09:15 - 13th February 2012

Dramatic vision in the UKDEAs' Linked in group

Whilst discussing the review by GLA that stated district heating and CHP were the most effective means of de-carbonising our cities, conversation has developed into a discussion about how London can be decarbonised itself. The latest comments by some of our LinkedIn group regulars certainly provided some food for thought:

Richard Edwards, Carbon Synq said “I would have thought that London's planners would be more concerned with rising sea levels - will the Thames barrage hold? 

Wood-based CHP may be possible: suburban areas near to parks offer one possibility. Deer can be culled (lots of free-range meat for the bankers!) and short-rotation coppice can be planted to provide some small element of sustainable supply to local houses via efficient, community-scale, wood-based gasification systems. If the CHP dream is to be based on woody biomass then logistical issues exist with importing feedstock into the city. There are good supplies of waste-wood in the city, and wood could be transported in, but wood carries water - transporting water around the country is not sustainable. 

If you take a few minutes to look at London from Google Maps then you can see one real possibility to power the city from waste. There are several very tall buildings which do nothing more than sustain the wealth of people who work for the banking industry, and there are more than 30 very large bowls, which do nothing more than sustain the lives of people who kick balls around. 

For London to become sustainable it needs to pay to get the bankers relocated to Unst, it needs to leave football to the Spanish and then it has a very large storage resource (gherkins and bowls) which can be filled with animal slurry (a like-for-like replacement), which will provide gas for heating/cooking, and a never ending supply of compost which it can use to feed itself. Sustainable communities – Yes. Sustainable cities – difficult choices!”

Henrik Karlsson, Ariterm Oy replied, “Rather dramatic suggestions from Richard :D But true, wood chip transport radius is not that big. Waste on the other hand is an unused energy supply in many countries. As per now, waste is a cost instead of being an income!”

 Allan McIntosh. EngTech MCIPHE Rp, Aberdeen Heat and Power Co added, “CHP is a positive way to get affordable heat to people who need it most, too many people today are living in heat poverty and have to choose between food or heating comfort.”

If you would like to add some thoughts or start a discussion of your own, visit our LinkedIn group and join the debate.