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A combined heat and power (CHP) plant may be installed at Bristol South Pool next year and, longer term, solar panels erected on council building roofs, under a raft of new initiatives to cut Bristol’s carbon emissions.
The CHP plant is being actively considered in order to meet a tough new climate change target that’s just been signed by Bristol City Council for next year. The 10:10 pledge is a national campaign to get everyone – individuals and organisations – to cut their carbon emissions by 10% in 2010.
The gas-fired engine that produces both electricity and heat would be installed in Bristol South Pool in Bedminster next year, with annual savings of 129 tonnes of CO2. Connecting it to nearby housing blocks and a primary school would save an estimated 1,000 tonnes of CO2 each year.
The council’s assistant executive member for sustainability Neil Harrison said CHP plants were ideal for swimming pools. “In order to get energy efficiency, you want the plant running all the time,” he said, “and swimming pools need to be heated at different times to houses, so it works really well.”
Longer term, the council is also looking at installing solar panels because new legislation means that after April 2010, it will be able to sell energy back to the National Grid, making the investments financially viable for the first time.
“The council owns about 300 buildings throughout the city so there are lots of opportunities,” he said.
“Schools often have lovely flat roofs, which are ideal for solar panels, and we could install mini wind turbines too. Then you get a double win because you’re also teaching the students about sustainability.”
However, the council would first have to find the funding in order to invest in the solar panels.
As part of its Green Capital City action plan, the council has already committed to cutting its emissions by 3% next year.
Cllr Harrison admitted its new 10% target was “very ambitious” and would require “even greater dedication, innovation and investment”.
“I’m being upfront about it – we may not get there but we’re going to give it our best shot,” he said.
Bristol was already ahead of the carbon game when compared with similar cities, he added. “This is one of the reasons that we were nominated as a Green Capital. We are already blazing the trail towards a low carbon future.”
Other new energy saving ideas being evaluated by the council to meet its 10:10 pledge include:
* A networked PC power control system, which would enable PC power settings to be centrally managed. This would mean that all council computers would be switched off centrally overnight and put into low power modes when left unattended.
* An evaporative cooling system to be installed at Romney House Offices. The units replace the existing systems that cool the computer Data Centre and other equipment. The project would cost £120,000 but save £70,000 and 522 tonnes of CO2 a year.
* The installation of further biomass woodchip boilers which burn locally sourced waste woodchip instead of fossil fuels. Three are currently scheduled for installation in 2010 in the Park Local Opportunities Centre (Knowle West) and two elderly person’s homes. Predicted annual savings are 500 tonnes CO2 a year.
Carbon-saving initiatives already underway include the proposed two wind turbines at Avonmouth which, when built, will meet 20% of the council’s annual electricity needs.
The council is also introducing energy saving lighting and control systems at three multi-storey car parks, saving around 186 tonnes of carbon and £37,000 a year.
By Susie Weldon
