Hampshire is set to be at the forefront of energy research in the UK by taking part in an innovative project that uses fuel-producing algae to power a new type of energy plant.
Hampshire County Council is taking part in the launch at the Kent Science Park in Sittingbourne on 19 October of 'Ecotec 21', an Anglo-French consortium set up to study Combined Heat and Power (CHP) technology. The launch will announce collaboration on CHP development, bringing together UK and French universities, research institutions, government-funded organisations, energy and facility managers, designers and architects.
Combined Heat and Power technology captures the by-product heat created by power plants and uses it for heating or hot water. Ecotec 21, co-funded by 'INTERREG IV A' under the European Cross-Border Cooperation Programme and 50% match funded by Hampshire County Council, is a new project that will investigate the potential for CHP to reduce heating costs in buildings.
The project will look at three experimental biomass power plants, one of which will be built by The University of Greenwich. The Greenwich plant will investigate how glycerol can be used in a CHP engine and will eventually provide some of the heating for the university campus. Some algae produce glycerol as a protective by-product when they are kept in very salty water. The glycerol is then harvested for use in the CHP engine. Glycerol has many advantages over other biomass materials as it is water-soluble, bio-degradable, non-odorous, non-volatile, non-toxic and produces virtually no combustion particulates.
Councillor Mel Kendal, Executive Member for Environment and Transport said:
"Because they capture the waste heat that normally goes into the atmosphere, CHP plants can reach efficiencies of over 80% compared with about 50% efficiency for conventional gas turbines or even less for coal-fired plants. This is an exciting chance to help Hampshire reduce its carbon footprint.
"With this 'INTERREG IV A' funding, we can create our own in-house CHP technical 'know-how' which will benefit Hampshire's residents and enable us to investigate other energy-efficient processes."