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National Grid and SSE have unveiled plans to supply heat networks with waste heat captured from electricity network transformers.
They said the innovative solution offers a source of zero-carbon heat when applied to transformers powered by renewable electricity and could save millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide each year if rolled out across National Grid’s 350 transformers.
“Electric power transformers generate huge amounts of heat as a by-product when electricity flows through them,” said Nathan Sanders, managing director at SSE Energy Solutions. “At the moment, this heat is just vented directly into the atmosphere and wasted.”
“By their very nature, electricity transformers are primarily located where people live, work and consume energy meaning that they have the potential to be incredibly valuable community assets if we apply a bit of clever thinking.
“This ground-breaking project aims to capture that waste heat and effectively turn transformers into community ‘boilers’ that serve local heat networks with a low or even zero-carbon alternative to fossil-fuel powered heat sources such as gas boilers.”
The waste heat will be supplied to homes and businesses through heat networks operated by SSE. Its heat recovery technology is currently undergoing a proof-of-concept trial at National Grid’s Deeside Centre for Innovation.
Alexander Yanushkevich, Deeside innovation manager for National Grid, said: “We are proud to partner with SSE Energy Solutions to develop this innovative technology and support decarbonisation of heat, which is essential to achieve net zero.
“When the solution is fully developed and tested, we can use it in any of our 350 substations and provide heat to local consumers. Together with SSE, National Grid is a principal partner of COP26, and projects like these are a great example of how, taking a whole system approach, the UK can lead the way in helping accelerate decarbonisation.”
SSE currently operates 18 heating and cooling networks across the UK, serving over 10,500 customers.
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