Generators which run on biofuel could provide a lifeline for NHS trusts looking to further reduce their carbon footprint.
SIMEC Energy, one of several industrial companies within the GFG Alliance, is targeting UK healthcare operators looking to replace or upgrade traditional gas or diesel-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plants.
Rather than using these traditional CHP systems, the company is calling on trusts to consider switching to renewable biofuel solutions, which, it says, can save money and help them to reduce their emissions in line with tough new government targets.
It currently has 86 generators ready to be deployed, all of which run on waste-derived biofuels.
Many of the CHP units in hospitals in the UK are coming to the end of their lifecycles and we believe our biofuel systems could provide an environmentally-friendly alternative
The biofuel generator and CHP systems operate on a range of second-generation liquid waste biofuels and are a greener substitute for fossil-fuelled systems.
.This makes the generators more environmentally friendly than traditional diesel-powered boilers, while providing the same heat and power load.
The generators range from 1.5MW to 18MW in capacity and, provided in 12m x 2.5m acoustic shipping containers, they fit into pretty much the same footprint as existing CHP units.
Speaking to BBH, Antoine Kohler, SIMEC’s managing director, said: “There are a lot of misconceptions about biofuel systems.
“Our generators are ideal for high-energy users like hospitals, which need to run 24/7 and cannot afford any downtime.
“They provide a guaranteed renewable energy source, together with substantial savings when compared to imported power prices and displacement of fossil fuel heat.
“In addition, each station can be located on a spare piece of land and configured to recover the waste heat, allowing sustainable steam, hot, and chilled water to be produced for a complete carbon-neutral energy solution.”
SIMEC estimates that carbon emissions associated with importing electricity can be reduced by up to 97%; and they can achieve a reduction of nearly 100% through displacement of natural gas with waste heat recovery.
Making the solution particularly attractive to the healthcare sector is the lack of capital needed.
SIMEC is offering a fully-wrapped technical solution with 100% CAPEX funding, as well as operational management for high-demand clients such as healthcare operators.
Our generators are ideal for high-energy users like hospitals, which need to run 24/7 and cannot afford any downtime
Greg Caseley, SIMEC's head of distributed generation, said: “At the end of the day, these are very similar to the diesel generators you find in every hospital; and they work in very much the same way. “But we have made a number of changes to the engine and this means they can run on more-renewable biofuel. This doesn’t take anything from the foodchain and makes the generation of heat and power more ethical.
“In addition, burning biofuel gives off more heat than traditional methods, giving the potential for more heat recovery.
“Many of the CHP units in hospitals in the UK are coming to the end of their lifecycles and we believe our biofuel systems could provide an environmentally-friendly alternative.”
And he added: “We would also be interested in adopting any unsuccessful biofuel generation and CHP plants. We can fix them and make them deliver the carbon reductions originally intended.”
