Tag Archives: Southwark

“Southwark takes strides towards sustainable energy”

19 January 2021: Southwark press release announcing that the “Council today confirmed that all of the electricity in its offices and buildings, from the Town Hall to day centres and park huts, in addition to all of its street lighting, is now powered by 100 per cent renewable energy. Southwark is leading the way by ensuring that, as the largest council landlord in London, it is moving to more sustainable energy sources. Southwark Council’s electricity power source is changing to wind and solar farms, away from dirty fossil fuels, like coal.” The press release goes on to say that “Southwark Council is also working on renewable energy options for its schools and will be reaching out about this in a few months’ time.” No information is provided on the contract arrangements of this new renewable energy deal – however an August 2020 council paper ‘Contract Award Approval – Supply of gas and electricity to Southwark Council‘ sets out the detail – which includes:

  • On 7 April 2020, Southwark’s Cabinet agreed for the council to use the London Energy Project (LEP)/Laser framework agreement for the supply of gas and electricity to the council”
  • The Council has approved “the use of the Renewables Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGO) backed ‘green’ tariff for Corporate Estate (Schools, Civic Buildings, Street Lighting etc.), as part of the council’s commitment to carbon reduction”
  • The premium for green electricity at this time is between £0.40 and £0.50 MWh for each REGO volume that is 100% renewable backed. The estimated annual financial impact of sourcing green REGO-backed electricity based
  • on current consumption volumes is £10,000. This would cover the council’s corporate estate, including schools and community buildings.
  • With regards to a green source of gas; this is not available at the moment in either the quantity, or the price that makes it a viable option for the council’s estate. This element will be reviewed within the annual performance reporting as the situation develops.
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London Councils’ Climate Change Strategy

January 2021: Ahead of a 19 January London Councils’ Executive meeting, a useful briefing paper has been prepared for the committee highlighting work undertaken by the organisation since the November 2019 Joint Statement on Climate Change with those London boroughs who have signed a Climate Emergency declaration . Seven work areas have been identified, with lead local authorities appointed to take these initiatives forward:

  • #1 Retrofit London: Retrofit all domestic and non-domestic buildings to an average level of EPC B. Lead borough: LB Enfield and LB Waltham Forest
  • #2 Low-carbon development: Secure low carbon buildings and infrastructure via borough planning. Lead borough: LB Hackney and LB Tower Hamlets
  • #3 Halve petrol and diesel road journeys: Halve road journeys made by petrol and diesel via combined measures that can restrict polluting journeys and incentivise sustainable and active travel options. Lead borough: RB Kingston
  • #4 Renewable power for London: Secure 100% renewable energy for London’s public sector now and in the future. Lead borough: LB Islington
  • #5 Reduce consumption emissions: Reduce consumption emissions by two thirds, focusing on food, clothing, electronics and aviation. Lead borough: LB Harrow
  • #6 Build the green economy: Develop London’s low carbon sector and green our broader economy. Lead borough: LB Hounslow
  • #7 Creating a resilient and green London. Lead borough: LB Southwark

The paper sets out some a useful Indicative Timetable of Events and Milestones for London Councils over the coming months and up to COP26. Further detailed information on the full extent of the work undertaken to date through the joint declaration is available on the London Councils Climate Change page.

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London commercial building energy efficiency pilot

21 December 2020: Details of a new project by the Mayor of London looking to drive energy efficiency retrofit in the commercial business sector. “The pilot will work with a Business Improvement District (BID) to recruit 15-20 businesses (including SMEs) with the aim of delivering an overall reduction in energy consumption of at least 30 per cent over 3 years across the participating businesses. The businesses themselves will commit to an upfront 10 per cent target for the pilot year, which we will ask them to update with a more ambitious 2024 target, that is appropriate for their buildings based on the findings of an energy assessment carried out as part of the pilot (expected to be in excess of 30 per cent energy savings). Pilot participants will receive free support from technical experts and high profile recognition for those that meet or exceed their targets.”

This is a much-needed project for London, as policies and programmes to promote energy efficiency in business/commercial buildings are all but absent from national government policy – especially since the closure by the then-Chancellor of the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) scheme (see here for details). It should be mentioned that BEIS have been considering an energy efficiency scheme for small and medium sized businesses for sometime (see here) – with an auction type mechanism currently being considered as the route forward.

Further information on Business Improvement Districts in London can be found here. Initial discussions are going ahead with the Better Bankside BID in Southwark.

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Plans for fossil free Canada Water development

11 December 2020: Article in Building magazine (and here) reporting that major developer British Land has said its £3.3bn mixed use Canada Water scheme will be fossil fuel free to help meet its target for a net zero carbon property portfolio by 2030. Encouragingly British Land’s Head of Development, Philip Tait, states that “improvements in heat pump technology meant it was easier for buildings to be all electric than when the buildings were designed four years ago.” Tait goes on to say that “Site-wide heat networks are a popular choice for large developments but Tait said he was wary about adopting one at Canada Water. Tait said: “It’s easy to say go for a centralised heating network. We don’t know if this is exactly the right thing to do yet. We want to keep things open and flexible to do the right thing as technology changes.

The Canada Water scheme will eventually turn 53 acres of rundown land in south-east London into a new town centre and 3,000 homes. In February, it overcame the last major planning obstacle when London Mayor decided not to call it in. Further information on the energy strategy to be adopted for the site is set out in the Southwark Planning Committee report on the development from September 2019 – available here (see agenda item 5.1 main report) or directly here (see page 211 onwards).

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Southwark Carbon Offset Fund

December 2020: Southwark Council have published a webpage providing some background to their implementation of carbon offset payments as part of new housing planning applications submitted to the Council. See Zero carbon homes and the carbon offsetting fund.

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Funding for Electric Bus Charging Infrastructure

17 August 2020: Press release from Amber Infrastructure, fund manager of the Mayor’s Energy Efficiency Fund (MEEF) of an announcement of a loan to Zenobe Energy to install a charging infrastructure solution at a bus depot operated by Abellio London, in Walworth to install charging infrastructure to serve the single decker P5 and new C10 bus routes.

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New Funding for Southwark Heat Networks

13 August 2020: Press release issued by Amber Infrastructure, fund manger of the Mayor’s Energy Efficiency Fund (MEEF) announcing that £7m funding has been arranged for a new ‘water source heat pump’ project in the borough to provide heat to 2,000 homes. Read the full release here.

Vital Energi have been procured by Southwark Council to design, construct and operate the scheme. Further information on Southwark Council’s work around the use of water source heat pumps can be seen here.

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London City Airport Draft Masterplan and Climate Change

September 2019:The Chief Executive’s foreword to the London City Airport’s Draft Masterplan, currently out for consultation, commits the organisation to the following: “We will become a carbon neutral business by 2020 and fully support and welcome the Government’s recent commitments to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Our ambition is to be at the forefront of this agenda, and we will achieve these 2050 targets by employing the latest technology and innovation and working with our airlines and partners to help the achieve these goals too.”

The Masterplan’s Sustainability Strategy sets out that on ‘Carbon and Climate Change’ the airport’s plans are to:

  • Become an independently accredited ‘carbon neutral’ business by 2020;
  • Work with airlines to deliver more new generation aircraft which are more fuel efficient and will emit fewer carbon emissions per passenger per flight;
  • Achieve net zero emissions by 2050, consistent with the emerging
  • commitments from governments and industry around the world;
  • Invest more in low carbon technology and more energy efficient buildings;
  • Promote increased public and sustainable transport usage by staff and passengers;
  • Work with airlines and manufacturers on the hybrid and electric
  • aircraft agenda; and
  • Work with NATS to deliver their predicted annual savings in fuel burn and CO2 emissions through participation in the Government’s airspace modernisation process.

However, as pointed out by HACAN (Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise), London City Airport has admitted that it does not know as yet the impact on climate change emissions of their expansion proposals.

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London City Airport GHG Emissions

September 2019: Helpful press release from HACAN (Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise) stating that London City Airport has admitted that it does not know the impact on climate change emissions of the expansion proposals outlined in its draft Master Plan currently out for consultation. A technical note on ‘carbon and GHG emissions’ sets out that:

“It is not possible at this time to calculate total emissions which might arise from the draft Master Plan because this relies upon the accurate quantification of GHG emissions using detailed modelling and data from a combination of aircraft forecasts, fleet mix composition, construction and engineering designs, energy supply, and other details of the proposed future infrastructure. However, during the Master Plan period up to 2035, it can be expected that further improvements in aircraft fuel efficiency and emissions will take place as greater numbers of ‘new generation’ aircraft such as the Airbus A220-100 are introduced to the fleet. Moreover, the airport is predicted to accommodate an approximate 69% increase in passengers by 2035 (i.e. from 6.5 to 11 million passengers per annum) coupled with only a 36% increase in flights (i.e. from the 111,000 ATMs to 151,000 ATMs) and with only limited additional infrastructure. As such, provisional analysis would suggest that carbon emissions per passenger will decrease even further over the Master Plan period. 2.29 Should a detailed proposal come forward in the future, the airport would need to assess the total GHG emissions of that proposal as part of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)”.

This issue will continue to be scrutinised as London City Airport continues with its planning application.

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Environmental Design at the Tate Modern

November 2016: The latest issue of the CIBSE Journal includes a case study on the significant design measures integrated into the new Tate Modern Switch House extension:

“The Tate wanted the environmental design of the Switch House extension to London’s Tate Modern gallery to be as cutting-edge as the art installations it showcases…Max Fordham’s scheme does not disappoint. It uses ground water pumped from river gravel below the site, desiccant dehumidification and even waste heat from electrical transformers to create the ideal environmental conditions for the Tate’s priceless works of art, while ensuring millions of visitors are comfortable.” Read the full case study here.

Tate Modern’s energy programme was supported by the London Energy Efficiency Fund – see earlier post here – and last year, a solar PV array was also added to the building.

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Energy Efficient Cafe in Peckham

31 December 2014: Short profile of Lerryn’s Cafe  in Peckham in Guardian feature on energy efficiency initiatives by cafes.

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A field study of urban microclimates in London

December 2014: Open access paper published in the January 2015 issue of Renewable Energy.

“This paper aims to address the characteristics of urban microclimates that affect the building energy performance and implementation of the renewable energy technologies. An experimental campaign was designed to investigate the microclimate parameters including air and surface temperature, direct and diffuse solar irradiation levels on both horizontal and vertical surfaces, wind speed and direction in a dense urban area in London. The outcomes of this research reveal that the climatic parameters are significantly influenced by the attributes of urban textures, which highlight the need for both providing the microclimatic information and using them in buildings design stages. This research provides a valuable set of microclimatic information for a dense urban area in London. According to the outcomes of this research, the feasibility study for implementation of renewable energy technologies and the thermal/energy performance assessment of buildings need to be conducted using the microclimatic information rather than the meteorological weather data mostly collected from non-urban environments.”

Available to download here.

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