Solar panels and wind turbines have long been the symbols of greener, cleaner energy. But there are other proven technologies that are being adopted to help drive us towards a lower-carbon future.
Decarbonising heat to reduce your carbon footprint
Businesses need to balance more sustainable energy options with cost-efficiency. Integrating greener solutions into your energy mix is a good way to do this, as you are able to reduce your carbon footprint without increasing your energy bills. Heat pumps are fast becoming an attractive option to introduce to your energy mix to help decarbonise heat. They work by extracting energy from the ground, air or water, and transferring this heat energy from one area to another in the same way that a refrigerator or air conditioning unit operates.
The process works as follows: extremely cold fluid circulates through tubing in the heat pump’s external network. This fluid absorbs the heat from the surroundings which then vaporises the fluid, and compressing this generates heat. In summer these systems can act as air conditioners by taking energy from inside buildings and moving it outside, giving heat pumps a dual purpose.
A carbon-neutral process
Although a good way of decarbonising a heating supply, heat pump systems do consume a significant amount of electricity, for example for three units of heat energy produced by a typical system, around one unit of electrical energy will be consumed. By using renewable electricity the system becomes carbon neutral, which is exactly what we've done for a number of district heating schemes. We've pioneered the use of heat pump systems that take heat from wastewater to provide heat for homes, and we power these systems by generating renewable electricity from biogas extracted from the same wastewater. This produces 2.9MW of heat and 1MW of electricity, to create a complete carbon-free heating solution for communities.
It's not just communities that can benefit from heat pump solutions. Buildings that use a lot of heat, such as hospitals, can also utilise them as part of their decarbonisation strategy. Veolia has a number of heat pump projects that are ready to support the NHS on its journey to a low carbon future. Similarly, university campuses are looking at lowering their carbon footprint with this approach.
How can Veolia help?
As a leading designer and operator of energy systems, at Veolia, we look to innovate and deliver the best solutions for our customers, both in terms of energy cost reductions and carbon savings. We are energy experts, so this means looking at the full range of technologies, and recommending the best-proven solutions that deliver financial and environmental savings for your application. To decarbonise heat delivery on your site heat pumps can be a proven solution to give you these carbon savings.
As the UK moves to lower carbon dependence, heat pump solutions will become more widely adopted. We can help you integrate heat pump systems with existing heating infrastructure, and power these systems using renewable electricity, to allow you to take complete control of your energy costs. Our expert energy teams can help you by designing, installing, and operating these solutions on your site - taking care of the technology, enabling you to focus on your core business activities, and helping you achieve an affordable, guaranteed zero-carbon future.
Let's start a conversation
Get in touch to find out how we can support you on your journey to low-carbon heating.
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