While there are well-established technologies to produce electricity without fossil fuels, decarbonisation of heat is struggling to get under way. Recommended strategies include expansion of low carbon networked heat and possibly the decarbonisation of gas – though these are still only happening at a scale (and with dubious carbon credentials, see PH+ Iss 15 – district heating). However, the commonest proposed means for decarbonising heat is via electrification.
Electrification of heat raises a number of questions about the ability of our power systems to produce enough low carbon electricity and their capacity to transmit it. But it also represents something of a u-turn in building services design. Continue reading
An opinion piece I co-wrote with Sofie Pelsmakers (author of The Environmental Design Pocketbook) appears in the February 2013 issue of the CIBSE Journal.
We look at the carbon footprint from biomass burning (high, even according to DECC) and point out the unintended consequences of well-intentioned planning requirements for ‘renewables’ and ‘sustainability’ – that lead to biomass plant eating up the budget, efficiency being sidelined, and CO2 emissions being high instead of low.
Read the article here: Biomass – the heat is on
Sofie and I also wrote a longer version for the AECB ‘Soapbox’ column – here:
Biomass heat: facing the carbon reality
I wrote this short item to include with my response to the DECC consultation on sustainability standards for biomass generation
Download pdf – Mining for energy efficiency