A London housing estate is the first in the capital to enjoy heating and hot water generated from residents' own household waste.
The £7m scheme supplies low-carbon heat and hot water to more than 10,000 residents via the SELCHP (south-east London combined heat and power) energy recovery facility in Deptford. Non-recyclable household waste is converted to sustainable energy providing a long-term alternative to gas.
Instead of going to landfill, the waste is used to create energy. As a result, the combined heat and power network generates energy and protects the environment, reducing CO2 and nitrous oxide emissions by 8,000 tonnes a year.
The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, says of the scheme: "It is fantastic that SELCHP will be providing low carbon, low cost heating to homes through a new heat network … providing London with a more secure, sustainable, cost-effective energy supply."
Local resident Adrian Moody has direct experience of his waste being converted to heating and hot water for his home. "The waste gets collected on Fridays and comes back as heat through the community heating system – I think diverting waste from landfill is a good thing," he says.
Planning obligations placed on the Southwark integrated waste facility, which is managed by Veolia and handles all the borough's waste, required that carbon emissions were managed effectively in line with the renewables obligation.
In eight months, over three miles of underground pipes were laid and linked to heat exchangers to carry the energy to four boiler houses on local estates.
Estelle Brachlianoff, Veolia's environment director for the UK and Northern Europe, says there is scope to expand the scheme, including to nearby Canada Water, which is being redeveloped. "The great news is there is capacity for more buildings to join the Southwark network," she says.
Nicolette Fox is part of the wordworks network
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