Month: May 2024

The annual event sees the energy, renewables and low-carbon energy communities come together for two days of talks and networking opportunities. The event highlights current drivers, trends and challenges we face in the sector and often provides good thought pieces on overcoming these so we can all work together for a cleaner, greener future.

A vital date on renewable and low carbon energy industry calendars, the event provides the power of expertise, knowledge and innovative technology to better engineer an integrated net zero energy future with security of supply an increasingly important factor.

The DSSR team attended a range of talks, including the below:

‘The new National Energy System Operator (NESO)’

Here, we learned more about the responsibilities of the new NESO organisation.

The Energy Act 2023 gave the Secretary of State the power to establish an Independent System Operator and Planner, a role given to the Electricity System Operator and separated from the rest of the National Grid. Due to be established on July 1st 2024, and known as the National Energy System Operator (NESO), this body will have a wide range of responsibilities including energy system planning for net zero and promoting the security of supply.

This session dug into what the NESO’s role will mean in practice, what key benefits it will bring to the energy system transition and how it is likely to work with other key actors such as network users and owners, the Government and the regulator.

‘Renewable energy supply chain impact, a snapshot’

Ensuring the delivery of the country’s renewable energy projects is a Herculean task, and one which requires a vast array of skills, experience and engineering know-how: this is where the supply chain comes in.

This talk highlighted how the country’s supply chain is utilising its expertise, skills and capabilities to deliver specialist work across all renewable energy technologies. It showcased some of the talented businesses managing the engineering, procurement, construction, installation and operation of green energy projects.

‘Under one roof: the social relations and relational work of energy retrofit for the occupants of Multi-owned Properties’

This talk highlighted the challenges of retrofit on multi-tenancy buildings (e.g. tenements).

‘Net Zero; Solutions, Challenges and Opportunities’

This talk was a bit general and promoted a new training academy just outside of Edinburgh which is working to upskill installers in the installation of renewable energy technologies for the domestic sector (ASHPs, PV etc.).

These events are essential to us as designers of modern MEP systems as one of the ways we stay at the forefront of our industry. This year, we were able to explore a range of topics relating to the sustainable built environment, gain a better understanding of the trends and challenges we face in the sector, and collaborate on how to achieve a cleaner, greener future through our field of sustainable building services design.

R&B Distillers has secured planning permission from Argyll and Bute Council for its Machrihanish Distillery, the first farm-to-bottle distillery in Campbeltown in over 180 years. DSSR has been commissioned to provide full building services and sustainability consultancy in relation to the new distillery.

Our client, R&B Distillers, is aiming to create a sustainable net zero distilling model that removes any fossil fuel use from the whisky distilling process. This means they will be creating a unique ‘farm-to-bottle’ single malt, growing and processing their own barley, resulting in a net-zero distilling process. The project also aims to energise much of distillery process by an industrial/commercial grade air source heat pump and utilise a bore hole as the source of the distillery water supply.

We are liaising with the Machrihanish Air Base in relation to the option to source an electrical 11kV connection (i.e. due to the local proximity) as an alternative to a grid connection. We are also providing micro grid options, considering wind, solar and battery storage working in conjunction with the grid/air base connection relative to the distillery base load.

R&B purchased the Dhurrie Farm in Machrihanish in 2021. Having received the green light for the distillery development, they will now work with various stakeholders around environmental guidelines and other conditions before beginning construction on the site next year. Machrihanish distillery will start with whisky production, followed by a full visitor experience, shop, and tasting room.

William Dobbie, Managing Director of R&B Distillers: “Our Machrihanish Distillery news, and Caskshare majority stake, puts us on a clear track towards achieving our vision of becoming the leading new wave spirits business in Scotland.”

The scope of The Christie NHS Trust Decarbonisation Plan involves three phases. We are currently only appointed for Phase 1, focusing on gathering information and developing high-level energy reduction strategies based on site assessments, building functions, and existing plant installations. This includes exploring passive measures, energy-efficient systems, and renewable energy sources following the Mean, Lean, Clean Energy Hierarchy.

Phase 2 entails a detailed site assessment to prioritise energy-saving opportunities and develop strategies for improving thermal and MEP services performance. Discussions with the local Distribution Network Operator (DNO) will begin to address potential electrical infrastructure upgrades required for electrification.

Phase 3 will implement detailed MEP schemes up to RIBA Stage 4 for tender purposes, integrating identified decarbonisation options. Outcomes will be presented in a report detailing energy and carbon savings for each option, along with recommendations and potential costs, supporting The Christie NHS Trust’s commitment to sustainable healthcare infrastructure.