Summary of the Challenge
The heating of homes and businesses in South Yorkshire relies mainly on gas fuelled systems that contribute significantly to the carbon emissions within the region. Whilst alternative heating options exist such as heat networks, heat pumps and hydrogen gas, the optimal provision for South Yorkshire is not clear.
There is an urgent need to determine the technology mix needed to meet the region’s heating requirements and to achieve optimal energy, carbon, and financial efficiency. This in itself is challenging owing to the number of independent variables that affect the region’s energy infrastructure (such as private sector investment) and energy demand (such as consumer behaviour).
A key constraint is the capacity of the power grid to support the anticipated surge in demand should households adopt heat pumps and electric vehicles in large numbers. District heat networks provide an alternative means of providing heat to homes but their viability is determined by a number of factors such as proximity to a high output heat source (such as a waste incinerator) and density of housing.
Our Response
This project responds to this challenge by developing an energy system model that embeds the existing power and heat networks. The model draws on a range of data sources to simulate how effective alternative heating options such as heat networks, heat pumps and hydrogen would be if implemented in South Yorkshire.
This will be used to run a scenario analysis with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to support planning and policy decision making. The exercise will make clear the trade-offs and synergies between heating options and enable the interactions with mobility (e.g. the impact of combined heat pump and Electric Vehicle demands) to be understood.
This analysis will allow us to answer a number of key questions, which are essential for determining the optimal mix of residential heating technologies for the region:
- Which parts of the region are better suited for heat pumps / district heat?
- What are the most interesting energy sources: industrial waste heat, regional renewable generation, combined heat and power, imported energy? Is a level of self-sufficiency for the region a realistic or cost-effective goal?
- Is there a role for hydrogen gas networks? Is there a role for mine water?
