Plans to bring an affordable new source of low carbon heating to the town centre are gathering momentum as Solihull Council partners with Vital Energi to deliver its exciting Low Carbon Energy Network.
Emissions from heat are the single biggest contributor to UK carbon emissions, accounting for around a third of the nation’s carbon footprint, however addressing this issue building by building can be difficult and often very expensive.
The new energy network will generate low carbon heat and power (electricity) from a single energy centre and distribute it directly into town centre buildings via a system of underground pipes and cables. The Energy Centre will be built on land next to Tudor Grange Leisure Centre and will house a range of renewable and low carbon energy solutions including Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP).
This scheme forms part of a wider strategic approach Solihull Council is developing to decarbonise the borough over the next 20 years.
Following a competitive tendering process, Vital Energi Ltd have been selected as the contractor who will take this exciting project forward - building, operating and maintaining the new network. Vital Energi is a leading national player in the heat network and low carbon energy sector and has successfully delivered a range of exemplar, high-profile networks including Leeds PIPES and Mersey Heat.
Since its inception, the project has been supported by expert technical advisers from Sustainable Energy Ltd. They will continue to play a crucial role as the primary client engineer throughout the construction phase.
The first phase of the network will provide heat and power to public and private sector customers, including Council-owned buildings and education campuses. It is intended that future phases will then connect other buildings in the town centre and link to planned commercial or residential developments in line with the Council’s Town Centre Masterplan.
The funding required to get this carbon saving scheme off the ground was provided by the government’s Heat Networks Investment Programme (HNIP) and West Midlands Combined Authority alongside the Council’s own investment in the project. Underpinned by detailed financial modelling, the scheme is projected to repay this investment over time.
Early works have already taken place with a series of site investigations and ecological surveys in March. With contracts now signed and planning permission for the all-important energy centre in place work is expected to get started later this summer and first phase customers could be hooked up and start benefitting from the network as early as next year.
Click here to find out more about the Solihull Energy Network
