Energy from industry could halve gas imports Industries across the UK could generate as much electricity as 10 nuclear power stations and halve gas imports by installing or extending plants that generate energy while using the waste heat to warm local buildings. A report by Pöyry Energy Consulting, commissioned by Greenpeace, analysing the UK's potential for combined heat and power units - which capture the heat from the electricity generation process and recycle it - found nine sites where CHP could be applied or extended. These include the ConocoPhillips and Total refineries on the Humber estuary, which is already the site of one of the biggest CHP units in Europe. It could be extended from its current capacity of 730MW of electricity to produce another 2,550MW, the report found. Other sites include the Petroplus refinery at Coryton, chemical and manufacturing facilities at Wilton on Teesside, the Stanlow manufacturing complex at Ellesmere Port, the Ineos refinery and chemical plant at Grangemouth and the ExxonMobil refinery at Fawley. If all of these were developed, UK industry could produce 16GW of electricity - the equivalent of building 10 nuclear power stations, and enough electricity to power two-thirds of the country's households. Using the waste heat by pumping it to local buildings would also mean the UK would need to import only half as much gas as it does now. Tim Warham, principal consultant at Pöyry, said: "We were surprised at the large technical potential for industrial CHP we encountered. Provided the policy framework is right, CHP could make a huge contribution to securing power supplies for the UK." Businesses installing or extending combined heat and power units could also save £1bn ($2bn, €1.2bn) a year on their energy bills, according to a Greenpeace estimate based on the report, and could profit by selling excess electricity and recycling their waste heat.
Industries across the UK could generate as much electricity as 10 nuclear power stations and halve gas imports by installing or extending plants that generate energy while using the waste heat to warm local buildings.
A report by Pöyry Energy Consulting, commissioned by Greenpeace, analysing the UK's potential for combined heat and power units - which capture the heat from the electricity generation process and recycle it - found nine sites where CHP could be applied or extended.
These include the ConocoPhillips and Total refineries on the Humber estuary, which is already the site of one of the biggest CHP units in Europe. It could be extended from its current capacity of 730MW of electricity to produce another 2,550MW, the report found.
Other sites include the Petroplus refinery at Coryton, chemical and manufacturing facilities at Wilton on Teesside, the Stanlow manufacturing complex at Ellesmere Port, the Ineos refinery and chemical plant at Grangemouth and the ExxonMobil refinery at Fawley.
If all of these were developed, UK industry could produce 16GW of electricity - the equivalent of building 10 nuclear power stations, and enough electricity to power two-thirds of the country's households. Using the waste heat by pumping it to local buildings would also mean the UK would need to import only half as much gas as it does now.
Tim Warham, principal consultant at Pöyry, said: "We were surprised at the large technical potential for industrial CHP we encountered. Provided the policy framework is right, CHP could make a huge contribution to securing power supplies for the UK."
Businesses installing or extending combined heat and power units could also save £1bn ($2bn, €1.2bn) a year on their energy bills, according to a Greenpeace estimate based on the report, and could profit by selling excess electricity and recycling their waste heat.
Industry is run by accountatns who only care about the share dividend and the quarterly forecast. Upsetting that with DFH nonsense about energy saving might cost them their credibility or, worse, their jobs. keep to the Fen Causeway
