From IT Project Management to Renewable Energy
Posts tagged heating
Who Manages the Heat?
May 28th
Vertical borehole ground source heat pumps use heat stored in the ground, and groundwater. That heat comes from the sun, and, to a far lesser extent, heat generated within the earth as well as human-generated heat from buildings, underground railways and other constructions. It may also come from a cooling system, where heat from a building is discharged through boreholes to be stored underground during the summer before being extracted the following winter.
This heat can affect the underground environment including the geochemistry of the aquifer and microbiological ecosystems. When there are multiple systems in an area, they may interfere with each other, particularly if there is groundwater involved. Therefore there are two main policy concerns here – protection of the underground environment, and equitable use of the heat storage resource. With increasing numbers of these systems being installed in London(1), and their inclusion in the Renewable Heat Incentive, it seems important that someone be responsible for managing it all. Sadly, noone is.
Burning coal in central London
Jan 26th
The smoky coal fires of London were banished in the fifties and all that remains of that smog filled, grimy time are the blackened buildings of parts of Bloomsbury which haven’t been cleaned. Sunny days with blue skies are now common, but open fires very rare indeed.
Much to my surprise, coal burning is still possible. The Clean Air Act of 1993 makes it illegal to emit smoke in a designated Smoke Control Area, such as the London boroughs. You’re only allowed to use authorised fuels which include gas, electricity and anthracite – ie. coal.
Anthracite coal
Anthracite is very hard, shiny coal and is over 90% carbon. If you burn it, even at temperatures below its ignition point, it doesn’t emit smoke. It’s not the greatest of fuels – heavy, hard to light, expensive and with a calorific content about half that of gas – but it is legal.
The Clean Air Act doesn’t concern itself with CO2 emissions, and because of its high carbon content anthracite has one of the highest emission rates of any solid fuel. When you consider the carbon cost of mining, cleaning and transporting it, its obvious that using it in London would be a very bad idea indeed. Make sure your flat is well insulated, and look to other types of heating first.
