CHP puts caravan club on right road
15 March 2010
The Caravan Club is using LPG-fired combined heat and power (CHP) to meet its energy needs and help to fulfil its ‘green’ ambitions.
The Hillhead site in South Devon uses a Dachs CHP unit supplied by Baxi-SenerTec UK to heat and power communal areas and its outdoor swimming pool. Four 4,000 litre LPG storage tanks serve the 22-acre site for heating, hot water and cooking, and the Club has found that CHP can reduce its primary energy needs by up to 30 per cent in line with its increasingly environmentally-driven agenda.The Dachs CHP generates electricity from a single fuel, such as LPG, and uses the heat produced in the generation process as thermal energy for space and/or water heating. The 12.5-15.5kWth thermal output from the CHP unit is used for space heating and domestic hot water, and to heat the swimming pool. Meanwhile the 5.5kWe electrical energy generated on site is used for general electrical and communal lighting for areas such as the bar, restaurant, café, games room, shop and laundry facilities.
By generating heat and electricity from a single source, CHP can deliver overall fuel efficiencies of 79-92 per cent. Teamed with LPG, which gas supplier Calor says offers the lowest carbon emissions out of all the non-mains-gas fuels, CHP is an ideal solution for generating maximum efficiency for complexes such as holiday parks.
“It was very easy to install the unit, and we’ve been impressed with how quiet it is – this is obviously an important benefit for leisure applications,” said David Eley of David Eley Associates, the independent consulting engineer employed by The Caravan Club to design this project. “We believe there will be significant carbon and cost savings, especially if the swimming pool is used year-round instead of just on a seasonal basis.”
To work efficiently and significantly reduce carbon emissions and energy costs, a CHP unit needs to be installed in an application with appropriate thermal and electrical demands. The ideal situation is to have a base heat load for most of the year to allow the CHP to run, and a demand for the electricity that it generates. Having an outdoor heated swimming pool and a constant demand for heat and electricity for communal areas, made the Hillhead site ideal for the Dachs.
“Where renewable and low-carbon technologies are concerned you can’t take a one-size-fits-all approach,” said David Eley. “We’ve looked at various technologies for The Caravan Club and have installed different solutions at different locations, as what works well at one site might not be appropriate for another. Fortunately Hillhead has ideal thermal and electrical base loads for CHP, giving us the opportunity to properly utilise this technology. We also believe LPG is cleaner than other non-mains gas fuels, and is more appropriate for lower temperature condensing technologies, such as CHP and condensing boilers,” added Mr. Eley.
Over 100 years old, The Caravan Club is evaluating a range of renewable and low-carbon technologies for its sites, including solar thermal water heating, solar photovoltaics, wind generation, ground source heat pumps, rain and grey water recycling and heat recovery ventilation.
These technologies are being installed across the UK, at sites where they are most viable and have the greatest potential to deliver optimum cost savings and environmental benefits. The Caravan Club was keen to assess CHP technology, and will now be able to monitor its success via the Hillhead site. In addition to the CHP unit, Hillhead’s heating and hot water needs are served by condensing boilers and separate hot water cylinders, also fuelled by LPG.
Wayne Brown, Manager for The Caravan Club site, said: “Hillhead has a sound environmental policy in place. Not only are we investing in new technologies, but we have a plan to promote species diversity and encourage good environmental practice from employees, site workers and visitors.”
To ensure LPG is compatible with low-carbon and renewable solutions such as CHP, Calor is working with leading heating manufacturers and is investing in its own technologies so that LPG remains a viable rural fuel a long way into the future.
Other Press Releases By This Company
- 20/07/2010 - Electricity row boosts case for CHP
- 04/01/2010 - Baxi in top public sector award win
- 08/10/2009 - CRC will increase demand for CHP
- 02/10/2009 - CHP powers £5m health centre
- 20/08/2009 - Baxi CHP slashes sheltered housing fuel bill
- 21/07/2009 - CHP helps reduce carbon footprint
- 22/04/2009 - Mini-CHP has the ‘S Factor’
