Veolia: CHP, AD and biomass energy could secure UK energy supply

Combined Heat and Power (CHP), anaerobic digestion and biomass power could help ensure the energy supply to industry and protect the UK’s National Grid, according to resource management company Veolia.

The company is aiming to highlight how sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, pharmaceutical & chemical and food & beverage could meet their energy needs locally and have more control over energy costs through devolved supplies.

To support the UK Government’s Clean Growth Strategy, Veolia calculated the current capacity from CHP (with either AD, biomass or natural gas as an energy source), and the potential capacity. The company found that there is a total potential capacity of up to 146,000,000MWh, but only 23,338,000MWh is currently utilised.

“As a nation, we [the UK] need to be bolder and realise the circular economy is at the heart of our future industrial success. We must take action and set out long-term planning goals and commitments to use all of our resources more efficiently to meet the ever increasing energy and resource demands in a sustainable and achievable way,” said Estelle Brachlianoff, senior executive of Veolia UK & Ireland.

“One of the biggest challenges we face in business – and as a nation – is ensuring our energy provision meets the needs of industry and business, our rapidly growing population and consumer habits.”

According to the statement from Veolia, on-site, generation solutions, including Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plus biomass by-product and Anaerobic Digestion (AD) configured for direct energy usage, will improve energy efficiency and enable industry to have a secure, set-tariff energy source to meet their current and future needs.

Veolia is recommending industries meet more of their energy needs by utilising low-carbon and renewable sources, all of which the company notes can be managed on-site to mitigate rising costs, to realise the untapped potential.