Communities across Dumfries and Galloway could benefit from heat networks
Communities across Dumfries and Galloway could be in line to benefit from heat networks.
And the project could provide a string of economic, environmental and social benefits – including job creation and tackling fuel poverty.
South of Scotland Enterprise, along with Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders, have unveiled the first ever South of Scotland Heat Networks Prospectus.
South of Scotland Enterprise chairman, Russel Griggs OBE, said: 'This prospectus highlights the massive potential for heat networks in the South of Scotland, providing heat for low cost and lower impact on the environment.
'Alongside our partners in both local councils, we want the south of Scotland to be leading the way in developing smaller shared heat collector style network and believe this prospectus can inspire practical action and investment in pilot projects.'
The networks would see thermal energy from a central source distributed to multiple properties.
A total of 19 opportunities for networks have been identified across the south of Scotland – which would cost around £120 million to develop and provide up to 120,000 megawatt hours of heat per year.
Three larger scale district networks have been identified in Dumfries and Galloway – Stranraer, the Crichton in Dumfries and Dumfries town centre, which would cover buildings such as DGOne and Dumfries Academy.
There are also NUMBER smaller shared heat collector networks – Crossmichael, Langholm, Halcrow in Gretna, Kelloholm – using geothermal energy from former coal mines – the Midsteeple Quarter in Dumfries and public buildings in Annan, including the swimming pool and Annan Academy.
It's hoped the prospectus can help encourage practical action and investment in pilot and larger projects, with events and webinars planned to share the potential benefits.
Dumfries and Galloway Council leader, Councillor Stephen Thompson, said: 'The launch of the South of Scotland Heat Networks Prospectus marks a major step forward in our region's journey toward a more sustainable and resilient future.
'Heat networks offer a real opportunity to decarbonise heating, reduce carbon emissions, tackle fuel poverty, and create new jobs and skills.'
'We're working in partnership with South of Scotland Enterprise and Scottish Borders Council to identify practical, place-based solutions that can deliver long-term economic, environmental and social benefits.
'This prospectus lays the groundwork for meaningful investment and action, and we look forward to seeing these opportunities develop into real-world projects that support our region's transition to Net Zero.'
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'We're in the ballpark of green hydrogen. One of the main benefits of using aluminum is the energy density per unit volume. With a very small amount of aluminum fuel, you can conceivably supply much of the power for a hydrogen-fueled vehicle,' said Dr. Aly Kombargi, MIT mechanical engineering graduate and the study's lead author. To produce hydrogen at scale, the process begins by obtaining scrap aluminum, then shredding it into pellets and treating it with gallium-indium. Next, the aluminum would be transported to a fuel center located near seawater. This method produces hydrogen and boehmite, a byproduct that can be used in semiconductor production and could be sold to electronics manufacturers to further reduce hydrogen production costs. Hydrogen refuelling infrastructure needs to expand No matter what way you cut it, hydrogen refueling infrastructure needs to expand if fuel cell vehicles are ever going to see mass adoption. While there are refueling stations in California, some owners say hydrogen fuel delivery shortages and issues are a regular occurrence. As a result, some consumers have filed a class action lawsuit against Hyundai, indicating that they were misled about the viability of hydrogen cars and the reliability of hydrogen refueling stations. Source: Autoblog 'We started running into situations where you would go to a station and there might be a couple cars in line and you might wait half an hour, 45 minutes or an hour, hour and a half, and then maybe the car in front of you got the last little bit of hydrogen or you hooked up to the station and then there was an error code,' Bernard Gross told 10 On Your Side. In early 2024, Shell closed its hydrogen fueling stations due to supply issues and other external factors. Notably, hydrogen refueling stations are known to frequently malfunction, leading to downtime that ultimately renders the station inoperable. That's not to mention the zoning issues and strict building regulations implemented by the state and local governments. According to the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Partnership, there are 50 hydrogen refueling stations operating in California. Comparatively, there are over 10,400 gas stations and more than 16,500 public DC fast chargers operating in the same state. While modern hydrogen vehicles are technically still in their infancy, battery-electric vehicles have a massive lead. With lithium prices dropping and batteries becoming more affordable as a result, that isn't likely to change. If hydrogen vehicles ever want a fair chance at gaining market share, it's going to come down to an expansion in infrastructure. EVs have proven that price isn't necessarily an issue. The best-selling EV, the Tesla Model Y, for example, starts at just shy of $45,000 without the federal tax credit. There's no doubt that Tesla's investment in its supercharging network was a major factor in early EV adoption, although home charging was likely a major consideration among consumers as well. Source: Toyota If Toyota, Hyundai Motor Group, or Honda were to make a major investment in hydrogen refueling infrastructure, it could give FCEVs a fighting chance. Notably, however, such an investment would likely run into the billions, not to mention that they would need a way to reliably and efficiently produce and transport hydrogen. That's a gargantuan task, and it could delay hydrogen fuel cell vehicle adoption indefinitely. Final thoughts While hydrogen certainly has a future in the automotive industry, its progress seems to have come to a standstill. Until the refueling infrastructure issue is resolved, it's likely to stay that way. Fortunately, new research indicates a solution for generating hydrogen sustainability isn't too far off. Whether that's enough to push hydrogen fuel cell vehicles out of limbo and into the public eye is yet to be seen. If no one steps forward to develop refueling infrastructure, it's likely that hydrogen will remain in its current state as a niche alternative to fossil fuels, largely limited to public and commercial transportation, and potentially, military applications. About the Author Joseph Pudlewski View Profile
