Thameswey s. district energy networks

Transcription

1 Thameswey s Wokn district energy networks Information for New Customers

2 Foreword Connection to district energy networks that provide heat, cooling and electricity is widespread in many northern European countries and the USA, but is still a relatively new way for buildings in the UK to be supplied with energy. However, whilst the technologies involved are very well established, district heating, cooling and private wire electricity are still new concepts in energy supply for many businesses. This document answers many of the questions raised by new customers to our district energy supplies and sets out the benefits in being connected to Thameswey s low carbon energy networks. Page 2 Limitations This document is not intended to provide the basis of detailed M&E design for new connections and must not be used for this purpose. Thameswey will issue technical standards and detailed specifications for new customers for individual connections subject to agreement. Nothing in this document constitutes contractual obligations and Thameswey will not be liable for any costs arising from any interpretations placed upon it. The information provided in this document is accurate at the time of writing but subject to change. All images are intended for illustrative purposes only and do not necessarily represent actual plant or equipment that may be installed.

3 Thameswey s CHP and District Energy Networks Thameswey provides reliable, cost effective sustainable energy through energy stations located in Woking and Milton Keynes. Our energy stations range in size from 15kWe to 6MWe and provide heat and electricity (and in some cases cooling) to a range of public buildings, large commercial customers and over 1,300 domestic customers. Page 3 The energy we supply is generated through natural gas-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plants combined with high efficiency gas boilers and is either used to supply single host buildings or distributed via networks of insulated hot and chilled water pipes and private wire HV and LV electricity networks. Our energy systems and networks provide highly efficient heat and electrical energy with significantly lower carbon emissions than conventional grid distributed power and individual gas boiler or electrical heating systems. This is explained in more detail below. Thameswey s Customers We supply heat and electricity to a number of large businesses including: Double Tree by Hilton hotel Skanska Rashleigh Weatherfoil Sainsbury s Deloitte Nandos restaurant Network Rail national centre HQ Gourmet Burger Kitchen Denton Sapte Wilde solicitors Big Apple entertainments Woking Borough Council Peacocks Shopping Centre WWF Living Planet Centre

4 Why is Combined Heat and Power (CHP) becoming more widespread? The use of CHP has grown in recent years as it offers a more efficient use of fuels and as a result, is becoming part of the UK s green energy mix. Nearly 6% of all electricity in the UK is generated by CHP, with much of this capacity being generated in towns and cities where the heat produced in CHP plants is supplied to homes, businesses, industry, offices and public buildings. Thameswey has been at the forefront of investing in these new energy networks and has supplied commercial customers since Planning regulations increasingly recognise the contribution that district energy (including CHP powered heat, cooling and electricity networks) can make towards reducing reliance on fossil fuels and lowering carbon emissions. Many local authorities now require developments to connect to district energy networks where these are available, or to take steps to future-proof new buildings to enable connection to planned networks. Developments can also claim credits towards environmental standards such as BREEAM by being supplied by district energy, and may be able to reduce their costs for compliance with Planning and Building Regulations by avoiding having to install small scale renewable energy equipment on-site. Large energy users also benefit from reduction in carbon taxes such as CRC. Page 4 The Environmental Benefits: Cleaner Power, Smarter Grids In the UK, the conventional means of supplying energy to buildings is based on a centralised model based on large scale power stations generating electricity which is distributed via the national and local grids, and generating boiler heat within buildings by burning gas distributed through the national gas network. Figure 1. Conventional centralised energy supply system

5 The heavy reliance on combustion of fossil carbon fuels to generate electricity at a location remote from the consumer, combined with high levels of heat disposed as waste product, mean they offer relatively low overall efficiency in terms of conversion from primary fuel to useful energy. It also means additional gas has to be distributed to generate the heat we need for hot water and heating. In a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) installation the heat that is normally wasted at a power station and in transmission over long distances is captured and distributed via insulated pipes to provide hot water and comfort heating in buildings (Figure 2). A variation of this principle is Combined Cooling, Heat and Power (CCHP) or Trigeneration which also uses the energy in the hot water via absorption chillers to provide chilled water for cooling in buildings. Page 5 As a result, CHP is a more efficient means of generating and distributing energy than conventional centralised systems. Even though the primary fuel used in Thameswey s CHP is natural gas, the CO 2 emissions from the heat and electricity supplied to our customers are approximately 30% lower compared with power supplied by the national grid and heating provided by boilers within buildings. Figure 2 CHP decentralised energy supply systems

6 Reliable supplies of heat and cooling The heat we supply to our customers is generated in our purpose-built and operated energy stations. We generate the heat we supply to our customers through three means: 1) The CHP engines operate up to 17 hours a day, 365 days a year. These provide the baseload heat (and electricity) and meet the majority of demand from our customers. Page 6 2) In addition to the CHP engines, our energy centres have high efficiency gas boilers to provide extra heat if required (at times of peak demand), and in addition can meet 100% of the heat demand if for any reason the CHP is unavailable (eg whilst being serviced). 3) Hot water is also stored in very large thermal stores in oure energy centres to provide further additional heat demand. Our centralised cooling plant has twin chillers that operate in tandem to maintain chilled water supplies. Thameswey s energy centres have very high levels of automation and monitoring to ensure the equipment operates efficiently. Early warning fault detection systems enable back-up boilers to automatically fire up and ensure a constant source of heat and cooling is generated for our customers. Keeping the lights on dependable power supplies to customers Thameswey generates and supplies electricity to two hotels, a large Sainsbury s supermarket, the Peacocks shopping centre and business premises occupied by Surrey Police and Network Rail s national headquarters. For all our commercial customers, continuity of electricity supply is business critical. Thameswey s energy stations are permanently connected to the local electricity grid, enabling import of electricity if local demand exceeds generating capacity. This also ensures additional fail over protection to our customers in the event of shut down and maintenance of our generators. Our grid connections are synchronised to ensure continuous supply with no interruption for customers when switching to grid import or export, offering higher levels of resilience, even for equipment that is highly sensitive to variations in power supply. As the national grid and local networks become more congested with demand, local power generation by CHP is becoming an increasingly important part of the move to smart grids that ensure cleaner energy is generated nearer to where its used, and at times when it is most needed.

7 Our maintenance and operation obligations to you Connection to our energy networks removes the need for our customers to maintain their own boiler plant and chillers. Thameswey s customer supply contracts include the maintenance of our heat and cooling networks, private wire electricity distribution network, primary heat exchangers, pumps and controls. In addition we maintain and operate all our meters and are responsible for meter data collection. Our in-house specialist engineering division, Thameswey Maintenance Services Ltd, operates all our generating plant and distribution infrastructure and provides design and installation expertise. We operate a 24 hour customer contact and response service based at our headquarters in Woking as well as providing planned maintenance and service visits. Our energy centres are operated by our specialist engineering services dedicated to maintaining customer supplies. All maintenance and operation of Thameswey s equipment (including emergency call outs) is paid for through the contract standing and maintenance charges itemised in customer s supply bills. Page 7 Billing and Customer Services All of our commercial customers are provided with monthly bills which include a breakdown of meter readings, tariff rates and standing charges. Our customer services staff are based in Woking and provide a range of services to customers including billing enquiries and arranging maintenance visits by our in-house engineering and maintenance staff. Want to know more? We are always happy to answer your questions by phone, or face to face. Tel: thamesweygroup.co.uk enquiries@thamesweygroup.co.uk

8