Trash from the subway soon can heat the freezing winter nights in London. Burnhill heat and power network currently provides piped heat to more than 700 homes with waste heat. As per a press release “London Underground generates large amounts of heat, which will be captured from a nearby Northern Line vent and piped into the heat network which warms local homes.”
Mr. Martin Wilcox, head of future network, UK power networks explained “We are carrying out a feasibility project exploring the potential to capture waste heat from one of our high voltage electricity substations and use it to warm local homes for the first time.”
There are plans to replicate the idea further in London if the initial project turns out to be successful. The heat is generated from industrial and process sources such as power stations, industrial processes mainly from chemical industries, clinical waste incinerators and food producers. Also from the wastes from building cooling systems and refrigeration, sewerage systems and water treatment works, London Underground tunnels and electricity substations; and environmental sources – air, ground, water (that retain solar heat).
n the present scenario where the scarcity for fossil fuel is growing at a rapid rate it is sensible to use alternative usage for heat generation seems a sensible idea and that too when it is coming from the waste. Similar ideas and projects can guide world to energy secure future.