Heat Networks: the Key to a Green Heating Future
As our Top Trumps cards demonstrate, there’s a wealth of freely available and waste heat sources all across the UK – many of which are hidden in plain sight. From our oceans, lochs, and canals, to breweries, bakeries, and data centres, we have thousands of viable heat sources that can reduce costs and emissions for millions of homes.
Large-scale heat pumps, combined with thermal energy storage systems and long-range heat highways, can efficiently capture and deliver this heat to urban heat networks. Using a broad mix of sustainable heat inputs, district heating can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and ensure connected homes can access the cheapest and greenest heat available.
With intelligent planning and investments, UK heat networks can form the backbone of a future-proof national heating system that maximises our available resources. By harvesting freely available and waste heat, we can build a Net Zero future where all heating is green and affordable – and fossil fuels are a thing of the past.
Unlocking the Potential of Freely Available Heat
As the effects of climate change become increasingly evident, the need for sustainable energy solutions has never been more urgent. At the same time, reducing fuel poverty and ensuring equitable access to affordable heat must be central to our energy transformation.
Councils, local authorities, and governments hold the key to revolutionizing how we heat our towns and cities. Across constituencies, abundant sources of untapped heat, such as waste incineration, industrial processes, surface water, and geothermal reserves, are waiting to be harnessed. These resources, often overlooked, represent a transformative opportunity to reduce reliance on fossil fuels while creating a resilient and future-proof energy infrastructure.
The challenge lies not in the availability of heat but in its utilisation. Large-scale heat transmission highways offer an innovative solution. These systems enable the efficient capture of surplus heat from locations typically outside city centres, such as industrial zones or rural areas, and transport it over vast distances to urban hubs where demand is high, but supply is scarce. By bridging this gap, heat highways can turn waste heat into a valuable resource, paving the way for the decarbonization of our densely populated areas. Further resilience can be added by integrating large-scale thermal energy storage systems, known as heat reservoirs and heat batteries, with commercial sources such as data centres.
These enable the capture and storage of excess heat generated during peak operation times, particularly in warmer months and stored for days, weeks or even months at a time. Such systems not only ensure reliable heating to residential and commercial buildings but also help balance supply and demand by storing heat when production is high, and demand is low. This flexibility ensures that energy is
available precisely when it is needed.
Integrating this green heat infrastructure into regional and national energy strategies will deliver profound benefits, fostering sustainable communities and decarbonizing urban energy systems.
Councils and local authorities can lead the way by identifying and cataloguing heat sources within their constituencies, while fostering partnerships with industries and stakeholders. To achieve this vision, it is crucial for new and future commercial enterprises to design in heat recovery and offtake solutions from the outset, ensuring surplus heat is captured and effectively utilized. This includes exploring opportunities for symbiotic relationships within green industrial clusters, often referred to as green energi havens, and planning for the integration of freely available and surplus heat into regional heat transmission highways.
