Heat Capture Technology May Save UK 10m Tonnes of Carbon

The use of heat capture technology has the ability to save the UK 10 million tonnes of carbon a year. This information came from stydyHeatcapture technology that was done on stations such as Kingsnorth. This would help to meet 5% of the UK’s requirement by helping the UK save 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year if the heat from one of the country’s biggest power station could be used to warm things like homes and offices.

However, in the future this heat capture technology could be used on any big power station and could distribute heat, as well as electricity. On top of this, new housing developments could be designed and built with small local combined heat and power plants.

Currently, heat accounts for more than 49% of the primary energy need in the UK. As of now, this need is mainly fueled by gas. Coal and nuclear power stations are about 35% efficient. This means that for every 1,000MW of electricity that these stations make, almost 2,000MW of heat has to be dumped out into the atmosphere by way of the cooling tower.

Theoretically, if just half of this heat energy could be captured and then used in both domestic and/or commercial heating, it would be able to meet 25% of the UK’s current heat demand. One of the practical problems that this new technology faces is that most nuclear and coal stations are built in very remote locations, far away from places that actually need heat.