OREANDA-NEWS. SSE Enterprise Utilities will examine the potential of the River Thames as a clean renewable heat source for the team behind the development of London’s iconic Battersea Power Station.

It is estimated that at least one million homes and businesses in England could be tapping into clean renewable heat hidden in the country’s waterways.

The innovative and interactive online water source heat map – launched this week by Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey during a visit to Battersea Power Station – reveals the secret energy stored in more than 4,000 rivers, estuaries, canals and coastal sites that together could provide upwards of six gigawatts of low-carbon heat to communities and businesses. 

Installing a water source heat pump could provide carbon savings and SSE Enterprise Utilities has been appointed to carry out a full heat pump feasibility study for the Battersea Power Station Development Company, as well as investigating the re-use of existing engineering infrastructure that was built 80 years ago to connect the site to the Thames when it was generating power. 

If a heat pump is installed at the site, it would be one of the energy sources used to provide heat to around 4000 new homes, shops, offices and public amenities at the development. 

Phillip Gullett, Chief Operating Officer at the Battersea Power Station Development Company, said: “We are looking at a range of options to deliver the energy required for the homes, shops, restaurants and leisure facilities being created here at Battersea Power Station.

“Our location on the banks of the River Thames in central London means we are ideally placed to investigate what role water source technology may play in supplying our energy needs and we are delighted that SSE Enterprise Utilities will be undertaking a feasibility study to establish the options available to us.”

Nathan Sanders, Managing Director of SSE Enterprise Utilities, said: “The team and I are very excited to be working on the redevelopment of such an iconic London landmark, and in turn the regeneration of the surrounding area. This study of the potential use of heat pumps is an important part of the multiple utility design work we are doing at Battersea, including site-wide heating and cooling networks. 

“With a track record of developing sustainable energy solutions for the operators of iconic sites around the country, we are looking forward to playing our part in the transformation of Battersea Power Station.”

Ed Davey MP, UK Energy and Climate Change Secretary, said: “We need to make the most of the vast amount of clean, renewable heat that lays dormant and unused in our rivers, lakes and seas. Doing this will help contribute to an energy mix that maximises clean, reliable home-grown resources rather than relying on foreign fossil fuels. 

“It also provides a system that bolsters growth in our local economies, protects the natural environment, and creates resilient communities that are capable of producing sustainable power systems.

“This is exactly why we’re giving local people, developers and councils the keys they need to unlock the enormous potential of our waterways.”