District Eating Ltd. is undertaking a ground-breaking project in partnership with the Midlands Energy Hub to highlight opportunities in agri-food supply chains and propose new business models. The study, funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), will identify sites suitable for low carbon horticulture using waste heat and develop innovative projects. These projects could help your company generate additional income, reduce waste and CO2 emissions, contribute to carbon targets and social responsibility strategy.
If you work in industry in the Midlands and have excess waste heat, or if you are a grower, interested in learning more about using recovered heat and CO2 for your site, you could be the perfect fit! If you would like to know more about this exciting opportunity, please Register Your Interest.
Background
Every year, greenhouses in the UK are estimated to use 3.3 TWh of heat. 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! 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. This study aims to get the ball rolling for low carbon, collaborative waste heat solutions between UK industry and horticulture.
The Project
By mapping sources of waste heat and horticultural growers across the Midlands region, District Eating Ltd will be able to identify clusters where there are opportunities for innovative use of resources, such as sale of industrial waste heat into horticultural projects. Implementing these circular economy solutions will contribute to the Midlands Energy Hub’s Net Zero targets by reducing CO2 emissions from heat, and fruit and vegetable imports.
The most promising sites identified in mapping will be selected for micro-feasibility studies and further project development, funded by BEIS. Potential benefits include access to reduced and stabilised heat cost for growers and income to suppliers of heat that is currently wasted. Other potential benefits include increased supply chain resilience, positive social and economic outcomes through increased employment.
Further Details
If you are interested in this exciting opportunity, please Register Your Interest and we will be in touch. For more details, please contact jenna@districteating.com.
