Kent’s Longfield Academy will harness the natural power of the sun
and earth to give the academy full marks for renewable energy
performance.
The new academy building for 1150 students, due to open in June
2011, is combining ground source heat pumps, which harness solar
energy absorbed by the earth, with solar thermal technology to
maximise renewable energy efficiency.
By working in tandem, these renewable technologies will supply
heating and hot water to the academy, together with passive
underfloor cooling in the summer months. This is projected to reduce
the academy’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from its heating system
by up to 40%.
Both technologies are being supplied and installed by ENER-G (www.energ.co.uk)
as part of the sustainable design brief set by Carillion, who are
main contractor on the project. Architect is Jestico + Whiles, with
mechanical services provided by Halsion, who have commissioned the
renewable energy contract.
The specialist science and arts academy is situated on the site of
the former Axton Chase School in Longfield, Kent. It is expected to
achieve a minimum ‘Very Good’ rating under BREEAM for schools, due
to its use of renewable power sources, and extensive use of
insulation to secure a thermal performance 15% beyond current
standards.
ENER-G has installed 35 boreholes and is completing work on the
plant room, to accommodate four ground source heat pumps with a
combined capacity of 200kW. The company is installing a total of 22
solar thermal tubes, covering 44 sq metres of the academy’s flat
roof.
“By combining these two technologies, the academy will dramatically
increase its energy efficiency”, said Lee Marshall, Project Director
for ENER-G Sustainable Technologies. “In the summer and spring
months, any surplus solar energy not required for hot water will be
diverted to the ground loop, where it can be stored to recharge the
ground with heat during the colder winter months, thereby increasing
the efficiency of the heat pumps”.
“The fusion of these two renewable technologies is used widely in
countries such as the Germany, but is not so well developed in the
UK, and Longfield will help to lead the way”, added Lee Marshall.
“The education sector is, however, very active in using ground
source heat pumps as a low cost, low carbon reliable source of
renewable energy.”
“The move to the new building will begin a new exciting phase in our
development towards an environmentally sustainable educational
community. The new renewable technologies will complement the
improvements students and staff have led that have enabled us to
achieve the Eco School Green Flag status”, said Neil Willis,
Principal at Longfield Academy
By exploiting the relatively stable temperatures found under the
earth’s surface, ground source heat pump systems are able to deliver
heating and cooling at very high efficiencies. A heat exchanger,
comprising a network of polyethylene pipes, is buried under the
ground to provide a means of transferring energy to or from the
earth via a heat pump.
Heat pumps supply more energy than they consume by using a
refrigeration cycle to absorb heat from the environment and raise it
to a suitable level for heating buildings or providing hot water.
The process can also operate in a reverse cycle to provide cooling.
The government’s Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) will guarantee
subsidy payments over 20 years and dramatically reduce the payback
period for organisations that install ground source heat pump and
solar thermal technologies.
For further information contact ENER-G Sustainable Technologies by
email below.
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