Perth, Scotland — The innovative new project could decarbonise heat networks by capturing waste heat from electricity transformers to generate hot water and space heating for homes and businesses.

Harnessing the waste heat from transformers via SSE heat networks the project has the potential to save millions of tonnes of CO2 every year if rolled out across National Grid’s network of transformers across England and Wales.

"Electric power transformers generate huge amounts of heat as a by-product when electricity flows through them. At the moment, this heat is just vented directly into the atmosphere and wasted," said Nathan Sanders, managing director at SSE Energy Solutions. “By their very nature, electricity transformers are primarily located where people live, work and consume energy meaning that they have the potential to be incredibly valuable community assets if we apply a bit of clever thinking. This groundbreaking project aims to capture that waste heat and effectively turn transformers into community ‘boilers’ that serve local heat networks with a low or even zero-carbon alternative to fossil-fuel powered heat sources such as gas boilers.“

 “We are proud to partner with SSE Energy Solutions to develop this innovative technology and support decarbonisation of heat, which is essential to achieve net zero,” said Alexander Yanushkevich, Deeside Innovation Manager of National Grid.

Source: SSE