Every year, greenhouses in the UK use 3.3 TWh of heat. This heat production is dominated by natural gas boilers and Combined Heat and Power (CHP), which contribute to our national CO2 emissions. Meanwhile, recoverable waste heat from UK industry is estimated to be 10-50 TWh per year. This is enough to heat the UK’s greenhouses three times over!
At District Eating Ltd, we believe that unlocking the potential for using waste heat for horticulture is part of the solution to tackling the climate crisis. This win-win solution will reduce CO2 emissions from heat generation, wasted heat, and fruit and vegetable imports. It will also improve UK supply chain resilience and deliver positive social and economic outcomes through increased employment. Additionally, using waste heat can generate additional income for industry and offer more competitive prices to growers!
So why is using waste heat for horticulture not the norm? The technology is available, but changing established practices takes time. However, in the transition to Net-Zero, a shift towards more localised heat and power systems is inevitable. Through our project with NFU Energy, we will get the ball rolling for low-carbon, collaborative waste heat solutions between UK industry and horticulture. The project, funded by InnovateUK, will involve talking to key stakeholders from industry and horticulture to identify and tackle the challenges of using industrial waste heat for greenhouses. We aim to use this project to facilitate sale of industrial waste heat into horticultural projects.
So, how can you get involved? If you work in industry and would like to sell your waste heat, or if you are a grower, interested in learning more about using waste heat and CO2 for your site, or looking for low carbon power, please send an email at pip@districteating.com or message Pip Lorimer on Linkedin here.
Follow our journey:
