Urban rivers and estuaries ‘could provide green heat’

Rivers and estuaries in cities and towns across England could provide a source of clean, reliable heating to thousands of homes and businesses through the use of water source heat pumps instead of traditional gas-fired or electric domestic heating, according to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). The Department has published a map showing around 40 urban rivers and estuaries that could provide large-scale renewable heating supplies to local communities.

 

The map is designed to help local authorities, private developers and community groups to identify prime locations to install large water source heat pumps, by aligning suitable bodies of water with areas where there is a high demand for heat.

 

The map identifies rivers and estuaries that could accommodate heat pumps with the capacity to each generate more than 1 MW of power – enough to provide heating and hot water to around 400–500 homes.

 

Heat networks work by supplying heating to buildings and homes from a centralised local source through a system of insulated pipes. Local heat networks currently only provide a small fraction of the overall heating demand in the UK (2%) and the government is keen to provide support to see significant growth in this industry.

 

A more detailed version of the map is expected to be published in the winter, says DECC. It will form an important part of the new National Heat Map, which is currently being developed.