4th Generation District Energy Networks is a rising concept and has high potential in the UK. These schemes can deliver sustainable low carbon heat to communities and they are a viable option to address fuel poverty and meet the country's energy targets.
Due to their flexibility district energy networks can adapt to current and future renewable energy supply technologies, increasing the penetration of clean energy into the system. Following this, they can combine many heat sources, reduce the dependence on fossil fuels and provide a secure way of supplying heat to buildings.
Environmentally, a district energy network with a high penetration of renewable energy significantly reduces not only the community's CO2 emissions, but also minimises the emissions of other pollutants such as NOx, SOx, particulate matter and heavy metals, thus improving the local air quality.
Social impacts include the potential reduction of fuel poverty, creation of local jobs, as well as the possibility of becoming a place of interest and a showcase regarding district energy which can lead to an increase of tourism in the area, although there can be minor disruptions to the community's life during the construction phase of the project.
However, there are financial and social barriers to their nationwide implementation. The first type include the dependency on loans and government incentives to finance the high capital costs needed and the need for regulation of the market to ensure customers are secure. A main social challenge is increasing the awareness of the residents regarding the benefits of such schemes, thus easing the transition from the current situation to the new system. Local authorities would also need to take into account this type of heat supply technology by developing strategic plans for its development in their planning process.
Our project shows that the implementation of a district energy network is viable in a community such as Kinlochleven. However, this type of infrastructure requires a minimum heat demand density and may not be suitable for disperse communities. The methodology developed to assess the feasibility of a district energy network is replicable to other communities throughout the UK.
