Heat generated from the River Tyne is now being used to heat a leisure centre, a town hall, a business centre, and three residential tower blocks, after a pioneering renewable energy scheme came online this week.
The Viking Energy Network in Jarrow, South Tyneside, combines a river source heat pump, a 1MW solar farm, a private wire electrical network with storage battery and a back-up combined heat and power system.
The energy network, which began operating yesterday, is believed to be the first in the UK to combine a river source heat pump with solar generation and a battery.
The solar farm will provide electricity to power the water source heat pump, which will then extract heat from the water in the River Tyne and compress it to increase the temperature. The heat is then transported from the energy centre built on the banks of the river to buildings in Jarrow with hot water pumped through a network of insulated pipes.
Tracey Dixon, leader of South Tyneside Council, said the local authority was “incredibly proud” to be “leading the way” with the pioneering project, which will pipe heat to a number of council-owned buildings, including the Jarrow Focus leisure centre, Jarrow Business Centre, and Jarrow Town Hall.
“This network is the first of its kind and is unique in that it will combine three renewable technologies, ensuring minimal use of fossil fuels,” she said. “It demonstrates our commitment to net zero and a switch to cleaner, more secure energy sources.
“The Viking network is one of three highly innovative projects we are developing to boost our on-site renewable capabilities and low carbon heating solutions. Collectively, they will cut carbon emissions by more than 4,000 tonnes.”
The network has been constructed by Colloide Engineering Systems Ltd and benefited from a £4.6m grant from the European Regional Development Fund.
The partners are now exploring plans to expand the heat network to connect it to other buildings in Jarrow, including sheltered housing schemes, schools, and a local authority. A study into phase two of the project is underway, funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
The announcement comes just a few weeks after Vattenfall announced it had been contracted to connect and operate the largest river source heat pump in Europe at a farm in Kent, a project which would tap heat from the River Medway to provide energy to commercial greenhouses in the area.
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