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The global resource management firm is set to deliver wide-ranging energy projects to further decarbonise the heat supply at the University Hospital of Hartlepool.
Delivered through Veolia’s strategic GreenUP programme, the upgrades will use the holistic whole building approach and exceed government targets for the NHS.
Designed to de-steam the current heating system, and deliver guaranteed carbon savings of 2,179 tonnes per year, it will use a ground source heat pump and thermal store, combined with solar arrays to maximise energy efficiency. The innovative new scheme is the first healthcare site where Veolia has implemented this type of design in the UK, and will help the hospital meet the NHS carbon reduction targets for 2030.
Veolia has been managing energy at the hospital that provides patients with a wide range of diagnostic services, outpatient clinics and low risk surgery, since 2003 using combined heat and power, CHP. The new upgrades will use a combination of technologies to optimise efficiency and balance the electrical and thermal requirements.
The new scheme combines a 1,400kW ground source heat pump system, with a 70,000 litre thermal store, to optimise the efficiency of the system by operating the heat pump at a higher load, when it is most efficient, to charge the store and deplete it over several hours. To maximise efficiency and give N+1 redundancy the heat pump will use the supply from two boreholes, and will be supported by 1MWp of renewable electricity supplied from ground and roof mounted solar PV arrays.
To balance the power generated by the solar PV system and the CHP, and the thermal output of the heat pump and CHP Veolia’s specialist energy team has developed a bespoke management solution which will manage the electrical and thermal balancing of the system using smart controls. The smart control strategy will optimise the overall system efficiency, and provide additional resilience to the site through carbon balancing of the energy delivered using the combination of the heat pump, CHP heat recovery, hot water boilers and thermal store.
The scheme includes high voltage and low voltage electrical infrastructure upgrades to support the new plant and equipment with an extension of the site’s existing HV ring main. Energy efficiency will also be extended through the wide ranging installation of LED light fittings across the buildings, and upgraded air handling units.
Once the upgrade projects have been completed they will be maintained through a 24/7 operating contract.
