoming a reality.

To do that then emissions free, reliable and secure nuclear power will be required alongside wind and solar, to phase out fossil fuels and secure a green recovery.

As the Committee on Climate Change have shown, net zero means four times as much clean power as now for the UK to stop burning polluting fossil fuels. The CCC also said that 38% of that needs to come from firm sources, that are always on and not weather dependent.

Nuclear is the only proven source of firm low-carbon power in the UK. Experience at home and abroad has shown that if nuclear power goes offline, it is burning carbon heavy gas that fills the gap.

When Hunterston B nuclear power station in Ayrshire was offline, gas generation at Peterhead in the north east of Scotland doubled. Emissions rose, and Scotland missed its emissions reduction targets.

Germany, which has invested heavily in renewable technologies, is busily mining and burning lignite (a particularly polluting coal) to produce the power needed for manufacturing industry. There is a sad irony, not lost upon the leadership of the German motor sector, that they are busy developing electric vehicles – to be powered domestically by electricity generated by burning fossil fuels. Emissions in Germany have hardly fallen as a result of expanding

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wind and solar at the same time as accelerating the closure of nuclear plants.

By contrast, Poland has announced a determination to move away from burning indigenous coal, and avoid the prospect of importing gas from neighbouring Russia, while tackling emissions. While energy security is a significant driver in their thinking, it is the Polish climate ministry announced plans to spend around £30 billion constructing new nuclear power stations, and more than £25 billion on offshore wind. It shows an understanding of the reality we face: to decarbonise fully and deeply, we need bold investment in all proven low-carbon technologies, including nuclear. We need firm and intermittent power sources working together to cut emissions.

Our grid is not as dirty as Poland’s, but we will require major low-carbon investment to stop using fossil fuels. We regularly burn gas for the majority of our electricity, and our existing low-carbon capacity is ageing. All but one of our current nuclear fleet, representing 7 GW of always available low-carbon capacity, will retire by 2030. To give a sense of scale, Poland’s investment will create 6-9 GW of new nuclear capacity. That would only mean standing still in the UK. So while we have made significant progress in getting more renewable generation on the grid, it is simply not possible to decarbonise power, heat and transport with wind and solar alone.

If we want to introduce millions of new electric vehicles, we have to provide reliable, clean power to charge them day and night. If we want to electrify homes, we need reliable, clean power for the dark winter nights as well as for the hot summer days. We now need a sense of purpose and an urgent application to getting low carbon generating capacity built – nuclear power, complementing wind and solar to phase out fossil fuels.

If we do that, not only can we achieve net zero, but we can create the

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

skilled, long term jobs as part of a green recovery. With nuclear investment, we can preserve and enhance the UK’s world class engineering, manufacturing and construction skills base and provide employment, apprenticeships and new skills for thousands of people.

Each large-scale nuclear project, for instance, generates about 20,000 jobs in construction and drives growth across the supply chain. Nuclear workers are some of the most productive in the country, with a Gross Value Added per worker of nearly £100,000, and they are at the cutting edge of research and development. This kind of green investment in our infrastructure and our communities is a no regrets option as we pursue a net zero future.

In reading the report of the Citizens Assembly it is heartening to recognise the widespread interest in ambitious solutions to the climate crisis and desire to see a sense of purpose and ambition in making progress towards net zero.

It is, however, disappointing to see that what this model of engagement was touted as delivering – an understanding of the complexity of decisions that need to be made – is all but absent when it comes to the future power mix. There are two lessons in this – firstly, for experts, industry and decision makers to have to communicate much more effectively on the reality of the challenges and the choices they open up. Secondly, that simplistic statements of the impossible made either through wishful thinking or wilful ignorance will not aid decarbonisation – but only increase reliance on burning fossil fuels and the emissions that come from them. Being careful what you wish for was never a more appropriate adage. www.niauk.org

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ENERGY TRANSITION – NET ZERO THROUGH INTEGRATION IN THE UK

Chris Kilburn, Partner, Watson Farley & Williams

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oth the UK Government and many independent oil and gas companies have made challenging net zero emission targets for 2050.

There is a lot of focus on how these can be met and we have seen oil and gas companies looking to invest in and transition toward cleaner fuels. We have provided below an overview of a recent industry report which sets out commitments focused on enabling this change, demonstrating positive momentum for the energy transition.

“Electrification with power from onshore or offshore renewables will be critical to enable these cuts.”

We welcome the recognition by the UK Government that co-ordinating infrastructure will play an important role in decarbonisation, and in particular in meeting the UK’s 2050 net zero targets. As set out in the August 2020 UKCS Energy Integration Final Report (the “Report”), published jointly by the Oil & Gas Authority, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, The Crown Estate and Ofgem (the Report), it is anticipated that the integration of offshore energy systems, including oil and gas, renewables, hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS), could contribute a possible 30% of the UK’s total carbon reduction requirements needed to meet the 2050 net zero target.

Offshore oil and gas infrastructure currently contributes around 10% of the UK’s energy sector CO2 emissions – the equivalent to the domestic electricity consumption of Wales! Electrification with power from onshore or offshore renewables will be critical to enable these cuts. Equinor has demonstrated this in the development of the Johan Sverdrup field on the Norwegian continental shelf, which achieved first oil in 2019. The field is powered from shore, resulting in CO2 emissions of less than 1kg per barrel compared to a global average of 18kg per barrel. The Report demonstrates that the costs are lower for greenfield than brownfield electrification, but for both types of projects, sourcing power

from offshore windfarms improves the economic case to breakeven or above. This offshore power demand could also contribute significantly to the growth of future offshore windfarms around oil and gas infrastructure.

CCS is critical to achieving net zero, removing over 130 MtCO2 from the UK’s emissions. This was recognised in March 2020 when the Budget was presented – it announced the CCS Infrastructure Fund, formed to establish CCS in at least two UK sites, one by the mid-2020s, a second by 2030. According to the Report, the UK continental shelf (UKCS) has enough CO2 storage capacity to fully support the UK’s needs, as well as oil and gas infrastructure which can be repurposed. With funding available, and infrastructure in place, this is a huge opportunity for the UK oil and gas industry, which is well positioned to redeploy its skills, capabilities and existing infrastructure to accelerate CCS deployment.

The Report focused on the potential for UKCS technologies to develop an efficient hydrogen supply for the UK. Blue hydrogen (from methane reforming) can convert the UK natural gas supply to low-carbon fuel and accelerate the growth of CCS. Co-located with CCS, this has the potential to eliminate emissions while leveraging operational and logistical efficiencies. Green hydrogen (electrolysis using renewable electricity) will be critical to support the expansion of offshore wind power in the 2030s and beyond, addressing intermittency and long-distance transmission losses.

Combining these technologies into energy hubs, linked to existing and future onshore net zero clusters, can accelerate deployment and improve project economics. Economies of scale and shared infrastructure can benefit all of these technologies, but regulation will need to adapt swiftly to enable such deployment.

“Offshore oil and gas infrastructure currently contributes around 10% of the UK’s energy sector CO2 emissions – the equivalent to the domestic electricity consumption of Wales!”

The Report makes a number of recommendations to take advantage of the UKCS as a critical enabler for net zero: • Accelerating and enabling early energy integration projects; • Leveraging oil and gas assets and capabilities, essential for CCS, in order to preserve existing infrastructure value; • Anticipatory steps to co-ordinate regulatory processes for the deployment of UKCS energy integration technologies; and • Harnessing the digital power and data to enhance visibility of crossindustry opportunities, accelerating planning and regulatory activities.

The Report sets out a number of actions for its authors to implement: • Accelerate progress on pioneering projects to ensure cross-industry opportunities and timely regulatory engagement; • Enhance regulatory co-ordination and anticipate and address regulatory barriers and/or enablers for CCS, hydrogen and offshore electrification; and • Improve data availability, quality and access through co-ordinated efforts across government and relevant industries.

While many of these actions will be for the UK Government and regulatory bodies, there are opportunities to be grasped by industry stakeholders. The Report’s economic findings set out key areas for oil and gas operators to focus on: • electrification from onshore or offshore sources; • supporting wind power expansion by sharing infrastructure; • reuse of O&G infrastructure for CCS; • blue hydrogen, in combination with CCS; and • green hydrogen to balance intermittency of many renewable technologies and enable renewables’ growth. These will be critical for companies seeking to meet 2050 net zero targets. https://www.wfw.com/

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

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BOILERS & BURNERS

HOW OFFSITE BENEFITS THE ‘NEW NORMAL’ As buildings reopen and we adapt to living with COVID-19, energy and facility managers will be keen to forge ahead with cost-effective energy efficiency improvements to their buildings and heating systems. Tom Murray, Baxi Heating’s Specification Director, look at how increased use of prefabrication could meet the current challenges.

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‘new normal’ is taking shape across the UK as buildings start to reopen. While the COVID-19 crisis has forced many organisations to reflect on their priorities and processes, energy efficiency continues to make perfect economic sense for energy managers, offering win-win opportunities to boost profitability while reducing the environmental impact of our public buildings.

Practical efficiency measures, including replacement of older, inefficient boilers, offer a real and achievable means of improving the energy performance of a building, while maintaining a comfortable environment for its occupants and making it more cost-effective to run.

For energy managers, achieving the required efficiency savings with minimal disruption will be a major concern. Added to this is the need

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

to ensure that safety guidelines around such work are adhered for the protection of occupants and workers – and that’s where offsite prefabricated heating solutions have a key part to play.

PRIORITISING HEALTH AND SAFETY Health and safety should be a key concern at all times, but with tighter operating procedures in place, the focus has intensified.

A major advantage of offsite fabrication is that it enables safety requirements to be more easily met and policed from the start of the project to its completion.

And fortunately, good manufacturers already offer triedand-tested offsite prefabricated turnkey heating solutions – a case in point being the bespoke boiler rig modules used for multiple boiler installation.

BOILERS & BURNERS

BENEFITS OF OFFSITE PREFABRICATION IN MEETING COVID-19 SAFETY GUIDELINES • Meets physical distancing guidelines – number of workers required on site is reduced as is time needing to be spent on site • Improves onsite safety – can be designed for straightforward, easy connection, reducing onsite hot works • Clears backlog – enables rapid installation, allowing more projects to be completed in a fixed timeframe • Achieves goal for improved heating efficiency – designed bespoke to site and project requirements

BESPOKE BENEFITS What exactly do we mean by a prefabricated boiler rig? Effectively, it is a mini plant room system, complete with a bespoke configuration of boilers, pumps, low loss headers or plate heat exchangers, and any ancillary items including controls, a dosing pot and a pressurisation unit.

Some manufacturers will offer tailored, prefabricated solutions for wall-hung and floor-standing boiler models – or even design modules combining the two, if required.

The ability to address and resolve the unique requirements of each project from the outset is a key benefit in current times as it ensures faster, safer installation and a quality result.

The maximum and minimum heat output is defined at the outset along with the number of boilers and whether to use a back-to-back or an in-line layout.

But this is just the starting point.

Physical site restrictions can be addressed through a choice of header extensions and connections to improve access. A further option is to design the bespoke rig so that it can be split into smaller modules, with simple re-connection into a single frame in the plant room.

At the same time, integrating project-specific controls such as weather compensation, sequencing or building management system direct operation into the design will meet the requirement to optimise seasonal efficiency and keep heating costs low. The controls can also be pre-wired into a rig mounted control panel for speedy installation to reduce onsite labour and time.

RAPID SOLUTION FOR SAFER INSTALLATION The bespoke element of the prefabricated rig module means that even the position and size of the system connections on the rig can be designed to match the existing system pipework in the plant room. So, unlike site-assembled, flat-pack cascade packages, prefabricated solutions can require zero onsite fabrication.

As a result, hot works, the number of workers and the time spent on site required are all reduced, making it easier to adhere to safety requirements.

And as installation and commissioning time is reduced to a matter of days rather than weeks, using prefabrication techniques like these will give organisations the opportunity to clear any potential backlog of boiler replacements across their sites swiftly and safely. It also offers greater flexibility of planning – a school boiler replacement project, for example, no longer needs to be scheduled for the summer shutdown but could be completed in the half term break.

EARLY VISUALISATION As prefabricated solutions require the design to be front-loaded, energy and facilities managers can be involved in the project at the early stages. This provides the opportunity for input while bringing assurance of a quality outcome.

Typically, each boiler rig or module will be designed using BIM tools and 3D

computer-aided design (CAD) systems.

This early visualisation is particularly useful on projects where boiler replacements need to be approved by a number of stakeholders. Only when the design is clearly identified does production take place.

The drawings then form part of a comprehensive operations and maintenance documentation manual, part of the building’s ‘golden thread’ of information, to facilitate easier future servicing and replacement.

QUALITY ASSURANCE By carrying out most of the manufacturing offsite, using specialist machinery in a quality-controlled factory environment, the highest build quality can be achieved through improved control procedures and end-of-line testing. At the same time, this technique reduces waste, leading to a lower environmental impact.

When it comes to heating refurbishments – and boiler replacement in particular – using prefabrication techniques offers numerous benefits that are especially relevant in these challenging times.

Ensuring that the heating system operates reliably and efficiently is central to improving building efficiency – and replacing older inefficient boilers is a frequent starting point. Just as energy efficiency brings win-win benefits, so does use of equipment like the bespoke rig, providing a rapid, quality solution to high efficiency heating. www.baxiheating.co.uk

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

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HEATING

WINTER READY WITH LIMITLESS & CONTINUOUS SUPPLY OF TEMP ACCURATE & CONTROLLED HOT WATER FOR ALL HYGIENE REGIMES Rinnai maintains full support package on hot water provision & supply for all healthcare, commercial and industrial sectors

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innai is gearing all its operations, products and services to meet and exceed the temperature accurate hot water delivery needs of all healthcare, foodservice, commercial and industrial sectors as planning starts for the coming winter.

The company is now positioned as a leading authority on the design and supply of hot water systems.

‘We all need ready access to continuous supplies of safe, useable hot water and soap to ensure clean and sterile indoor environments throughout our daily lives to minimise any infection. This is paramount,’ says Rinnai Operations Director Chris Goggin.

‘We must closely consider the design of the provision of hot water services which incorporate heat engines to provide limitless volumes of hot water AND provide that hot water at the precise temperature needed,’ comments Rinnai Operations Director, Chris Goggin.

Hot water temperature precision and control are now being stated as major factors in the design, specification, and installation of any hot water delivery system.

Reports have emerged from specific industries and sectors, such as laundry for healthcare and care homes, that the temperature of the hot water is critical to the cleaning and disinfecting process to render the possibility of transmitting the virus as near to zero as possible.

Rinnai has responded to the present conditions with a range of new products and initiatives which allow end-users virtually instant access to the supply of continuous flow hot water heating units and systems.

Provided there is a constant supply of gas and water, all Rinnai units are guaranteed to supply temperature accurate hot water in unlimited quantities for all hygiene regimes in all types of sites for healthcare, care homes, food handling & production, industrial production, food handling, industrial

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laundry, mobile hygiene units or temporary accommodation.

New products & services from Rinnai have included: • Remote monitoring Systems allowing site access for specification and maintenance needs.

• Hot Water Energy Audits for end-users.

• Restart kits for those sectors emerging from lockdown • Site Costs Comparisons including capital and operational expenditure reviews, lifecycle costing and carbon footprint analysis.

• Handwash stations capable of 900 handwashes per LPG bottle • Legionella advice & procedures for restart of continuous flow systems At the same time Rinnai will maintain the following: • Runcorn UK HQ emergency weekend opening and sales support – open for any emergency / essential equipment provision of new units and spares. There is a technical response available every day of the week.

• Weekend operational & technical support help line – • simply call 01928 531870 and select sales and if the call is not answered immediately leave a voicemail and the company will respond within an hour.

• Collection of new units/spares from Runcorn HQ for Saturday and Sunday. All will adopt ‘safe distancing’, and handling, in any contact for this or deliveries.

• Emergency delivery on working days and weekends / out of hours - under “essential works” circumstances and, where possible, Rinnai will

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

offer a delivery service to site.

The Rinnai range of units is available within 24 hours, provided the order is received before mid-day of the previous day. Rinnai UK has fully maintained its total service throughout the COVID-19 situation and the company has kept high stock levels of all units plus spares and accessories.

Rinnai is the world’s leading manufacturer of continuous flow hot water systems - it makes and sells 2 million units each year. The range of units can be manifolded to supply, limitless hot water to a school site of any size. This means fast, efficient, temperaturecontrolled water on demand at the point of delivery – kitchens, showers, accommodation blocks, bathrooms, washrooms. It also means far less space spent on plant rooms and no or little maintenance as all units are proven to be robust with a long, long working life.

Call 01928 531 870 or email engineer@ rinnaiuk.com and sales@rinnaiuk. com alternatively use the smart online contact points “Help Me Choose” or “Ask Us a Question”, all held on the website homepage at www.rinnaiuk.com

HEATING

ADVECO AD: TOUGH, HIGHLY EFFICIENT COMMERCIAL WATER HEATING • A range of compact commercial semi-instantaneous gas condensing water heaters • Perfect for applications requiring direct contact with soft, softened and chlorinated water • Highly efficient modular design offers continuity of service in one appliance

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ommercial hot water and heating specialist Adveco, announces the AD range. A new generation of sleekly designed, modulating commercial floor-standing gas condensing water heaters to be used with a buffer for high demand semi-instantaneous hot water applications in sports & leisure centres, hotels, spas, schools, stadia, and large commercial buildings.

Bill Sinclair, technical director, Adveco said, “The titanium-stabilised stainlesssteel construction of the AD range’s heat exchangers is the perfect response to counter the concerns of corrosion in soft, or softened water applications.

Compact, lightweight yet still powerful, the AD’s patented space-saving design makes it equally applicable to both new projects or renovation work where a lack of space would traditionally stall or quickly drive up costs of a project.”

With each water heater composed of one to four 70 kW heat exchangers, the AD range offers appliances from 70kW up to 280 kW. This approach optimises the supplied output (up to 160 litres/ minute) ensuring maximum efficiency when providing DHW. Models with multiple integrated heat exchangers offer load balancing for optimal longlife operation and inbuilt redundancy guaranteeing continuity of service.

Tough and efficient, AD water heaters are all equipped with premix burners made of Fecralloy metal fibre for large modulation range with excellent functionality at extremely high temperatures. Using a premix burner ensures the AD requires less gas, making it more cost-effective, plus reducing harmful NOX and CO emissions. The

AD’s heat exchangers will also work in direct contact with chlorinated mains water.

The AD range can be configured to operate in a cascade of up to eight water heaters. The AD’s controller provides full temperature control and self-check maintenance functions. The controller also accommodates 0-10 input, MODBUS communication, and alarm output for seamless system integration.

Additional information • Five-year warranty on AISI 316Ti heat exchangers • Compact floor standing arrangement: AD 70T & AD140T H1180 x W600 x D945mm / AD210T & AD280T M1880 x W600 x D896mm • High maximum run pressure up to 11 bar • Low emissions, built with Class 6 technology for NOx at 27 mg/kWh GCV • Available for natural gas or LPG • Acid condensate neutraliser included • Ideal for soft water applications. Hard water areas over 150ppm require use of a water softener down to 100ppm • Supports standard flue systems using low cost 110-160 mm diameter PP www.adveco.co

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

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HEATING

WHY RADIANT HEATING AND COOLING (RHC) SYSTEMS ARE THE PERFECT SOLUTION FOR HEALTHCARE SETTINGS HEATING AND COOLING CEILING SYSTEMS There is increased scrutiny on the facilities used in both private and public healthcare. Key objectives are focussed on achieving cost savings, increasing energy efficiencies and ensuring the comfort and safety of both patients and staff.

In this review, we look at how radiant heating and cooling systems and, in some cases, specialist radiator models can be instrumental in helping healthcare providers meet these objectives.

A SAFE AND COMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENT 1. COMFORT RHC systems achieve an even distribution of heating and cooling. And, importantly, they do so silently without the noise that other systems emit.

The cooling offered by fan coils is extremely uncomfortable to anyone located in proximity to the unit – it can feel like standing in a cool draught.

2. HEALTH Healthcare settings require an increased level of comfort and ensured safety, due to the condition of the patients within. Keeping patients not only comfortable but also free from the risk of infection, illness or danger is especially paramount in healthcare environments.

Any heating and cooling system that relies on the distribution of air runs the risk of increasing the spread of air-related problems. The radiant panels are heated by hot water and give off energy to the room. This energy is converted into heat only when it comes into contact with the human body or other objects. This method reduces

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the incidence of harmful air-related problems, such as air-borne germ spread, mould and condensation.

3. RISK PREVENTION RHC systems can be supplied with an anti-bacterial coating, which prevents the growth of harmful bacteria such as E. coli and MRSA and can help reduce the likelihood of infection and illness.

In addition, as the RHC system’s panels are located in the ceiling, any risk of blood or other bodily fluids spilling on to the panels are removed.

This helps prevent health concerns such as bacteria spreading at certain temperatures, or floor cleaning impacting on underfloor heating solutions performance and longevity.

4. SAFETY Radiant ceiling panels provide a heating and cooling solution from the ceiling. This eliminates the risk of injuries or discomfort being caused when touched.

In terms of maximising space within the building, it also means that wall and floor space can be kept clear for vital equipment and beds.

In operating theatres for example, with space at a premium, perimeter heating can take up valuable space and create uncomfortable temperatures and potential safety issues should someone fall against the surface. In this environment, specialist Low Surface Temperature (LST) radiator models provide a safe, robust option which is durable without presenting a risk to patients or staff who may come into contact with them.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 5. ENERGY SAVINGS OF UP TO 42% Radiant ceiling panels heat water to generate heat, which is more energy

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

and cost effective than heating air.

Further savings are made by the way they work: only objects and occupants in a room are heated, rather than the entire space of the room. This reduces energy use and increases efficiency.

While there are short-term cost benefits to be achieved in choosing an air-based system, these very quickly prove to be a false economy.

We’ll go on to look at issues of the cost of maintenance next, but here it is RHC system’s sustainable level of performance that should be highlighted.

According to an ASHRAE study that compared variable air volume (VAV) and RHC systems, the capital cost of radiant solutions was much lower because ‘the energy savings of the radiant system compared to VAV in the second and third year of operation was 42%’ (source) It is also worth noting that RHC systems have very low inertia whether heating or cooling, making them very easy to adjust and control, and also making them much more energy efficient than high inertia systems such as underfloor heating.

LOW MAINTENANCE 6. R EDUCED MAINTENANCE COSTS AND DISRUPTION Radiant ceiling panels have no moving parts. This reduces maintenance needs and also makes them incredibly simple to clean. Just a cloth and a mild detergent are all that is needed.

Underfloor heating systems, on the other hand, require entire wards or healthcare facilities to be evacuated or closed whilst the floor is taken up for servicing. The disturbance caused when servicing or cleaning radiant ceiling panels is minimal.

There are no serviceable items in RHC systems and this

HEATING

means they have a very long lifecycle and are fully recyclable.

Similarly, any air-based heating and cooling system – whether fan coils, chilled beams or a centralised air handling system – will inevitably lead to higher maintenance needs due to the resultant hygienerisk of the build-up of dirt.

7. A DAPTABLE TO BUILDING REQUIREMENTS – PROVISION OF HEATING AND COOLING Another key feature that RHC systems offer is that they can cool as well as heat. This offers healthcare facilities an energy efficient solution for both requirements and one which requires no additional servicing or alterations.

A FLEXIBLE HEATING AND COOLING SOLUTION 8. E ASY TO ADAPT TO CHANGING NEEDS With the healthcare sector under increased pressure to reduce costs through efficiencies, it is critical that the heating and cooling system

chosen offers an easy way to respond to changes in the structuring and organisation of the building’s space.

Through the use of radiant ceiling panels, changes in the use of building space can be easily accommodated.

These can be located appropriately to provide required heat output based on ‘active’ areas within a building, where more people are located for example.

RHC systems are also very well suited to handling the heating and cooling of areas which are not consistently occupied, or which people pass through, such as corridors, storage spaces or reception areas. Panels will only direct heat where activity and occupancy are detected, so heating is not wasted in areas which are often empty or just being used occasionally.

WHY RHC SYSTEMS ARE IDEAL FOR HEALTHCARE All healthcare buildings face strict regulations and guidelines, covering issues such as energy efficiency, safety and use of space. They are also judged by best practice standards in terms of how the building performs.

For example, Regulation 15 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008: Regulations 2014, states that ‘all

premises and equipment used by the service provider must be ‘clean, secure, and suitable for purpose’. The Health Technical memoranda (HTM) 03-01, goes on to offer ‘specific advice and guidance on the ‘design and management of heating and specialised ventilation in health sector buildings’.

It’s vital to show that standards are being met, to reassure patients and families that the building is a safe and healthy environment, and for staff, who often work long hours and are likely to spend long periods of time within the building.

Choosing specialist heating systems will help demonstrate: • A commitment to delivering clear health benefits in healthcare settings • A concern for comfort and safety • A focus on achieving energyefficiency and cutting costs • A long-term awareness that the building may adapt to future changes And that’s why it offers the perfect solution for the healthcare sector. commercialorders@zehnder.co.uk.

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

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HEATING

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR HEATING SYSTEM FOR ANOTHER WAVE OF COVID-19 As lockdown restrictions tighten again in the UK with what appears to be the second wave of COVID-19, businesses of every kind face a challenging time as they navigate the new normal through what will clearly be a testing autumn and winter period. The resurgence of the virus means it is crucial that you reduce the transmission risk to your business wherever possible, including ensuring everyone in your premises can rely on constant heating and hot water over the coming months.

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uidance from the World Health Organisation states that workplaces should be well ventilated with fresh outside air to reduce the risk of airborne COVID-19 transmission, while the CBI speculates that a failure to open windows to allow airflow could be a particular challenge in buildings that have low air infiltration rates.

Furthermore, low temperatures are shown to reduce the body’s immunity to viruses, which is exacerbated by inadequate heating and poor insulation.

In fact, the CBI also reports that for every 1°C temperature drop below 5°C, respiratory infections increase by 10-20%, with high local variation, and emergency hospital admissions increase

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by approximately 1%.

Yet, many organisations will struggle to keep windows open during winter if their boiler set-up is inadequate, or unidentified faults go unchecked and in turn compromise temperature control.

Therefore, heating system reviews must be paramount and essential work such as boiler faults, heating issues and leaking pipes should be addressed as soon as possible before the coldest weather hits –especially as future maintenance support cannot be guaranteed with pandemic restrictions in place.

Even if they are providing maintenance in October through to February when boilers are most needed, many smaller HVAC businesses will need to prioritise urgent cases over comparatively minor or ‘routine’ issues.. Now is therefore a crucial time to become more proactive about checking that your heating system is working as it should, to ensure your workplace remains productive as well as protected during the second wave.

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

REMOTE BOILER CONNECTIVITY Autumn also provides a window of opportunity to take stock of any current support you might rely on, and ensure you have the back-up of a partner with a strong network of engineers.

This ensures your callouts can receive quick response in case of emergency, and who can provide evidence of protocols they have put in place to meet lockdown/COVID rules for site visits.

That said, now is also a good time to look into new technologies available in the heating market, which remove the reliance on physical engineer support in these uncertain times. JLA boilers for example are all installed

HEATING Like checking our blood pressure and understanding the risk of conditions linked to clogged arteries, a heating health-check should also look to ensure that the heating distribution system is operating optimally. This means ensuring that heat is evenly distributed and that the system is clean.

with smart remote monitoring and diagnostics as standard, with real time data flagging and potentially fixing minor issues before they impact a site’s heating or hot water supply – while also having the benefit of remote control ‘weather detection’ technology which allows automated and manual system changes from a central hub to ensure optimum boiler efficiency at all times.

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR HEATING SYSTEM FOR A SECOND WAVE The role of commercial heating systems in limiting the transmission of respiratory infections within an enclosed space is critical. As a consequence, building administrators and facilities managers must review and repair their

heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems as a priority before temperatures drop. The best way to do this is to authorise an external audit from an accredited supplier like JLA, who specialise in servicing, maintaining and fixing commercial heating and AC solutions – and installing new systems if necessary.

This review should include checking your system’s servicing due date, and bringing this date forward if necessary – especially if it coincides with a potential new local or national lockdown period. It should also encompass an operational check of all heating equipment to ensure all components are warming up properly to guarantee heat and hot water as and when it is needed.

Other services that should be provided in a heating health-check are: • Inspecting all thermostatic radiator valves to ensure they are all working properly • Confirming the make, model and number of all boilers onsite • Highlighting & proactively planning for any discontinued or shortage of parts • Clarifying whether your organisation has an emergency back-up heating solution in the event of a system failure, such as an immersion heater or cascaded boiler • Reviewing the overall performance of boilers and pumps, and recommending upgrades in favour of increased efficiency and lower operating costs.

In the event that an organisation does not have a satisfactory backup system, an emergency plan can be formulated to put those who are concerned about lockdown at ease and safeguard business continuity during winter. Similarly, if a business knows it needs a new boiler but is unable to afford one in the current climate, they may want to consider an alternative commercial rental subscription solution to break the cost into manageable monthly payments and avoid the pressure that might come with leasing, financing or buying outright.

Ultimately, it is a business owner’s responsibility to ensure their workplace heating and ventilation systems are in top condition in order to protect staff.

While the last lockdown took place in spring when heating wasn’t required, the winter months will prove challenging for those looking to regulate temperatures to reduce illness – whether coronavirusrelated or seasonal flu and colds – while continuing to prioritise ’business as usual’.

ENSURING HEATING EFFICIENCY DURING LOCKDOWN With many workers making an unprecedented shift to remote working in line with government guidelines, it’s also essential that those businesses check their heating systems will survive the test of being left unattended over the colder months. While consumers in the domestic market can benefit from the Boiler Plus heating system health-check, which was established in 2018, the commercial market is lacking in clear equivalent policy when it comes to reducing costs and improving efficiency for business operators.

In order to navigate the coming months, business owners should prioritise reviewing, stabilising and upgrading their heating systems to ensure continuity, safety and sustainability. To see how your commercial space could benefit from a comprehensive heating healthcheck, or subsequent system upgrades, find out more at www.jla.com

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

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CHP

SECURING LONG-TERM ENERGY CONTROL WITH COMBINED HEAT AND POWER John Hyde of Centrica Business Solutions explains how Combined Heat and Power (CHP) can contribute towards a sustainable energy future with high efficiency onsite generation.

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ncreased electricity demand, escalating costs, pressure on the grid and a greater drive towards sustainability, mean that organisations are looking for alternatives to centralised supply – one that enables efficient on-site energy control.

With the spark spread (the difference in price between purchasing network electricity and the natural gas used to generate that power) at an incredibly attractive rate, CHP can deliver exceptional cost savings.

It provides secure, flexible energy supply that is cost-effective and easy to manage.

CHP/cogeneration is a well-established technology, but one that is constantly evolving to keep it among the best energysaving solutions available. It’s one of the most efficient sources of energy production – and can play a role in supporting a business’ net zero transition by providing significant cost savings. With a return on investment in the region of two to three years, CHP drives cost efficiencies into the organisation that can be used to fund pure green technologies with longer paybacks and more marginal economics.

MATCHING FLEXIBILITY TO YOUR PROJECT Clearly, the most important thing to consider before investigating a CHP solution is whether it is right for an organisation to utilise the technology. To make this assessment and scope a project there are several steps that you and a solutions provider can take to ensure the appropriateness of CHP for the site.

Energy data collection is fundamental

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for correctly sizing a unit and calculating the associated savings accurately.

The appropriate site data needs to be collected and validated. At a minimum, this requires utility consumption of the site (grid electricity and natural gas) and the associated tariffs (i.e. pence/kWh).

Producing an initial feasibility study validate the collected data to check whether a CHP scheme is likely to be feasible or not. The output is often conducted by calculating the spark spread between the grid electricity tariff and the natural gas tariff.

Conducting an on-site review determines more solid installation options and cost by understanding the site’s suitability for CHP and how it can interface with all site services required to deliver optimal performance. Installation costs can vary dramatically from site-tosite depending on several key factors: • Location of CHP plant • Gas availability • Space allocation • Planning implications • Noise issues • Local regulations • Maintenance restrictions • Electrical connections i.e. LV, HV, network restrictions • Thermal integration • Emissions regulations

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

Centrica Business Solutions’ new technical CHP guide shows how Combined Heat and Power units can help you achieve long-term performance.

CHP KEY CONSIDERATIONS Deploying a CHP project requires careful planning to deliver sustained benefits for the lifetime of your asset and ensure that your project doesn’t fall foul of regulations or environmental compliance.

Some important issues you should check: • Permissions: Is planning permission necessary? Are your plans compliant with relevant rules and frameworks, ie. BREEAM, Building Regulations Level 2, etc.?

• Low NOx: Do you understand the environmental compliance requirements, especially operating within NOx guidelines? Modern CHP energy systems should reduce your overall NOx emissions, which you need to calculate to a BREEAM-approved format.

• Low Noise: CHPs are often situated in plant rooms in built up areas, so noise outputs must be considered when specifying a CHP. • G99/G100 Protection: Is the

CHP

generator connected to the mains in accordance with the requirements of G99/G100? And does the relay meet enable you to easily enact further protection if requested by the District Network Operator?

• Remote Monitoring System: Does the CHP utilise control systems that are linked to a cloud-based control, protection and monitoring system?

Can the provider control engine starting, synchronise the generator to the mains electricity supply and help control the power output?

IT’S ABOUT MORE THAN JUST THE ENGINE Deploying your CHP successfully means doing more than just buying and placing the engine. To get the best results and deliver long-term energy cost savings, It is important to select an energy solutions partner who can support you across the entire project lifecycle, with: • Flexible asset financing: Many organisations face challenges when looking at on-site generation projects because of capital constraints and competing funding priorities. This makes it difficult to build a complex and detailed investment case to secure senior approval. Asset financing from a solutions provider or a 3rd party can ensure your business case is robust.

• Green Gas supply: While almost

70% of CHP schemes in the UK currently run on natural gas, green gas CHP will play an increasingly important role as the grid decarbonises. Centrica plc has a 50 per cent stake in Barrow Green Gas, the UK’s largest supplier of biomethane – shipping almost half of the green gas used by British homes and businesses • Energy visualisation: If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.

It is critical to have a remote 24/7 monitoring system for your CHP. Centrica Business solutions’ energy management software, PowerRadar, brings the intelligence and visibility you need to understand and analyse your entire energy estate – providing a single view to visualise and track the performance of your CHP solution. This can notify us of a change in state of the plant on site and enables our energy centre to diagnose over 200 problems remotely and restart the system.

• Operation and Maintenance: Ensuring the ongoing, safe and optimal performance of your CHP is key to getting the best savings over the long-term. It is wise to arrange a service and maintenance plan.

• Optimisation: The potential to cluster energy assets in a decentralised smart-grid or virtual power plant is exciting and likely

to become more commonplace in the future. We provide digitised energy management solutions, such as Demand Side Response, to monetise on-site generation.

COGENERATION EXPERTISE Centrica Business Solutions is a market leader in CHP, with over 3,200 CHP built in the UK to date and deployed all over the global. We have more than 30 years’ experience as both a manufacturer and supplier of cogeneration systems, with deep technical knowledge of all stages of design, delivery and operation.

Further information: www.centricabusinesssolutions.com Download Centrica’s technical guide to CHP: https://www. centricabusinesssolutions.com/ reducing-energy-costs-andpreparing-net-zero-transition

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

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CHP

WILL COMBINED HEAT AND POWER (CHP) STILL HAVE A ROLE IN THE NET ZERO ECONOMY? Kevin Stephens, Principal Consultant, JRP Solutions Ltd asks: With de-carbonisation of the UK’s grid electricity supply can Combined Heat and Power (CHP) still have a role in moving towards a Net Zero economy?

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ith increasing electricity prices and static, or even reducing gas prices there can be significant economic benefits from installing a new reciprocating engine CHP plant on a site that has a suitable and consistent heat load. However, the carbon reduction benefits may now be less clear cut.

Many existing CHP units are reaching the end of their planned or contracted service life or may need investment to comply with tighter NOx emission limits under the Medium Combustion Plant Directive. The economic benefits of re-lifing or replacing existing CHP plant can be very attractive, particularly if it provides an opportunity for efficiency improvements. But what would be the impact be on commitments to reduce carbon emissions?

Back in 2000, CHP was seen as a having an important role in reducing net CO2e emissions and the Government launched the CHP Quality Assurance (CHP QA) Scheme to promote and incentivise good quality CHP. The CHP QA website still states: “The CHP Quality Assurance programme (CHPQA) is a government initiative providing a practical, determinate method for assessing all types and sizes of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) schemes throughout the UK. CHP, the simultaneous generation of heat and power in a single process, provides one of the most cost-effective approaches for making carbon savings and plays a crucial role in the UK Climate Change programme” However, CO2 emissions from UK electricity have reduced from 0.48531 kg CO2e/kWh in 2010 to 0.25560 kg CO2e/kWh in 2019, whereas the emission factor for natural gas has remained at 0.18416 kg CO2e/kWh (UK Gov DBEIS). This reduction in grid emission factors diminishes the potential of CHP to reduce net CO2e emissions.

Conversely the economic case for CHP has improved dramatically due to a much greater increase in electricity prices compared to natural gas prices (the ‘spark spread’). A site that paid 6.5 p/kWh for electricity and 2.0 p/ kWh for gas in 2010 may be paying 10.5 p/kWh for electricity and 1.5 p/kWh for gas in 2020.

The difference between 2010 and 2020 for a typical 600 kWe reciprocating engine CHP unit is illustrated in fig 1..

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Figure 1

Even a very efficient CHP unit with good utilisation can barely break even in CO2e emissions in 2020 compared to electricity supplied from the grid and heat from a boiler, whereas there would have been a significant CO2e benefit in 2010. On the other hand, the cost benefits of operating efficient CHP plants have improved dramatically over the last 10 years due to increased grid electricity prices and static, or even reducing, gas prices. This trend seems set to continue with increased decarbonisation of UK electricity supply and an excess of gas supply over demand which would secure the economic benefits of CHP but further challenge its role in a carbon reduction strategy.

Maximising CHP efficiency in terms of both electricity and heat delivery is essential in order to minimise CO2e emissions, and also to maximise return on investment.

Whereas electrical generation efficiency is more or less assured if CHP plant is well maintained, heat efficiency depends on the ability of a site to make beneficial use of heat available from CHP plant.

Under the CHP QA scheme heat efficiency is determined by the heat metered at the CHP boundary and it is possible to achieve a good CHP Quality Index as a result of heat supplied to inefficient systems or, for example sustaining heat distribution losses. In some cases, existing CHP installations have been over-sized on the basis of sustaining these losses.

The key to determining the optimum capacity, specification, and

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

configuration for a proposed new or replacement CHP installation is a detailed analysis of hour by hour electricity and heat loads over a typical 12-month period including heat demands at the point of use as well as delivery.

A rigorous approach to quantifying, profiling and characterising heat load can often identify opportunities to reduce heat load through for example insulation, improved control, and measure to reduce heat sink temperatures enabling more efficient CHP heat delivery.

Implementation of these opportunities may well reduce the optimum CHP capacity (and capital cost), and the overall holistic package of more efficient CHP and heat load reduction can provide an optimum whole site solution to reduce CO2e emissions and maximise energy cost savings and return on investment.

Of course, CHP should not be the only option considered when considering energy supply and demand reduction strategies to minimise carbon emissions and energy costs. A rigorous approach to quantifying, characterising, and reducing heat energy requirements should be used to assess alternative options which may include, for example, ground source or air source heat pumps, biomass combustion and solar thermal etc. Like CHP, the benefits of these alternative options will often be enhanced by measures to reduced heat demands and heat sink temperatures.

A comprehensive option comparison considering carbon management, cost saving, return on investment and other client criteria can still show CHP to be the best solution for many applications.

In the longer term there may be more attractive solutions than CHP to minimising carbon emissions in the face of continuing de-carbonisation of the UK grid electricity and changing energy markets including the possible development of a hydrogen economy, this may bring about commercialisation of hydrogen fuel cells and other new technologies.

The asset life and typical service agreement for CHP plants is 10 to 15 years. Reduction and optimisation of heat loads to facilitate efficient CHP operation in the medium term can provide a good foundation for these newer technologies when it comes time to move away from CHP. info@jrpsolutions.com 0800 6127 567

VENTILATION NEWS

AIRMASTER AND COVID-19 – BUSINESS AS USUAL Jonathon Hunter Hill, Sector Manager for Education at SAV Systems.

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he current evidence on the spread of COVID-19 shows that recirculation of indoor air is one of the main methods of transmission, enabling transfer of virus from person to person. To combat this, the guidance is that all air indoors must be fresh, clean air from outside.

As our children return to school, parents, teachers and children must be increasingly conscious of the risk of transmission. In schools, BB101 (guidelines on ventilation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality in schools, 2018) sets out the types of ventilation systems that can be used.

This was published pre-COVID-19.

Of the acceptable ventilation systems defined in BB101, hybrid and natural ventilation systems will be required to mix room air with fresh air to raise the temperature before supplying it into the classrooms, avoiding draught but recirculating the soiled air in the room. This air could contain the SARS-CoV-19 virus.

As an example of the damage recirculating air to control temperature can do, Germany’s Gütersloh meat factory had over 2,000 cases of COVID-19 amongst their employees resulting in 21 deaths. Why? According to the BBC, their ventilation system recirculated untreated cold air to maintain a low room temperature. Many schools built in recent years are now finding themselves in a similar situation, although they are recirculating air to avoid draughts as opposed to keeping temperatures low.

What is the solution? Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR).

MVHR systems bring fresh air from outside, passing it through a filter to arrest pollutants, followed by a heat exchanger, increasing the supply air temperature before pushing it into the room. At the same time, the stale air in the room is extracted, filtered and exhausted to outside.

The result is fresh air supplied at close to room temperature, with minimal energy consumption.

To further minimise transmission, an increase in the number of air changes per hour is recommended.

With a natural ventilation system in the winter, this figure may be very low.

For mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, air changes can be consistent throughout the year, typically being in the range of 5-6 air changes per hour.

SAV Systems have been supplying AirMaster Smart Mechanical Ventilation (SMVs) to school since 2012. All classrooms with this equipment should be COVID-ready, without the need to retrofit or modify the equipment, having a set of filters and heat exchanger from inception.

Whilst normally supplied with CO2 sensors to enable demand control based on room occupancy, the current guidance suggests that a fixed air change rate would be more appropriate. On any existing and future AirMaster installation, this change can easily be made via the control panel.

The recommendations for COVID-19 do not just extend to schools. We have been contacted by several organisations

who wish to bring their employees back to work. Their existing ventilation systems simply cannot achieve the required air changes to create a safe workplace.

By making use of a decentralized mechanical ventilation solution, rooms can be treated individually reduce the transmission-risk of COVID-19 for all. Furthermore, AirMasters do not require connection to existing systems, making them simple to retrofit.

By design, AirMasters operate with a slight negative pressure in the room. As such, air will not be pushed out of rooms through spaces under doors, for example, preventing room-to-room transmission by air.

The filters in an AirMaster must be changed annually to ensure consistent operation. The current guidance on COVID-19 recommends assuming the normal maintenance pattern, so the frequency of filter change should not be changed.

Where Airlinq Online is present, AirMaster installations can be managed online so filter changes can be anticipated and organized in advance, limiting equipment downtime.

Whichever ventilation systems we use, we must make sure that recirculation is minimised whilst maximising the fresh air indoors by increasing the air change rate. Buildings equipped with MVHR will already be a step ahead, but as we look to the future, mechanical ventilation may need to become to the default choice to keep ourselves healthy. www.sav-systems.com

Schematic of decentralized MVHR showing clean air pathway and filtration

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

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DISTRICT HEATING

AMBITION WHAT IS THE UK’S GOAL FOR DISTRICT HEATING? BACKGROUND In the UK the promotion of district heating is tied into our route to net zero.

In 2008 the UK was the first country to introduce primary legislation creating a legal duty on government ministers to set policies to reduce carbon emissions.

Initially the ambition was for a 60% reduction, but following public pressure this was lifted to 80% of 1990 levels by 2050. Last year this was perhaps surprisingly and uncontroversially further lifted to net zero.1 FIG 2 – Where have reductions come from?

“ The Secretary of State must prepare such proposals and policies as the Secretary of State considers will enable the carbon budgets that have been set under this Act to be met.”

This is a momentous piece of legislation with generational consequences, passed by Gordon Brown’s government, that doesn’t even rate a mention in his Wikipedia entry.

The basic approach was to establish an independent body to set Carbon Budgets for each 5 year period (CB1,

FIG 1 – How is the UK doing?

CB2 and so on), advise government on how to achieve these budget and require ministers to respond to those proposals.

This is the Committee on Climate Change otherwise known as the ‘CCC’.

The vast majority of those reductions have come from two sources: one visible, the other invisible. The most obvious is the decarbonisation of the power sector, a reduction of over 100Mt per year from some 150Mt in 2010 to close to 50Mt this year.

The good news is that nobody would have believed this possible in 2010. I have worked in this field since 2006 and would not have believed the current outcome if told in 2010. Perhaps the UK was decarbonising at just the right time for the Wind and Solar industries, but the innovation in financing such schemes has made financing renewables viable globally. Indeed, the UK policy response of creating a dedicated ministry called the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) demonstrates the relative importance of energy in early policy thinking. Energy Efficiency particularly in lighting and appliances has delivered the invisible change.

One might expect this change in power generation to have come at great cost to consumers, in fact the opposite is true. The combination of low carbon policies and efficiency has reduced the average bill by around £115 or around 10% after adjusting for inflation.

The importance of decarbonising residential emissions has been climbing up the agenda as the power sector has decarbonised. Provisional 2019 UK emissions data has CO2 emissions from residential (65.2Mt or around18% of all CO2 emissions, 80% space and water heating) as higher than the business sector (64.7) or direct from power stations (57.4).

HEAT NETWORKS IN THE UK The CCC state2 “The lack of public awareness and support for low-carbon heating is arguably the single greatest consumer barrier to achieving Net Zero.”

Heat is the great decarbonisation challenge for policy makers and companies like Vattenfall to deliver over the next 30 years. Whilst decarbonising power has been relatively invisible to consumers, decarbonising heating will mean changing the energy consumption habits in every one of the 29 million households in the country.

Heat networks are not a welldeveloped route to supplying heat in the UK. The typical supply figure given is that they supply around 2% or 1 TWh/yr of UK residential heat demand, compared to 60% in Sweden. This is due to historic reasons for energy market development. Power stations were built well away from cities closer to the coal fields so integration to supply heat from the cooling of power generation was not feasible. The UK also had extensive town gas networks and during housing stock replacement in the 1950’s onwards the decision was made to supply gas as the UK had discovered large natural gas reserves it could use, primarily so coal could be used for power and industry.

In the middle of the last decade the government had almost no information on the use of district heating in the UK. So in 2014 as part of the process of starting to look at heat decarbonisation the government introduced heat metering and billing regulations3. This legislation 2 CCC June 2020 report to Parliament

1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_ Change_Act_2008

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ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

3 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ uksi/2014/3120/made

DISTRICT HEATING

FIG 3 : Where are the Heat Networks?

required heat networks to report on the number of customers and heat delivered.

As can be seen the average number of customers was less than 30 so most systems (15,000) are really communal systems. Originally there were only 15 large district heating schemes with more than 1,000 customers.

The Fifth Carbon Budget set the scene back in 2015. We expect the 6th Carbon Budget which will be published in December this year to ramp up the ambition further.

The CCC central scenario targets a deployment of 42 TWh/yr of DH by 2030 and 81 TWh/yr by 2050.

The High scenario is for 50% more heat to be delivered by those dates. It also identified 500 1km2 zones in the UK with heat demand of more than 50GWh. What this means for the UK district heating industry is an industry that has to grow at a compound growth rate of 8% or more to 2050.

The amount of investment is huge and that is what I wanted to bring to everybody’s attention. The industry needs to grow to be equal to the size of the Wind Industry in the UK. We need to be investing £1-2Bn per year to build out the networks to meet this ambition.

Vattenfall should be achieving 20% or more of that. The above numbers are just to 2030, so in the next 10 years, it will be the same again by 2050.

SUMMARY

FIG 4: CCC Central Scenario – 5th Carbon Budget

Regardless of the wider decarbonisation ambition for the UK Government, heat networks represent a ‘no regrets’ option as they improve the efficiency of supplying heat from any source.

Policy direction from the CCC to government is clear that both electrification and district heating offer

Fig 5. IPPR – Piping Hot report 1 1 Emden J, Aldridge J and Orme B (2017) Piping hot: The opportunity for heat networks in a new industrial strategy, IPPR. http://www.ippr.org/publications/piping-hot

the primary route to zero-carbon heat.

We expect a significant policy and step change in ambition from government later this summer with the publication of “The Buildings and Heat Strategy” which is being produced by the CCC in conjunction with government departments including Housing and Treasury. Expectation is that this will set a clear direction for the next 30 years, so that we can reach zero emissions from buildings by 2050.

We can achieve amazing results when we put the right framework in place, the changes in the power sector prove this and so the future for change in heat looks set to challenge and amaze us all with what we achieve. www.vattenfall.com

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RENEWABLE ENERGY

HYDROGEN CHP: THE FUTURE HAS BEGUN

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ower-to-gas technology uses green electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis. 2G’s CHP units use this regeneratively produced hydrogen as a climate-neutral fuel in order to convert it back into electricity - and also heat or cold - in a highly efficient, economically attractive and technically robust manner. With our own engines, 2G has succeeded in adapting a tried and tested, highly efficient natural gas CHP plant so that it can use pure hydrogen with comparable economy and reliability for the decentralised generation of electricity and heat.

All 2G engines are hydrogen enabled. They can operate off natural gas to begin with and hydrogen can be gradually blended-in up to 40%, or it can be switched to 100% hydrogen when available.

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IN SUMMARY: • 100% green hydrogen (H2) as a climate-neutral fuel for combined heat and power • Highly efficient, field-tested natural gas engines as the basis for the 2G hydrogen CHP • Hydrogen CHP can be used by public utilities and other energy suppliers as well as by industrial and commercial companies • Wide range of gas types can be used: from pure hydrogen to variable gas mixtures with natural gas or lean gases • Hydrogen engine CHP more robust and cheaper than fuel cells • Delivery as a ready-to-connect container solution possible 2G is a project partner in the groundbreaking H2 project of Stadtwerke

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

Haßfurt. Working together with the Städtische Betriebe GmbH (municipal services responsible for local heating and public leisure services) as well as the data center Rechenzentrum Haßfurt GmbH, the Stadtwerk Haßfurt GmbH is part of the triad responsible for operating public services. The installed CHP is an agenitor 406 H2 from 2G with an electrical output of 140 kW operated with hydrogen in June 2019 enabled Stadtwerk Haßfurt to extend its power-to gas plant (PtG).

In contrast to the previous method of the addition of hydrogen into the natural gas grid with a regeneration using conventional CHPs, the new combined heat and power plant enables operation with pure hydrogen without the addition of any fossil fuels. For the first time, a hydrogen-based and zero-CO2 storage network has been created for regenerative electricity for

RENEWABLE ENERGY communal use. The storage ‘chain’ starts with the generation of power from wind energy, proceeds to the 2G conversion into hydrogen by electrolysis and storage in pressure tanks and ends with the regeneration of power from combined power and heat generation. The hydrogen storage unit allows for a continuous operation of the CHP for approx. 15 hours thus increasing the system’s overall flexibility considerably.

Now that the plant has been in operation for over a year, it can be confirmed that the system meets all the high expectations in terms of availability and profitability.

Electrolysis involves separating water into oxygen – which can be used for medical or industrial applications – and hydrogen with a high degree of purity.

In the PEM electrolyzer in Haßfurt, this process is conducted at a temperature of between approx. 30 and 70 °C at a pressure of 35 bar. The gas is then dried to remove as much moisture as possible. A water treatment plant demineralises the water before it is fed into the electrolysis stacks where the actual electrolysis process takes place.

CTO of 2G Energy AG, expects an increase in demand for the H2 CHP: “After the first installation of a H2 CHP at the BER airport in Berlin in 2012, we took the next step in Haßfurt of installing a standard CHP from the agenitor series which can be adapted at low cost for use of either pure hydrogen, a hydrogen/ natural gas mixture or just natural gas.

The safe and flexible operation as part of a wider use of PtG concepts with CHPs in the future is an integral part of the development work at 2G.” Haßfurt has a right to be proud of the numerous awards it has received including the Bavarian Energy Prize in 2018 or being named as the “Pearl of the Energy Revolution” by the Heinrich Böll Foundation. The “icing on the cake” was the “CHP of 2019” award voted by the jury of the B.KWK Bundesverband Kraft Wärme-Kopplung e. V. (National Cogeneration Association) and the ‘Energie & Management’ trade magazine in recognition for the future oriented investment decision of Stadtwerk At its location in Rostock-Laage within view of the airport, APEX Energy operates the hydrogen power centre for Northern Germany. Together with a local partner, Europe’s largest grid-connected hydrogen plant is expected to supply the entire location with CO2-neutral energy.

Mathias Hehmann, CEO of APEX Energy Teterow GmbH, regards hydrogen CHPs as an important cornerstone for

an environmentally friendly supply of power for the future: “As a full-service specialist, we deliver tailormade system solutions designed for the energy of tomorrow. For industry and commerce, housing associations, for the intermediate storage of balancing energy, mobility solutions or for the connection of remote locations – hydrogen is the driving power behind a zeroemission future. The combined generation of power and heat in the H2 CHP is an important component in this equation.”

APEX Energy has commissioned 2G Energy to supply a highly innovative hydrogen combined heat and power plant (H2-CHP) for operation with renewable hydrogen.

The CHP agenitor 404c H2 from 2G Energy with an electrical power of 115 kW (129 kW thermally) APEX Energy uses the CHP to generate electricity and heat for its own use at the Rostock-Laage site. The plant produces APEXIS energy storage systems that require hydrogen to operate, which is produced by an electrolyser.

The basis for hydrogen production is electricity from photovoltaic and wind turbines. APEXIS storage systems are designed as modular systems and offer secure and convenient storage in one place of customer choice. The standard system is designed for 60 bar printing and is equipped with market-leading permeability and patented connection technology.

In the centre of Esslingen, a new urban quarter with 500 apartments and a building for the local university is being built – including an electrolyser for the production of green hydrogen.

The aim is to make housing and mobility climate-neutral for residents. The New Western Town in Esslingen offers a glimpse into the future. An electrolysis unit will soon be moving in there, together with the first inhabitants. Then a test run starts with a concept that may be a standard for producing and using hydrogen in 10 to 20 years. Even if the operating principle is quite logical and stringent, such practical examples show what planners, manufacturers and

approval authorities still have to learn.

Other contracts such as the commissioning of a H2 CHP for Siemens in 2019 for a project on the Arabian peninsula, all confirm 2G’s market development in Hydrogen innovation.

For Frank Grewe, Head of Development at 2G Energy AG, the fourth order for an H2 CHP is proof that the market is ready to accept the further developed standard CHP of the agenitor series from 2G: “We already reached a first milestone in 2012 with the installation of an H2 CHP at BER Airport in Berlin. With the agenitor 406 of the Stadtwerk Haßfurt, a hydrogen-based and CO2free storage chain for renewable electricity was implemented for the first time in municipal practice last year. www.2-g.com

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

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WATER MANAGEMENT

FOCUS ON WATER MANAGEMENT ‘TO PREPARE FOR FUTURE HEALTH CRISES’

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rioritising water management, improving water infrastructure and technologies, promoting behavioural change and promoting alternative resources is key to helping societies around the world better prepare for possible global health crises in the future, a team of experts have now said.

Scientists from the UK’s University of Birmingham and Northwestern University in the US published a comment article in the Nature Sustainability journal, calling on policymakers to focus on better investment in water infrastructure and knowledge promotion, following studies revealing that almost a quarter of households in low and middle-income countries have struggled to follow handwashing guidelines during the pandemic.

Areas that need addressing include protecting water sources to ensure safe drinking water, through measures such as adequate water treatment and distribution systems, as well as recycling and reusing both domestic wastewater and rainwater.

Now is also the perfect time to take advantage of the opportunities to promote good hygiene behaviours following the coronavirus crisi, such as how to use water sustainably - also important given future predictions relating to climate and population change.

As for alternative resources, these could include temporary taps and hand sanitiser products, both of which will become more and more important as time goes on and we see the impact of population growth and climate change.

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Professor David Hannah of Birmingham University’s School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the urgent need for global action on water security. This is a basic human right that is not being met in large sections of the world’s population and COVID-19 has provided us with a wake-up call that we cannot afford to ignore.”

Co-author of the publication professor Stefan Krause made further comments, saying that both Unicef and the World Health Organisation have acknowledged the scale of the challenge that lies ahead, adding that water insecurity has serious consequences for both the mental and physical wellbeing of billions of people.

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

Businesses keen to start thinking more sustainably about their own water consumption and usage can begin now, with all sorts of options available to them in this regard.

Perhaps the best place to start, however, is looking into water leak detection and repairs onsite, as three billion litres of water is lost through leakage each and every day. You may not even know you have a leak somewhere on your premises, since the vast majority of them happen tucked away below ground or are so small you barely notice them.

If you’d like to find out if you are wasting water and you want to start making improvements, get in touch with the team here at consultancy firm H2O Building Services today to see what we can do to improve your water footprint today. www.h2obuildingservices.co.uk

WATER EFFICIENCY THE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO REDUCE WATER RISKS & AVOID CONFLICT

WATER MANAGEMENT

The risks and instances of political instability and conflict relating to water stress and scarcity appear to be increasing around the world, with the factors driving these problems seemingly intensifying, ranging from population growth and economic expansion to climate change, pollution, severe and prolonged drought, inefficient water use and so on.

This is according to a new report from the World Resources Institute (WRI)*,

identifying the fact that because there is no single driver that causes conflict, there is no one solution that will eradicate all the problems associated with water insecurity – but there is a wide variety of different solutions now available that can reduce water-related conflicts.

These range from natural resources, science and engineering, political and legal, policy and governance, and economic and financial strategies… but it is important

to understand the key drivers of risk in order to identify potential solutions to water and security challenges.

But it may well be difficult to implement solutions for numerous reasons, whether it’s down to insufficient financial resources and technical capacity, widespread and entrenched corruption or the existence of social or cultural barriers.

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It’s essential that these solutions are implemented, however, because water insecurity poses a growing threat to humanity and our way of life.

As well as water-related violence seemingly on the rise, non-violent water insecurity also appears to be on the up, with cities like Sao Paul and Chennai

potentially running out of water and chronic drought resulting in the loss of rural livelihoods and migration in the African Sahel and Central America destabilising.

THE WATER AUDIT EXPERTS

In Iraq, for example, poor water quality in the south of the country sparked anti-government demonstrations that turned violent. Protests in

October last year led to the resignation of the prime minister. Risk drivers include growing population and water demand, climate change, poor governance and new upstream dams and water diversions in Syria, Iran and Turkey.

Possible solutions include limiting water use in water-stressed parts of the country, developing transboundary water-sharing agreements,

In fact, the four main reservoirs in Chennai actually ran out of deliverable water in June last year – so it’s clear that action needs to be taken, and fast.

The WRI report focuses on six regions around the world now facing severe water and security challenges,

repairing and expanding water delivery and sewage treatment systems in large cities and taking action to adapt to a hotter, drier future as the impacts of climate change are increasingly felt.

Do you want to find out more about why water efficiency is important?

identifying the problems and the major risk drivers in order to find the most effective solutions that target the root cause of the problems, not just the symptoms. *https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/ending-conflictsover-water.pdf

Get in touch with H2o Building Services today to see how you can reduce your business’s water footprint today.

www.h2obuildingservices.co.uk

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

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DRIVING THE FUTURE

THERE MAY BE A SILVER LINING TO COVID-19, AND IT’S GREEN James Moat, CEO, Box Energi | Drive Energi

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OVID-19 and climate change are by no means poles apart.

In fact, the two crises have striking parallels: both are emergencies that involve invisible forces with tangibly devastating consequences, and each command both urgent attention and concerted, largescale, and interdisciplinary action.

Recovery from each crisis is not mutually exclusive either.

As the UK slumps into its first recession in 11 years, economic recovery packages will shape, if not determine, any prospects of a green future. Proactively greening our response to the pandemic by pursuing strategies and policies that centre decarbonisation and net-zero emissions is not an optional luxury but a present imperative.

While COVID-19 has pressed pause on many aspects of modernday life, reaping some undeniable environmental benefits – emissions in individual countries throughout lockdown decreased at their peak by an average of 26%, for example – these are only temporary side-effects, and they will disappear just as quickly if policymakers, the energy sector, and end-consumers do not decisively seize upon the opportunity they afford.

This is especially important for the transport sector, and not just because the easing of mobility restrictions will inevitably see emissions rise sharply once more. The pandemic has entailed certain behavioural shifts with significant consequences for the transport industry: fewer flights together with travel restrictions have led holidaymakers to journey by car across the UK; the diminished capacity of public transport has seen routing requests for motor vehicles in August rise 27% from January; and one poll conducted with

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London commuters, though anecdotal, speaks to a broader trend of anxiety around the safety of public transport which has resulted in more people wanting to commute by car (49%, up 23% from pre-pandemic levels).

These trends in consumer behaviour, though new, confirm an age-old truth: motor travel is not going away anytime soon. But with transport being the largest contributor to UK domestic greenhouse gases (GHG), an ambitious step-change is necessary.

Electric vehicles (EVs) will be an integral part of the transition to making transport a net-zero industry. Yet, while 2019 saw a record number of EVs on UK roads and the sales of hybrids and EVs boomed by 73% this June, barriers to mass adoption inevitably persist.

Realising the government’s 2050 net-zero targets will require a holistic approach to delivering an overall experience that encourages consumers to transition to a cleaner mode of transport.

EV infrastructure must take priority so as to anticipate and ultimately cater for growing EV demand. With 50% of existing charge points installed in the last 20 months – compared with the previous five years – and firm commitments from recognisable brands such as McDonalds

ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2020

and Greene King that will alone add thousands more charge points in the next few years, it demonstrates that a tipping point has been reached and this sector is attracting large scale investment.

The acceleration of EV technology has greenlit the viability of the EV industry to spearhead both environmental and economic recovery – especially since it is estimated that 90% of automotive jobs could be directly transferred to an EV context.

The recent findings from Climate Assembly UK suggests that a public proclivity towards green energy solutions – including EVs – already exists.

Now that people have been able to experience clean air, burgeoning wildlife and birdsong in lockdown, many have recalibrated their attitude to climate change and the scale of its challenges.

With public sentiment favourable to a green recovery, governmental regulation lending advocacy to EV innovation, and the pandemic highlighting the dysfunctionality of the transport sector’s previous unsustainable “normal”, here and now therefore presents a golden – or rather green – opportunity for the step-change that will be so essential if we are truly to tackle the climate emergency. https://boxenergi.com/

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