Building Briefs - June 29th

• Government ministers embrace Net Zero Technology Centre’s new vision for a clean energy future

The organisation which recently renamed, to more accurately reflect its purpose to develop and deploy technology to accelerate an affordable net zero energy industry, was visited by UK Government minister Michael Gove and Scottish economy secretary Kate Forbes.

To date, the Net Zero Technology Centre has co-invested £176m with industry, screened more than 1,300 technologies and generated £10-15 billion GVA potential. Over 64 field trials have been delivered, with another 49 planned and underway, over 20 technologies have been commercialised and 33 tech start-ups supported.

Last year, the Centre transitioned its seven existing solution centres into one Net Zero Solution Centre, with three core programmes, focused on reducing emissions, developing integrated energy systems and unlocking a digitised offshore energy sector.

A key part of this transformation was redefining the Centre’s technology roadmap following extensive engagement with industry and stakeholders, which has resulted in a comprehensive set of technology themes and priorities underpinning the Net Zero Technology Centre’s work.

• Drax launches £500 grants for education and skills charities

Renewable energy company Drax Group is welcoming funding applications from charitable organisations as part of its ongoing work to support communities near its operations during the Covid pandemic.

Drax’s Charity Committee has a dedicated fund for supporting good causes local to its operations in Scotland, which include Cruachan Power Station, Daldowie Fuel Plant and the Lanark and Galloway Hydro Schemes.

It accepts funding requests that will have a positive impact on the local community by supporting the company’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) education outreach work and improving skills and employability.

Last year, Drax provided a £636,000 support package for communities which included donating laptops to schools to support students with home schooling, free energy for small care homes and launched virtual tours and work experience programmes to keep STEM learning opportunities open during the pandemic.

Lochnell Primary School in Benderloch, Argyll, recently received support from the Drax Charity Committee.

Charities and community organisations local to Drax’s operations which support STEM and education outreach, skills and employability, or which work to improve local communities, can apply for up to £500 per year from Drax.

Drax recently began the planning process to build a new underground pumped hydro storage power station that will more than double the electricity generating capacity of the iconic ‘Hollow Mountain’ Cruachan facility. The project will support almost 900 jobs in rural areas across Scotland during construction and will provide critical storage capacity needed to support a net zero power system.

To request an application form, email communityandcharity@drax.com or fill out an enquiry form on the Drax website.

• Council committed to Infirmary Bridge repairs as soon as possible

The Highland Council has reassured residents and communities on both sides of the River Ness and visitors to Inverness that it is committed to making repairs to the Infirmary Bridge decking as soon as possible.

The council said it understands and appreciates the frustration that people are feeling with the inconvenience of the bridge closure especially during the summer season however can give assurance that the closure is entirely for the public’s health and safety.

Since damaged decking was identified on the bridge the council has been trying to source replacement decking materials from its original supplier which is currently out of stock. Previously, bespoke deck panels were manufactured specifically for the bridge, and now cannot be provided as the raw materials are not in stock.

Alternative options are being investigated by the council to use different materials to provide a temporary overlay across the existing decking panels and covering this with an anti-slip coating. These materials however are similarly not available due to the widely reported national shortage on products related to construction timber and DIY brought about by the increased demand in DIY due to lockdown.

The council apologises for the inconvenience of the Infirmary Bridge closure and gives assurance that it is actively seeking materials for the bridge repairs. As a result of the impact of COVID-19 and the high demand nationally on DIY-related products for timber decking these delays are meanwhile however, outwith the council’s control.

• Warmworks Scotland battery storage project yields big results for DGHP tenants

An innovative battery storage project in Dumfries and Galloway has seen energy bills drop by more than half in some households.

Warmworks Scotland secured funding from SP Energy Networks’ Green Economy Fund to deliver an innovative battery storage project to help reduce energy costs in 133 homes in the region.

With the project now closed, follow-up analysis work has shown that some households have seen their energy bills drop by more than half, just by having the battery installed and getting themselves onto the right energy tariff with the right supplier.

The £1.25 million project, which targeted properties owned by Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership (DGHP), provides a unique opportunity to help tenants reduce their energy bills and make homes more resilient in the event of an outage in supply.

Householders have benefitted from having new smart meters installed along with bespoke advice on how to use the new systems in a way that can increase bill savings. Other homes have reported real life examples of batteries giving them protection from power cuts and keeping vital medical equipment running in the event of power outages.

Helping households become more energy efficient remains at the forefront of the Scottish Government’s agenda having launched Energy Efficient Scotland, which outlines the path the Government is taking to reduce carbon emissions and make homes more energy efficient over the long term. The Fuel Poverty (Target, Definition and Strategy) (Scotland) Act also makes a statutory provision to help those who are living in fuel poverty, like many of the households that have benefitted from this project.

A final report on the project has been produced and can be viewed on Warmworks’ website.

• Link named one of UK’s ‘Biggest Builders’

Despite a challenging year, where the overall numbers of homes being built fell due to restrictions, one of Scotland’s largest providers of affordable homes, Link features as a new entry on Inside Housing’s list of the UK’s Top 50 Biggest Builders.

Inside Housing compiled the list based on data from 138 housing associations and ranked the top 50 organisations which completed the most homes between April 2020 and March 2021.

Joining the overall list at number 31, Link also ranks 11th in the Top 50 Biggest Builders 2021: pipeline list – with 3,161 homes expected to complete in the next 5 years, 2nd in the Top 10 completions as proportion of stock list, and 7th in Top 10 associations building the most social rent homes list.

• North Berwick one way road to become two-way

Work will be carried out today to turn the short section of the one-way system of Law Road, North Berwick back to two way between St Andrews Street and Kirk Ports.

The section of Law Road between St Margaret’s Road and St Andrews Street will remain one-way for now to allow additional space for pedestrians on the narrow footway.