Greenwich Peninsula is shaping a sustainable, resource-efficient, and equitable community. Recognised as one of London’s significant urban development areas, Knight Dragon established the Greenwich Peninsula Energy Centre in 2016 to deliver sustainable and affordable energy to 15,700 new homes and over 300,000m² of office space. Initially built with the lowest carbon technology available, it includes gas powered boilers and a combined heat and power (CHP) plant that distributes hot water and heat via a District Heating Network (DHN), achieving annual carbon savings of 15,000-20,000 tonnes. 

Technological advancement and a better understanding of the energy sector’s contribution towards global CO₂ emissions has enabled us to find innovative ways to further improve the DHN. Recognising that the global energy-related CO2 emissions reached an all-time high of over 36.8Gt in 2022 (source: International Energy Agency), Knight Dragon received £4.6 million from the Green Heat Network Fund to advance the decarbonisation of the Greenwich Peninsula DHN. Our recent Greenhouse Gas Inventory results have further highlighted the need to decarbonise the heat network to meet our net zero carbon goals.  

After reviewing a number of options, our Net Zero Pathway involves installing new Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs) next year to provide heat for both current and future developments, supplemented by existing boilers during peak times. ASHPs offer significant environmental benefits, producing three units of heat per unit of electricity and potentially saving over 90,000 tonnes of CO₂ over 15 years compared to gas-driven heat supplies. 

Decarbonising such a large-scale heat network involves numerous operational, commercial, and technological challenges. Knight Dragon leverages the expertise of existing decarbonised heat networks and district heating specialists Hemiko and FairHeat to ensure the heat pumps' maximum efficiency. During the design stage, we had to reduce the impact of the cold plume produced by the ASHPs to the surrounding areas and ensure sufficient capacity in the electricity network to meet the future supply. 

Creating affordable greener tariffs is a key challenge, particularly amid the current cost-of-living crisis. Knight Dragon advocates for the implementation of regional district heating zones, in alignment with the Energy Act 2023, which would connect into a borough-wide heat network to achieve these objectives. Government funding for district heat networks is crucial for enabling cross-sector collaboration among developers, businesses, and public bodies, especially aiding smaller businesses facing financial hurdles in connecting to these networks. 

Locally, we commit to ongoing collaboration with governing bodies, local businesses, and other developers to expand the district heat network. We are also considering using ASHPs for district cooling, which is becoming increasingly necessary due to rising global temperatures. Our broader ambition is to fully utilise our assets to contribute positively to the UK’s goal of decarbonising 30 million buildings across the country. 

In summary, Knight Dragon’s efforts at Greenwich Peninsula are focused on creating a low-carbon, resource-efficient community by upgrading our heating infrastructure, utilising advanced heat pump technology, ensuring affordability, and fostering collaborative efforts to achieve broader decarbonisation goals.