Archive for United Kingdom
HMR Pathfinder
Posted by: | CommentsThe Pathfinder Project is aimed at improving the local environment in the economically deprived areas of Oldham and Rochdale. Old and unsustainable housing will be improved or replaced, to help improve quality of life and reduce environmental impacts. A range of financial assistance is offered, to make sure local residents can access the new homes. This 15-year project will spend over £2 billion in the Oldham and Rochdale area over this time. Since 2004, more than 1600 existing homes have been improved, including improving the insulation. Many new sustainable developments have been built, including the award winning homes at Selwyn Street. Parking and community safety has been improved in some neighbourhoods.
10% Renewables Policy
Posted by: | CommentsOldham Council has a policy which states that renewable energy generation systems must be built in to new developments of a certain size (10 house units and non domestic 1000m2). These developments must have 10% or more of their energy from on site renewable resources. Oldham Council is one of the first local authorities in the country, and the first in Greater Manchester to have such a policy.
Carbon Trading Pilot Scheme
Posted by: | CommentsThe Council belongs to a carbon trading pilot scheme, run by the Local Government Information Unit. The scheme will help Councils prepare for the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) as well as improve environmental performance. The Council has been given a reduction target to reach before the end of the year. The Council is working to reduce its energy usage, by using schemes such as awareness raising and improving technology, to reach this target. If we exceed the target, then we will have credits to sell to other organisations. Carbon trading takes place monthly, over an internet platform. At the end of the year, there will be a league table of the best performing authorities. The scheme is still ongoing, but we have already identified many potential energy savings.
Southampton District Energy Scheme
Posted by: | CommentsThe Southampton District Energy Scheme (SDES) provides electrical power, hot water for central heating, and chilled water for air conditioning to over 40 commercial customers and hundreds of households in the city centre. SDES uses 85% energy efficient CHP (Combined Heating Power) and 15% geothermal energy. This scheme achieves a reduction in CO2 emissions of 11,000 tonnes a year and reduces the costs for its customers. This initiative has been possible due to the partnership between Utilicom, a private energy supplier who delivers and runs the scheme, and Southampton City Council (SCC), who actively encourage new and existing buildings to connect to the scheme.
Woking Park – Fuel Cell Combined Heat and Power System
Posted by: | CommentsWoking’s Pool in the Park installation is believed to be the UK’s only commercially operational fuel cell CHP system. Launched on 16 June 2003, it provides power and heat all year round, with excess heat used in the summer in heat-fired absorption chillers to provide comfort cooling and dehumidification for the pool and leisure centre. A fuel cell is similar to a battery except that the fuel is continuously fed into the system and in return produces electricity and heat by an electro-chemical process. Pure water is also produced during the process. The cell contains an anode and a cathode insulated by an electrolyte between them. Hydrogen is then supplied to the anode while oxygen is supplied to the cathode. With the aid of catalysts, a electrochemical reaction occurs regenerating the water producing electricity and heat. Fuels cell technology is ‘clean’ although natural gas is the fuel as the efficiency is high resulting in low carbon dioxide emissions.
Rokpa Trust – Samye Ling solar water installations
Posted by: | CommentsThe Kagyu Samye Ling Buddhist Monastery and Tibetan Centre was established in 1967 and is the largest of its kind in the Western world. The Monastery is located on the banks of the river Esk. As well as being a centre of Buddhist wisdom and learning, it also offers the highest standards of Buddhist teachings. It is also the a centre for the preservation of Tibetan, arts, medicine and culture.
The Samye Ling centre receives a standard 25,000 visitors each year including 2,000 – 2,500 school children and groups of teachers. The Ropka Trust has made a main concern that centre become carbon-neutral in respect of its energy use as soon as possible as oil, LPG and electricity being the current energy uses.
New Cumnock Swimming Pool – air-source heat pump project
Posted by: | CommentsThe location of New Cumnock is with an aged mining village near to the border of Ayrshire and Dumfries & Galloway. Due to the diminishing of mining through out the years and the reduction of the textile industry, much of the village has suffered.
The outdoor swimming pool that was built in the 1960s was closed down by the council of East Ayrshire an was taken over by the community under the banner of New Cumnock Environmental Volunteers (NERV). This group was set up to improve the environment and leisure activities in the area. The swimming pool was has had substantial improvements which include new showers, changing facilities and tiling of the pool and the relating surroundings.
Birmingham – New community heating system lead from leisure centre CHP
Posted by: | CommentsBirmingham city council was looking for alternative electric heating for some of its multi-storey homes and investigated a proposal to heat three 13-storey blocks of flats in the Stechford area of the City from a new heating plant adjacent to the adjacent leisure centre.
The blocks were built in 1964 containing 150 one and two bedroom homes, the blocks were of concrete wall-frame construction with brick and block infill, and metal frame single glazing. Each flat had electric under floor heating to the hall and lounge of each home, together with a 2 kW electric fire in the lounge. This combination mean’t that homes were impossible to heat and residents suffered from very low winter temperatures despite paying high heating bills. The council then decided to refurbish both buildings and heating systems, therefore replacing electric heating in the flats with radiator based systems fed from a community heating system. The heating system belonging to the Stechford cascades leisure centre was also in need in repair. To tackle this it was decided that an extra plant were to be installed to serve the adjacent flats. This was in a form of CHP unit with two new boilers in a boiler house.
Kirkhaven Hostel, Dalmarnock, Glasgow – geothermal system
Posted by: | CommentsThe New Housing Association is a charitable housing organization which has been developing housing since 1991. The New Housing Association develops and manages housing for rent, mainly in the Glasgow area. In addition to normal housing, Thenew also develop special needs housing. This is in partnership with specialist care providers.
Kirkhaven Hostel is a newly developed hostel with partnership of Crossreach. Crossreach is a local care agency within Scotland. The hostel will offer 24 hour acre for 14 adults with issues relating to alcohol. The building possesses under floor heating. The heat is generated by solar panels connected to a closed loop geothermal system.
Deighton Centre Wind Turbines
Posted by: | CommentsThis case study provides information about the two 15 kWp wind turbines installed on the edge of the playing fields adjacent to the Deighton Centre in Huddersfield.
The turbines were installed in May 2006 and generate electricity, without emissions of carbon dioxide, for the Deighton Centre. Any remaining energy generated is exported to the National Grid. The wind turbines are located more than 110m away from the Centre and the nearest residential dwelling is more than 100m away down steep banking. At low wind speeds the difference between background noise levels and noise from the turbines is zero at 60m away from the turbines. At high wind speeds the noise difference is zero at 20m.
Flicker or shadow effect can be caused when turning turbine blades cast a moving shadow and cause a flickering effect. This is not a common effect and is dependant on many factors. The distance between the turbines and the building is sufficient for flicker effect not to be an issue.
