Dutch Battery Storage Project

RWE (Renewable Energy) starts construction of utility-scale battery storage project in the Netherlands

• 35 MW storage systems to be installed at RWE’s Eemshaven power plant
• Facility to be virtually coupled with RWE power plants in the Netherlands
• Commissioning in 2025

RWE is further expanding its battery storage business worldwide. The company has now started construction of its first utility-scale Dutch battery storage project with an installed power capacity of 35 megawatts (MW) and a storage capacity of 41 megawatt-hours (MWh). A total of 110 lithium-ion battery racks will be installed at RWE’s Eemshaven power plant on an area of around 3,000 square metres. The storage system is planned to supply control energy and to operate in wholesale markets as of 2025.
The battery project is an important step towards a portfolio of innovative flexible assets to optimally integrate the weather-related fluctuating power generation profile of the “OranjeWind” offshore wind farm, which is currently in development, into the Dutch energy system. In 2022, RWE had secured the implementation of the offshore project off the Dutch coast with a system integration concept that combines the wind farm with the generation of green hydrogen and other solutions such as battery storage.
Roger Miesen, CEO RWE Generation and Country Chair for the Netherlands:

“This construction start makes me very proud. RWE’s first utility-scale battery storage project in the Netherlands is a big step towards a reliable electricity supply in an increasingly green
national energy system. Thus, we are actively contributing towards stabilising the Dutch electricity grid.”

The battery storage facility will be able to operate at its installed capacity of 35 MW for over an hour. Theoretically, this is sufficient to charge around 800 EVs. The system has been designed to be virtually coupled across technologies with RWE power plants in the Netherlands. This enables optimal management of balancing energy, which can be supplied by selected units either individually or as a group.

Battery storage@RWE
As a driver of the energy transition, RWE develops, builds and operates battery storage systems in Europe, Australia and the US. Currently, the company operates battery storage systems with an overall capacity of around 500 MW and has more than 1 GW of battery storage projects under construction worldwide. RWE is planning to expand its battery storage business to
6 gigawatts worldwide by 2030. At the start of 2023, RWE commissioned a first megabattery in Lingen and Werne (both Germany) with a capacity of 117 MW. A 220 MW project is currently
under construction at two locations in North Rhine-Westphalia. In 2023, the company acquired UK solar and battery developer JBM Solar with an advanced battery project development
pipeline of 2.3 gigawatts. RWE is planning, building and operating innovative combined solar and storage plants in its German opencast mining sites. In addition, the company has won the
bid for a long-duration battery storage system (50 megawatts/400 MWh) in Australia. In the US, the company connected its first utility-scale battery storage system to the California electric
grid in 2023. The 137 MW Fifth Standard facility—the company’s largest storage facility to date – collocates with a 150-MW solar PV array in Fresno County, California.

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Allliance will lead to the first Small-Scale Nuclear Power Plant in Europe

Brussels hopes to have the first small-scale nuclear power station in operation in the next decade, with a newly established industry alliance key to that ambition

 

The European Commission this week opened a call for industry partners to join a new alliance to advance the development and deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs).

The move is part of the Commission’s 2050 climate neutrality objective and follows its recent declaration that all technologies will be needed to reach that goal. 

The EU’s industrial alliances do not benefit from any direct funding. “Whilst the alliance itself does not have a budget, it does create a framework that will facilitate the deployment of SMRs by streamlining stakeholders: industry and decision makers,” a spokeswoman for trade association Nucleareurope told Science|Business.

Small-scale nuclear power stations are billed as being safer and cheaper than conventional reactors and should be quicker to build because of standardised designs that can be manufactured at scale and shipped to the site.

The technology is still largely unproven, but several projects are planned around the world. US company NuScale Power has an agreement with Romania’s Nuclearelectrica to build a cluster of six SMRs on the site of a former coal plant, which could be deployed in 2029. Those plans are part of Project Phoenix, a US plan to replace coal-fired power plants with SMRs, with projects in Czechia, Slovakia and Poland also in line to receive support for feasibility studies.

China is also a frontrunner, and in 2021 began construction work on the Linglong One plant, which is expected to enter commercial operation by the end of 2026.

European countries remain divided over nuclear energy, but advocates say SMRs could be used in areas such as district heating, industry, and hydrogen production, where other low-carbon alternatives are not viable.

The Commission organised the first EU workshop on SMRs in 2021, leading to a proposal for a European SMR partnership, involving industry, research and technology bodies and potential customers.

In November 2023, ahead of the European Nuclear Energy Forum, 12 EU energy ministers sent a letter to the Commission calling for an industry alliance to stimulate investment in SMRs. Shortly after, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson announced at the forum the intention to set up an alliance.

The European Parliament has also been actively pushing for action at EU level to ensure Europe doesn’t fall behind and maintains its strategic autonomy. In December 2023, MEPs backed a call for the development of SMRs, recognising the “need to sufficiently explore and identify all possible options for financing European SMR production and scale-up and support the related supply chain”.

The EU hopes that the new alliance will lead to the deployment of the first reactors in the next decade. “We want this Alliance to deliver benefits in very practical terms – through full engagement on nuclear safety, using European supply chains, and by boosting innovation for new technologies,” said Simson on announcing the call for partners. 

The European Commissioner for research and innovation, Iliana Ivanova, said that SMRs are key to Europe’s strategic autonomy. 

Industry welcomed the announcement. Yves Desbazeille, director general of Nucleareurope, said he was delighted at the move and hoped it would help Europe overcome the challenges related to deploying SMRs in Europe. 

“The European nuclear industry has been at the forefront of innovation and industrial excellence for decades and this industrial alliance will help maintain our industry’s world class position,” Desbazeille said.

The development of the first SMRs has not been plain sailing, however. In November, NuScale Power cancelled its SMR project in Utah, which was due to be the first SMR plant built in the US. The plans fell through when it became clear the project would not have enough customers, after costs spiralled.

Twenty-five countries from around the globe, including several EU countries, have signed a declaration to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050 after an initial agreement reached at the latest United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 28) in December last year. A notable European absentee from the list of signatories is Germany, which dismisses nuclear as an option and favours other green energy sources. It is not clear what involvement German companies will have in the new SMR alliance.

The launch of the industrial alliance was not the first boost for the sector this week, as nuclear energy was also included in the list of technologies covered by the Net-Zero Industry Act, under the agreement reached by the Parliament and Council on Tuesday.

The Commission’s call for partners, which can include private companies working on nuclear tech, financial institutions, research organisations, civil society organisations or others interested in the field, will remain open until 12 April. 

Before that, an event on SMR dissemination will be held on the sidelines of the Nuclear Energy Summit on 21 March, organised by the Belgian presidency of the EU and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Later in spring the Commission plans to hold the first general assembly of the alliance. 

Source: Science/Business

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THE LAND USE CONUNDRUM

Land is our greatest resource: one that has considerable potential to address society’s challenges. So, determining how land is used is a significant responsibility.

Recent events including the cost-of-living crisis, Brexit and the war in Ukraine have created considerable demand for land use to address complex problems.

Take the rise in both energy and food prices for example: land has the potential to resolve both, through the siting of renewable energy projects (wind, solar PV and batteries) or through a return to more localised food production. It also has the potential to mitigate climate change through increasing biodiversity, carbon capture and water management. Historically, land successfully delivered all of this, but the size of the world’s population, combined with global warming, has created an impasse.

Food production

I’m not sure about the argument that all food should be locally produced. The rise in the cost of food,  isn’t necessarily due to the distance that the food must travel from ‘field to fork’ but rather the energy that is required to produce and transport it. Produce clean energy more cost effectively and the cost of food can reduce proportionately.

There’s a basic lack of understanding about land use, which inhibits a sensible debate – even at Governmental level. For example, a situation has arisen whereby land use for solar is seen as contributing to the rise in food prices – by diverting land away from food production. This simply isn’t the case. Most food production takes place on the best quality land and solar will tend to be developed on less productive land – it’s a temporary use, which can actually help improve soil quality.

There is also a misunderstanding about the cost of basic food ingredients. Importantly, food costs will come down as a result of increased use of renewable energy, because the cost of production is reduced.

Energy production and biodiversity net gain

The land use conundrum is complicated further by the imminent requirement for developers to create a minimum 10% biodiversity net gain (BNG) on most new development schemes from November 2023. Land use choices aren’t as simple as choosing just one use: solar and BNG can be combined very effectively in a single scheme; but also farming and BNG are not mutually exclusive – or at least they shouldn’t be. Traditionally, farmers have allowed periods of fallow in crop rotation, to increase the nutrient value of the soil. Similarly, BNG could be used to allow land to rest and recover.

Another sticking point is the ability of the National Grid to support the increasing number of energy providers, small businesses and individuals. A battery project which gained planning consent in 2019 has been poised to generate clean energy to the Grid but has suffered a four year delay.

Furthermore, the cost of financing such schemes continues to rise. In situations in which companies can guarantee a grid interconnection, the financial risk is immediately reduced and capital investment becomes more accessible.

Risk is expensive, so high failure rates, whether at the grid or planning level will mean project pricing is higher. Risk needs to be moved further upstream to bring down the cost of energy – by which I mean direct investment in the National Grid.

Food prices will not come down without a reduction in energy prices. Our eating habits are too entrenched for a return to seasonal, home-grown habits. We are used to accessing all foods, throughout the year, including pears from Argentina, sugar snap peas from Guatemala, prawns from Indonesia and grapes from Chile.

The rural economy and associated labour markets have changed too, and as a result too few people are available to harvest crops. Whether it’s because an aspirational society which has resulted in those who would previously have worked the land to seeking further education and a vocation in the city, rural house prices forcing farm labourers out of the market, or the result of Brexit on the fruit-picking demographic, we simply don’t have the means to harvest the amount of food already grown in the country without additional support.

Energy farming is crucial to the development and diversification of the rural economy. It’s not a disruptor or an antithesis to food production: we have been growing energy crops, from timber for the fire to feed for draught horses for hundreds of years.

The future of land strategy

Neither is the future of farming a choice between energy or food production. To power the UK using solar alone would require just 2.1% of the UK’s land mass. Only 8.7% of England is developed, leaving 91.1% of non-developed land potentially available.

A future land strategy needs to assess where the Grid needs the greatest input and focus energy production accordingly. This requires a partial, but not a wholescale, upgrade. Despite short term costs, this will lead to an overall decrease in energy bills, resulting in fewer energy subsidies to be paid by Government, along with a reduction in food prices.

A net zero future in which non-fossil fuel based transportation replaces gas guzzlers and our air is free from nitrogen dioxide emissions is achievable, it just requires a focus on the bigger picture. In the meantime, landowners have more opportunities than ever and there remains considerable pressure to select the best combination of uses for farm accounts and the planet’s future.

Source: Estate Agent Today

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Gove wants to change the perspective of planners

Housing secretary Michael Gove has told the House of Lords Built Environment Committee that his department will shine a ‘more pitiless light on local authority performance’ – while accepting that the work of public sector planners is too often underappreciated.

Gove made this remark during a section of the proceedings on planning resources, in which he also expressed his desire to see the expertise of local planners appreciated.

Baroness Janke highlighted RTPI research that found that 80 per cent of local planning departments do not currently have the staff to meet their workload demands.

She questioned what the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) is doing to evaluate the impact of additional funding and also what plans there are to help the recruitment and retention of planners, “many of whom have moved to the private sector where salaries are significantly higher?”.

Gove listed government measures including an increase in the amount being made available to local authorities “specifically for enhancing the planning department through the planning delivery grant”, which he described as “one of the most oversubscribed funds that we’ve dedicated”.

He also mentioned the increase in planning fees.

“We’ve also made it clear that statutory consultees and others have to have their fee arrangements changed in order to put money into the system. How will we monitor it? We’re going to have, not just league tables showing how well local authorities are doing – and they already exist in a way in how the Housing Delivery Test is met – but we’ll have more honest league tables. We’ll be shining a more pitiless light on local authority performance in order to see which of them are performing well.”

Gove added that he was committed to changing the perception of planners, telling the committee that he had heard from people within the profession that they feel it “has been denigrated” and is “underappreciated”.

“I think it is sometimes the case in some local authorities that the expertise of planners is not always appreciated, and I want to change that.”

In answer to Lady Janke’s question about whether the comprehensive resources and skills strategy promised in the 2020 Planning for the Future white paper will be produced and be adequately resourced, Gove emphasised that planning had been prioritised for additional support.

“We have been working with the RTPI and others to ensure we have an approach towards skills and education in this area that will encourage more people into the profession and enhance the delivery of a pipeline of skilled planners overall. And yes, there is more that can be done.”

When pressed on the skills strategy, Gove replied: “We will come back to this committee with such an outlook.”

Nutrient neutrality rules ‘inflexible’

On nutrient neutrality, Lord Best questioned whether primary legislation was still part of the plan to address it rather than continue with a moratorium on housebuilding.

Gove noted that the government had sought to introduce an amendment in the autumn of 2023 to what was at the time the levelling up and regeneration bill, which the Lords rejected . Although keen to bring forward primary legislation, there wasn’t space in the “congested” King’s Speech last November, he said.

“That doesn’t mean that we have been idle,” said Gove. “We’ve been working in order to ensure that we can provide more extensive mitigation, both to ensure that a market of mitigation can become more mature and also to use public money to help that as well.”

Lord Best brought up a Home Builders Federation (HBF) figure of 140,000 homes not being built as a result of current nutrient neutrality rules. He questioned whether this was broadly right or “an exaggeration, as some people have told us”.

“It is difficult to be precise,” answered Gove. “We use the figure of around 100,000. Because again, with no disrespect to the HBF, we thought it better to be cautious in that estimate. The work they have done reflects the direct experience of their members; there is no reason to believe it is anything other than robust, but we wanted to err on the side of caution.”

Nutrient neutrality issues are affecting 74 local authorities. Nutrient pollution is an urgent problem for freshwater habitats and estuaries that are home to wetland birds, fish, and insects. Increased levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, for example, can speed the growth of certain plants, which disrupts natural processes and damages wildlife.

In 2018, ‘Dutch N’ came before the European Court of Justice, which ruled that articles 6(2) and 6(3) of the EU Habitats Directive, as implemented in the UK by the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017, should require that new development affecting Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) achieve nutrient neutrality.

Natural England responded by revising guidance for local authorities on how to conduct an appropriate assessment of all housing applications to guard against nutrient-related problems. Developers are expected to mitigate or offset pollution.

Source: The Planner

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FUSION POWER: Closer to a Reality

The Joint European Torus (JET), one of the world’s largest and most powerful fusion machines, has demonstrated the ability to reliably generate fusion energy, while simultaneously setting a world record in energy output.

These notable accomplishments represent a significant milestone in the field of fusion science and engineering.

In JET’s final deuterium-tritium experiments (DTE3), high fusion power was consistently produced for five seconds, resulting in a ground-breaking record of 69 megajoules using a mere 0.2 milligrams of fuel.

JET is a tokamak, a design which uses powerful magnetic fields to confine a plasma in the shape of a doughnut. Most approaches to creating commercial fusion favor the use of two hydrogen variants—deuterium and tritium. When deuterium and tritium fuse together they produce helium and vast amounts of energy, a reaction that will form the basis of future fusion powerplants.

 

Video inside the Joint European Torus tokamak of pulse #104522 from 3 October 2023, which set a new fusion energy record of 69 megajoules. Credit: United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, courtesy of EUROfusion

Dr. Fernanda Rimini, JET Senior Exploitation Manager, said,

“We can reliably create fusion plasmas using the same fuel mixture to be used by commercial fusion energy powerplants, showcasing the advanced expertise developed over time.”

Professor Ambrogio Fasoli, Program Manager (CEO) at EUROfusion, said, “Our successful demonstration of operational scenarios for future fusion machines like ITER and DEMO, validated by the new energy record, instill greater confidence in the development of fusion energy. Beyond setting a new record, we achieved things we’ve never done before and deepened our understanding of fusion physics.”

Dr. Emmanuel Joffrin, EUROfusion Tokamak Exploitation Task Force Leader from CEA, said,

“Not only did we demonstrate how to soften the intense heat flowing from the plasma to the exhaust, we also showed in JET how we can get the plasma edge into a stable state thus preventing bursts of energy reaching the wall. Both techniques are intended to protect the integrity of the walls of future machines. This is the first time that we’ve ever been able to test those scenarios in a deuterium-tritium environment.”

Over 300 scientists and engineers from EUROfusion—a consortium of researchers across Europe, contributed to these landmark experiments at the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) site in Oxford, showcasing the unparalleled dedication and effectiveness of the international team at JET.

The results solidify JET’s pivotal role in advancing safe, low-carbon, and sustainable fusion energy.

UK Minister for Nuclear and Networks, Andrew Bowie, said,

“JET’s final fusion experiment is a fitting swansong after all the groundbreaking work that has gone into the project since 1983. We are closer to fusion energy than ever before thanks to the international team of scientists and engineers in Oxfordshire.”

“The work doesn’t stop here. Our Fusion Futures program has committed £650 million to invest in research and facilities, cementing the UK’s position as a global fusion hub.”

JET concluded its scientific operations at the end of December 2023.

Professor Sir Ian Chapman, UKAEA CEO, said,

“JET has operated as close to powerplant conditions as is possible with today’s facilities, and its legacy will be pervasive in all future powerplants. It has a critical role in bringing us closer to a safe and sustainable future.”

JET’s research findings have critical implications not only for ITER—a fusion research mega-project being built in the south of France—but also for the UK’s STEP prototype powerplant, Europe’s demonstration powerplant, DEMO, and other global fusion projects, pursuing a future of safe, low-carbon, and sustainable energy.

Dr. Pietro Barabaschi, ITER Director-General, said,

“Throughout its lifecycle, JET has been remarkably helpful as a precursor to ITER: in the testing of new materials, in the development of innovative new components, and nowhere more than in the generation of scientific data from Deuterium-Tritium fusion.”

“The results obtained here will directly and positively impact ITER, validating the way forward and enabling us to progress faster toward our performance goals. On a personal note, it has been for me a great privilege having myself been at JET for a few years. There I had the opportunity to learn from many exceptional people.”

JET has been instrumental in advancing fusion energy for over four decades, symbolizing international scientific collaboration, engineering excellence, and the commitment to harness the power of fusion energy—the same reactions that fuel the sun and stars.

JET demonstrated sustained fusion over five seconds at high power and set a world record in 2021. JET’s first deuterium-tritium experiments took place in 1997.

As it transitions into the next phase of its life cycle for repurposing and decommissioning, a celebration in late February 2024 will honor its founding vision and the collaborative spirit that has driven its success.

The achievements at JET, from the major scientific milestones to the setting of energy records, underscores the facility’s enduring legacy in the evolution of fusion technology.

Its contributions to fusion science and engineering have played a crucial role in accelerating the development of fusion energy, which promises to be a safe, low carbon and sustainable part of the world’s future energy supply.

Fusion energy’s potential

Fusion, the process that powers stars like our sun, promises a clean baseload source of heat and electricity for the long term, using small amounts of fuel that can be sourced worldwide from inexpensive materials.

When a mix of two forms of hydrogen (deuterium and tritium) is heated to form a controlled plasma at —10 times hotter than the core of the sun—they fuse together to create helium and release energy which can be harnessed to produce electricity.

Deuterium and tritium are two heavier variants of ordinary hydrogen and together offer the highest reactivity of all fusion fuels. At a temperature of 150 million degrees Celsius, deuterium and tritium fuse together to form helium and release a tremendous amount of heat energy without any greenhouse contributions. Fusion is inherently safe in that it cannot start a run-away process and produces no long-lived waste.

There is more than one way of achieving fusion. Our approach is to hold the hot plasma using strong magnets in a ring-shaped machine called a “tokamak,” and then to harness this heat to produce electricity in a similar way to existing power stations.

About the fusion energy fuel

Most approaches to creating commercial fusion favor the use of two hydrogen variants—deuterium and tritium. When deuterium and tritium fuse together they produce helium and vast amounts of energy—a reaction that will form the basis of future fusion powerplants.

Deuterium is plentiful and can be extracted from water. Tritium is a radioactive variant of hydrogen with a half-life of about 12 years. Tritium can be farmed from lithium.

About the final deuterium-tritium experiments (DTE3)

JET is the only tokamak fusion machine in operation capable of handling tritium fuel. The third round of experiments using deuterium and tritium fuel were conducted over seven weeks from 31 August to 14 October 2023. They focused on three areas—plasma science, materials science and neutronics.

JET’s record is a result of the advanced capability in operating deuterium-tritium plasmas. These experiments were primarily designed as the first-ever opportunity to demonstrate the feasibility of minimizing heat loads on the wall in a deuterium-tritium environment, crucial for ITER scenarios.

 

Source: Physorg

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London Buildings – Retrofit or Rebuild?

The London Assembly Planning and Regeneration Committee has published a new report called Retrofit vs Rebuild? which asks how decisions are made to either retrofit or rebuild properties and the carbon implications for both. In London, buildings account for an estimated 68 per cent of the city’s carbon emissions. These emissions arise from the construction, operation, and demolition of buildings. The report claims that, if London is to meet the Mayor’s 2030 net zero target, there is an urgent need to reduce emissions from buildings and to retrofit both housing and commercial stock.

The Committee carried out a two-part investigation into London’s built environment to produce the report. It claims that, whilst operational carbon emissions (the energy used to run buildings, heating and cooling systems) are regulated through building regulations, embodied carbon is treated differently, and the building industry is not currently required nationally to measure and reduce the embodied carbon arising from construction.

Whole Life-Cycle Carbon (WLC) Assessments are a way of measuring all the emissions arising during the entire lifecycle of a building, from its construction to its potential demolition or change of use. The London Plan 2021 set a policy requirement for developers to carry out WLC Assessments for major developments, to be submitted during planning stages.

The report offers six recommendations for the Mayor and Government, including:

  • The Government should introduce a mandatory requirement in national policy to undertake WLC Assessments for buildings, looking at the policy on minimising greenhouse gas emissions set out in the London Plan’s Sustainable Infrastructure Policy 2 Part F as a potential model.
  • The Mayor should publish annual data gathered from WLC Assessments to enable the success of the policy to be tracked, and to identify improvements needed. The GLA should analyse the data and provide an estimate of the amount of embodied carbon emissions associated with London developments, broken down by type.
  • The Government and the Mayor should assemble a working group to identify the support that local authorities need, in terms of their skills and capacity, to promote whole life carbon and circular economy approaches; and how this support could be obtained.

Sakina Sheikh AM, Chair of the London Assembly Planning and Regeneration Committee, said:

“The UK must take serious action to meet the challenge of climate change. With 68% of London’s carbon emissions coming from its buildings, it’s clear that planning policy can be the key to unlocking climate action. Whole Life Carbon assessments would provide essential support for developers and planning authorities to reduce carbon in how they construct.

“Retrofitting existing buildings and homes can make people warmer and lessen the impact on their energy bills. The Government can make retrofitting more financially viable by heeding the calls from industry to reduce the VAT builders currently have to pay to retrofit.

“The Committee believe that the cross-party recommendations in this report can help London build the homes we need whilst meeting our aspiration of reaching net zero by 2030. The Government and Mayor must work together to achieve this.”

Source: Insight

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Heat Training Grant – Claim Your Place

Heat Network Training Opportunities – claim your place before April 2024

A number of heat network training opportunities are currently available until April 2024 through the Heat Training Grant. You can get a grant of up to £500 towards the eligible courses below. The full price of the courses is £600 at the most, meaning all or much of the cost will be covered by the grant. Over the next two weeks we will be advertising available courses, please do sign up using the links below.

Training Opportunities

Heat Network Operation & Maintenance courses

Training shot

Chirpy Heat is a leading supplier of independent heat network support and guidance to housing providers. They are offering two types of online courses.

Operation and Maintenance for the housing sector. Focusing on effective client relationships, procurement, oversight of contractors and understanding accountability in network design, delivery and maintenance.

Operation and Maintenance for the supply chain. Focusing on enabling the supply chain to take advantage of the growth in the heat network sector and deliver better heat networks for their clients.

Herts Academy is a training company for the building services industry. They are offering courses onsite in Hertfordshire focusing on Installation, Servicing, Commissioning and Maintenance of Heat Interface Units (HIUs) and the key principles of heat networks. An ideal course for heating engineers, plumbing professionals, and anyone working with HIUs. 

Heat Networks Code of Practice courses

Greenwich

CIBSE is a professional body of over 20,000+ members promoting the Art, Science and Practice of building services engineering. They are offering two courses on the code of practice.

Introduction to Heat Networks and Code of Practice. A one-day course introducing Heat Networks and the Code of Practice aimed at developers either using or specifying the Code.

Heat Networks Code of Practice (CP1) full course. A two-day course providing a detailed understanding of the themes and technical challenges dealt with by the code. The course is aimed at practising engineers and covers all stages of the development cycle of a heat network project from feasibility through design, construction, commissioning, and operation.

CIBSE’s courses can be both virtual or onsite in Central London and Balham.

For information on all courses provided as part of the Heat Training Grant by CIBSE, BESA Academy, Sycous Limited, Chirpy Heat and Herts Energy Academy please visit GOV.UK

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NHF: Recommendations for the Spring Budget

What are we asking the Chancellor to include in the Spring Budget 2024?

SUBMISSION SUMMARY:

Protect vital homeless services by boosting and ring-fencing funding for housing-related support to ensure spending at least matches the £1.6bn per year allocated to local authorities in England in 2010.

 

  • Relieve homelessness by investing in homelessness prevention advice, support services and financial support to the hardest hit families. This includes:
  • Review the household benefit cap, the two-child limit and the removal of the spare room subsidy.
  • Review the five-week wait for Universal Credit and deductions system.

Reinstate uplifted funding for Discretionary Housing Payments so tenants with a rent shortfall can be supported to avoid rent arrears.

Make increased support available to all low-income households through the benefits system.

Reinstate the £300m Housing Transformation Fund, to support the integration of housing into health and social care systems and the development of more specialist housing.

Make sure everyone can feel safe in their home by: implementing the End Our Cladding Scandal campaign call for equal access to government building safety funding for housing associations – ensuring contractors, as well as developers, remediate defective buildings that they built for housing associations, applying a zero-rate on remedial works for VAT purposes.

Deliver more social homes by allocating funding for regeneration programmes over a longer period and ensure Local Planning Authorities have the necessary resources to enable timely granting of planning permission.

Deliver a long-term, inflation-linked rent settlement, with a reintroduction of a convergence mechanism.

Make a long-term commitment to decarbonising our housing stock by committing to release the remaining Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund in full.

Extend the temporary zero-rate VAT relief applied to the installation of energy saving materials to 2030 and include double and triple glazed windows and insulated entrance doors in its scope.

Commit to new burdens funding for new requirements introduced through the review of the Decent Homes Standard. This will enable housing associations to continue to provide the high quality, affordable homes the country needs.

Support low-income residents with their energy bills by reopening the Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding to ensure all households who missed out receive their payment and introducing an energy social tariff to protect low-income residents in the longer-term.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SUMISSION IN FULL

The government has launched a consultation on reforms to social housing allocations, and the NHF are collecting member feedback on this consultation until 6 March.

 

Email us with any questions or feedback on the proposals.

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NATIONAL CHAIN OF GYMS INSTALLS RINNAI AIR source HEAT PUMPS

 

One of the UK’s biggest chain of gyms and leisure centres has switched to using products from the Rinnai range of commercial air source heat pumps – and electric cylinders – as a major part of hybrid heating and hot water systems at sites up and down the country. The innovative new range of air source heat pumps utilize R290, a LOW scoring GWP (Global Warming Potential) refrigerant.

Ease of install was cited as a major reason for the switch away from one of the major heat pump brands.

The installation team was quoted as stating that

‘Setting up was straightforward and simplified, this was owing to the easy navigation through parameters that enabled their part of commissioning to be shortened. When commissioning other brands there were numerous parameters and set points, in fact there are layers and layers of them – this means that if one is set incorrectly then it can lead to extensive, expensive time on site in rectifying a small issue’.

 

ADDING THAT as the Rinnai systems are provided complete with heat pump, controls, cylinders, valves and auxiliary heat sources along with schematics and telephone support the installation was hugely streamlined.

Rinnai’s R290 air source heat pump range is available in 11 different sizes, from 6 kW up to 50 kW. All units arrive with control systems that allows real time programming and customization enabling specific customer requirements to be met.

R290 allows for several operational benefits: energy efficiency is improved by 10%, hot water temperatures of up to 75 degrees Celsius can be achieved and R290 usage provides compliance alongside the European F-Gas Regulation which focuses on phasing down refrigerant environmental impact.

CLICK HERE

To preview this exciting new range visit and receive an information pack for all new Rinnai products and leave your details

As well as providing an extensive list of low carbon technologies Rinnai also offers a range of online customer services that assist in customer choice and information.

Rinnai’s carbon calculation service considers design from a holistic perspective of capital expenditure, operational expenditure, and carbon savings. Rinnai’s carbon calculation service will compare a customer’s current heating or DHW system to Rinnai’s product portfolio of low carbon, high performance, heating systems that are all proven to reduce cost. This feature will enable customers to view proven benefits when investing in a Rinnai system and understand the practical, technical, and economical benefits achievable from Rinnai system specifications.

Rinnai low-GWP range of heat pumps demonstrate Rinnai’s continuous dedication to producing low cost, highly efficient and thoroughly robust appliances that reduces operational expenditure and carbon emissions.

A hybrid (or dual fuel) heating system combines both a high efficiency continuous flow water heater or a hydrogen blend ready 20% water heater with a renewable heating system such as a heat pump or a Solar Thermal arrangement.

Widespread use of hybrid heating and hot water systems are increasingly relevant to the heating industry as the UK Government aims to reduce national reliance on fossil fuels. A hybrid system can meet all objectives in terms of being practical, economical and technically feasible.

A hybrid system would be an ideal option for projects looking to replace or upgrade their hot water system with a more energy efficient and cleaner solution. A hybrid system provides designers, property owners and managers with the familiarity of the continuous flow water heating system and renewable energy generated by a heat pump or solar thermal array.

Rinnai’s Hybrid solution is market leading technology owing to its ability to conserve energy. This is achieved by each gas fired water heater reading the temperature of the preheated hot water and modulating the gas input to boost required water temperature. This means that the renewable gains are maximised and the use of natural gas or hydrogen in the future is optimised.

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For more insights on Hybrid systems

Consultants, specifiers and contractors should seek manufacturers and suppliers with systems technology that is equipped with smart controls and adjusts performance on a constant basis in the drive to lowering carbon outputs yet retaining the need to create a healthier way of living.

 

RINNAI’S H3 DECARBONISATION OFFERS PATHWAYS & CUSTOMER COST
REDUCTIONS FOR COMMERCIAL, DOMESTIC AND
OFF-GRID HEATING & HOT WATER DELIVERY

 

Rinnai’s H3 range of decarbonising products include hydrogen / BioLPG ready technology, hybrid systems, and a wide range of LOW GWP heat pumps and solar thermal. Also, within Rinnai’s H3 range is Infinity hydrogen blend ready and BioLPG ready continuous flow water heaters which are stacked with a multitude of features that ensure long life, robust & durable use, customer satisfaction and product efficiency.

Rinnai’s range of decarbonising products – H1/H2/H3 – consists of heat pump, solar, hydrogen in any configuration, hybrid formats for either residential or commercial applications. Rinnai’s H3 range of products offer contractors, consultants and end users a range of efficient, robust and affordable decarbonising appliances which create practical, economic and technically feasible solutions. The range covers all forms of fuels and appliances currently available – electric, gas, hydrogen, BioLPG, rDME solar thermal, low GWP heat pumps and electric water heaters.

Rinnai H1 continuous water heaters and boilers offer practical and economic decarbonization delivered through technological innovation in hydrogen and renewable liquid gas ready technology.

Rinnai’s H1 option is centred on hydrogen, as it is anticipated that clean hydrogen fuels will become internationally energy market-relevant in the future; Rinnai water heaters are hydrogen 20% blends ready and include the world’s first 100% hydrogen-ready hot water heating technology.

Rinnai H2 – Decarbonization simplified with renewable gas-ready units, Solar Thermal and Heat Pump Hybrids. Rinnai H2 is designed to introduce a practical and low-cost option which may suit specific sites and enable multiple decarbonisation pathways with the addition of high performance.

Rinnai H3 – Low-GWP heat pump technology made easy – Rinnai heat pumps are available for domestic and commercial usage with an extensive range of 4 – 115kW appliances.

Rinnai’s H3 heat pumps utilise R32 refrigerant and have favourable COP and SCOP.

Rinnai is a world leading manufacturer of hot water heaters and produces over two million units a year, operating on each of the five continents. The brand has gained an established reputation for producing products that offer high performance, cost efficiency and extended working lives.

Rinnai’s commercial and domestic continuous flow water heaters offer a limitless supply of instantaneous temperature controlled hot water and all units are designed to align with present and future energy sources. Rinnai condensing water heaters accept either existing fuel or hydrogen gas blends. Rinnai units are also suited for off-grid customers who require LPG and BioLPG or rDME.

Rinnai products are i2HY20 certified, A-rated water efficiency, accessed through multiple fuel options and are available for purchase 24/7, 365 days a year. Any unit can be delivered to any UK site within 24 hours. Rinnai offer carbon and cost comparison services that will calculate financial and carbon savings made when investing in a Rinnai system. Rinnai also provide a system design service that will suggest an appropriate system for the property in question. Rinnai offer comprehensive training courses and technical support in all aspects of the water heating industry including detailed CPD’s.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT RINNAI’S ‘HELP ME CHOOSE PAGE’

 

 

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Canadian Fire Station Rejects Modular Construction

 

St. Albert city council has decided to spend an extra $3 million on a new fire station that will now be built conventionally, instead of the modular building style council agreed on in late 2022.

The new fire station, the city’s fourth, will be built on the northwest corner of the St. Albert Trail and Neil Ross Road intersection.

Council approved a $26.5 million borrowing bylaw for the project 2021. The project’s initial budget only set aside $250,000 to service the land, and in fall 2022 administration told council the funds needed for servicing was closer to $2.2 million. To stay within the budget, administration proposed the new two-bay fire station be a modular building.

Modular — or prefabricated — buildings are built off-site, then transported and set in place.

On Jan. 23, Coun. Mike Killick put forward a motion directing administration to move forward with a conventional construction style for Fire Hall No. 4, and his motion passed, with Mayor Cathy Heron, Coun. Shelley Biermanski, and Coun. Natalie Joly opposed.

“When I look at the extra $3 million over the 20-year borrowing bylaw or 40-year life of that building, to get it right the first time is what I want to do,” Killick said in an interview. “My belief is that firefighters provide a real beneficial service … and they live at that fire station. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year … and we deserve to give them a good facility to work out of [and] almost live out of.”

Killick also argued that while he appreciates administration’s attempt to reduce costs, moving forward with modular buildings is not something that’s talked about for any other city project, such as the pavilion building planned for Millennium Park or the upcoming 12-lane expansion to Liggett Place, the St. Albert Transit depot in Campbell Business Park.

“Why on earth are we discussing or debating this for a fire hall?” he said.

During debate, Coun. Sheena Hughes said she was in favour of Killick’s motion because she was concerned a modular building wouldn’t last as long as a conventional build, and spending an additional $3 million now to avoid having to spend more money in the future to replace the modular building would be a good way to reduce risk.

“The stick-and-brick build we know will make it to 50 years,” Hughes said. “If we do the modular and we find out in four or five years time it’s not working out, it’s going to cost us $16 million to correct, it plus inflation.”

Speaking against the motion, Heron said council

“should be, quite honestly, thanking administration for trying to save us some money,” by recommending something “non-traditional.”

“Often ‘non-traditional’ is a scary word, and if we keep doing things the same way we’re never going to be innovative, we’re never going to save money, [and] we’re never going to think outside the box,” Heron said.

“I’m going to have to err on the side of saving money and even though it’s [covered] in the borrowing bylaw … just because it’s in there doesn’t mean we should spend it, and I’m going to go with the $3 million savings today.”

Joly said she would have supported the motion if spending the additional $3 million would get St. Albert a “stronger product,” but she thought a modular building would be just as good as a conventionally built structure.

“We’ve heard repeatedly that that extra $3 million is not going to give us something different,” Joly said. “I think there’s also an idea that best means conventional, and I don’t agree with that.”

“I have every confidence that with any build that administration chooses they’ll build us a fantastic facility that is a wonderful place to work in.”

Although an additional $3 million for the project will be covered under the existing borrowing bylaw, the city may need to increase the debenture further if any issues arise during detailed design or construction, a report to council written by city project managers Meredith Willacy and Deborah Johnson said.

Dawny George, the city’s director of engineering, said in an email the fire station may not open in 2025 as initially planned, now council has decided to move forward with a conventional build.

“Based on the industry knowledge and assumption that design will take the greater part of 2024 to complete, with construction anticipated in 2025-26, it is estimated that conventional structure will take longer than the modular build and will likely result in a delay of opening until 2026,” George said.

Source: St. Albert Gazette

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