SunPeople Project

Alongside Plymouth City Council, we have been selected as partners in an exciting new project from the Interreg France (Channel) England Programme called SunPeople. We are exploring new ways to reduce carbon emissions from heating.

Project Logo with ERDF EN 1

SunPeople is co-funded by Interreg France (Channel) England, a programme financed by the European Regional Development Fund.

What's the problem with heating?

Radiator controls

In UK, our biggest energy use is for heating, even more than transport or electricity generation. Heating our homes, businesses and industry accounts for 46% of all the energy used in the UK and accounts for 32% of our carbon emissions. Nearly 70% of our heat is produced from natural gas, a fossil fuel. Over three quarters (79%) of the energy we use in our homes is for heating space and hot water, mainly using gas-fired boilers (81%).

Carbon intensity is a measure of how much CO2 emissions are produced per unit of energy used. As we have become more efficient in our use of electricity, this now has a similar carbon content to gas. The carbon intensity of heat needs to be reduced by 90% by 2050 to meet our legally binding targets. Therefore, we need to re-think the way we heat our homes and businesses.

What is a heat pump & how can it combine with solar energy?

Heatpump

A heat pump is a device that takes heat from the ground or air and moves it to another location, such as space in a building or water in a tank. They are able to use a small amount of electricity to generate three to four times the amount of heat. If solar power is used to power the heat pump then we don’t need any fossil fuels to heat our homes!

Unfortunately, these systems are still not so well known in the UK, with a lack of understanding about how to maximise their efficiency through use and maintenance. Whilst heat pumps can have higher upfront costs than gas systems, they can have minimal running costs and low or zero carbon emissions.

What does the project aim to do?

The SunPeople project allows us to explore combining solar energy (photovoltaic and/or thermal) and heat pumps as a heating solution, initially for residential (private and social housing) and commercial premises. It will test the idea of providing an energy service approach, in which all that is required to deliver heat (such as the capital and maintenance costs) are covered by another organisation, to encourage the use of these innovative systems and improve the way we heat space and water.

Using pilot sites in Plymouth and Lorient, the project aims to demonstrate this concept as a cost-competitive, sustainable heat energy service. It includes the development of the optimum technical solution as well as the development of a clear commercial business case. We will engage with a range of market players and stakeholders, from individuals to building owners, supply chains and service providers, to understand the current barriers to implementation and to help develop the best approach. Guidance and resources will be developed for use on other projects.

SunPeople focuses principally on the urban centres of Lorient (Southern Brittany) and Plymouth. There are four partners Agence locale de l’énergie et du climat Bretagne Sud (ALOEN) (lead partner), Aezeo SARL, Plymouth City Council and ourselves.

How can I get involved?

This is a pilot project, so right now we are just testing the idea for combining heat pumps and solar through a service-based approach. To do this, we need potential individual and business customers, organisations who could be part of the supply chain and organisations, like us, who already provide energy services. We would appreciate it if you filled in one or more of our short surveys, so we can find out how we may be able to work together; Individual Customer Survey, Business Customer Survey, Supply Chain Survey and Energy Service Provider Survey.

If this project interests you and you would like to keep up to date on how it progresses and potentially be part of the process then please register your interest by filling out this short form. We aim to run workshops throughout the duration of the project.

You can follow the project twitter feed here.

How is the project funded?

SunPeople is co-funded by the Interreg France (Channel) England, a project financed by the European Regional Development Fund, set up to foster economic development in the south of the UK and north of France by funding innovative projects which have a sustainable cross-border benefit in the Programme's eligible regions. and co funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

The project budget, received from the Interreg FCE programme is €399,412, of which Plymouth City Council’s share is €123,808 and Plymouth Energy Community’s €30,648. The project started on 1st August 2019 and will run over a two-year period.

Our partners

Aloen Logo

Agence locale de l’énergie de Bretagne Sud (ALOEN)

Project leaders

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PCC

Plymouth City Council

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Aezeo SARL

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Project news

What has happened so far?

ERDF