A SUBSIDIARY of utility Scottish Water has joined forces with a Canadian renewables giant to help firms and public bodies reduce their heating costs and carbon emissions.
Scottish Water Horizons has formed an alliance with Vancouver-based International Wastewater Systems to accelerate the deployment of sewage heat recovery systems around the country.
It follows the launch of the UK’s first sewage heat recovery (SHR) system at Borders College in Galashiels. Developed by SHARC Energy Systems, a subsidiary of the listed Canadian business, it aims to displace 1.8 gigawatt hours of natural gas and save 150 tonnes of carbon emissions a year.
The system, which has been deployed at several locations, works by heating the waste water from sewers with heat pump technology to amplify the natural warmth of waste water.
It is highlighted by its backers as a cost-effective and energy saving method for heating, cooling and producing hot water in commercial and residential buildings.
The alliance follows two years of formal collaboration between Scottish Water Horizons and SHARC, which they say has led to a £20 million pipeline for potential installations around Scotland.
Scottish Water Horizons said up to 750 systems would have to be installed by 2020 to enable Scotland to meet its carbon savings targets.
Andrew Macdonald, head of Scottish Water Horizons, said: “The potential to deploy this technology is significant.
“Heat accounts for more than half of Scotland’s total energy use and we believe that by harnessing the natural resources of our vast waste water network, we can further the development of Scotland’s low carbon economy, whilst protecting and enhancing the environment.”
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