Heat decarbonisation trial launches in Scotland

Project ReHeat has been launched by Scottish network operators SP Energy Networks and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks.

The project is aimed to explore how electricity networks can manage the expected increase in demand resulting from the move to decarbonise heating through electrification.

The £5 million (US$6.7 million) project will see 150 heat pumps from Daikin installed in homes across three areas in East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire and the Highlands, selected to provide a picture of how best to bring solutions across Scotland.

The heat pumps will be connected to thermal storage units, enabling customers to be more flexible in the times they use electricity for heating.

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Using smart grid controls and smart heating management with domestic heat storage, Re-Heat should demonstrate technical solutions that not only accelerate the deployment of low carbon electrified heating but also reduce demand on the electricity network, in turn reducing or removing the need for traditional network reinforcement.

“Achieving net zero emissions by 2045 will only be possible if we begin to work on real solutions to support the decarbonisation of heat now,” says Scott Mathieson, Network Planning and Distribution Director at SP Energy Networks, which is leading the project.

“Our electricity networks are at the heart of the transition to a low carbon Scotland, but we need to ensure they are able to cope with the significant increase in demand we’re projecting as more and more low carbon heating solutions are connected into our network.”

Project ReHeat, which is supported by the Scottish government, is expected to develop both technical and commercial solutions that can be replicated across the country.

The electricity network is at the heart of Scotland’s drive to reach net zero emissions by 2045. By 2030, Scotland is expected to see over a million homes convert to zero emissions heat systems such as heat pumps, creating a significant increase in demand on the electricity system.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks already has 7,500 heat pumps installed across the north of Scotland and anticipates the number to increase to half a million by 2050.

Stewart Reid, Head of Future Networks at Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, says that Project Re-Heat will be vital to building the company’s understanding of how to manage this growth in heat pumps cost effectively and ensure its network is ready.

“Through this project, we look forward to tackling the challenges and identifying how to provide the critical infrastructure needed to support net zero.”