Is Dudley ready for a Heat Network?

Heat Networks will need to play a key role if we are to meet our national Net zero targets. As a Dudley resident I have been researching if Dudley is ready for a heat network.

A heat network is?a system that distributes heat from a central source to multiple customers. The UK Government has recognised that Heat Networks will need to form a central plank of UK decarbonisation policy if we are to meet our target of Net Zero by 2050.

It has been estimated that 2-3% of heat in the UK is currently provided by heat networks. It is the intention of the UK Government that heat networks will supply “almost 20% of heat by 2050 to enable the UK to reach net zero”. Reference: Heat network zoning: overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Heat Networks are already established in many built up/densely populated areas, including several boroughs in Greater London and other large cities such as Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, Nottingham, Leeds and Sheffield.

A new Heat Network Zoning pilot programme has been launched to “develop heat networks in zones where they provide lowest cost, low carbon heat to the consumer through regulation, mandating powers and market support”. This pilot scheme will bring together central government and 28 local authorities (including the large town of Darlington where my employer is based). Dudley is not currently on the list.

Why not? Should it be? To try and answer the question I have looked at both technical and non-technical considerations and employed the "four capitals framework" as follows:

·??????? Natural capital (natural resources)

·??????? Manufactured capital (infrastructure)

·??????? Human capital (health, well-being and productive potential of individuals)

·??????? Social capital (human well-being on a societal level)

Natural Capital

Dudley Metropolitan Borough covers 38 Square Miles of land in the West Midlands, in region commonly referred to as the Black Country.

The Black Country is so known because the abundance of natural resources such as coal and lime enabled significant industrial growth in the area during the Industrial Revolution – so much so that the air was said to became black with smoke and soot. Dudley Borough sits snugly within the southern fringe of the West Midlands coalfield and a mine-water based heat network could be financially viable.

Manufactured Capital

Whilst Dudley does not particularly benefit from natural rivers, it does sit on a network of canals – a legacy from the Industrial Revolution.

Canal?water could be used to heat and cool canal-side buildings using water-sourced heat pumps. According to “The canals of England and Wales can provide enough latent thermal energy to support the heating and cooling needs of around 250,000 homes. Source: Heating and cooling systems | Canal & River Trust (canalrivertrust.org.uk)

There are also areas of localised industry that could potentially be linked to district heating schemes. Whilst much of the old industry that helped to give the Black Country its name has disappeared, many energy-intensive businesses remain. They will all need to look at ways to decarbonise. Utilising waste heat from local foundries and manufacturers to heat local homes via a piped heat network could be a real win-win for businesses and residents.

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council (MBC) have been innovative in their approach to sustainability and have become the first local authority within the West Midlands Combined Authority to receive funding under the “Net Zero Neighbourhoods” initiative with their Community BEES: Brockmoor Energy and Environment Scheme | Dudley Council scheme. The scheme consists of retrofit upgrades to a range of properties with heat pump, insulation, and solar PV installations. Bearing in mind the huge presence of both natural resources and man-made resources in the area (namely mines, canals and industrial businesses) it is interesting that heat networks have not yet been considered for Dudley Net Zero Neighbourhoods.

Human Capital

In Dudley, the population size has increased by 3.4%, from around 312,900 in 2011 to 323,500 in 2021. This is lower than the overall increase for England and the West Midlands average of 6.2%. Interestingly, Dudley’s population is noticeably lower than other local authorities within the West Midlands Combined Authority (eg. Sandwell 11%) but higher than those of neighbouring predominantly rural areas (eg. South Staffordshire 2.2%).

As of 2021, Dudley is the fifth most densely populated of the West Midlands' 30 local authority areas, with around 24 people living on each football pitch-sized area of land. The census also revealed that 66% of the population own their own property. Of those who rent properties, approximately 15% rent from the local authority. Dudley population change, Census 2021 – ONS

Dudley MBC is an urbanised conglomeration of former districts. Dudley Town Centre is the main administrative centre for the borough and also hosts some of the key landmarks and anchoring sites in the borough, including Dudley Zoo & Castle and the Black Country Museum.

However, there are three other town centre locations within the borough that are of a similar size and scale to that of Dudley: Brierley Hill (including the Merry Hill Centre), Stourbridge and Halesowen (a big shout out to my hometown of Sedgley for nearly making the list of course!).

The town centres are effectively linked by a network of smaller towns and villages into a continual urbanised area. Unlike many other administrative centres, Dudley does not necessarily reflect the population “centre of gravity” for the borough. When considering the merits of Heat Network Zoning, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council will have to ask a question which other local authorities will already have the obvious answer: “where?”.

Social Capital

Dudley MBC declared a climate emergency in July 2020 and committed to become a net zero council by 2030 and a net zero borough by 2041. There is no real evidence that Dudley based businesses are seizing the initiative in the same way that Darlington businesses have. However, there is evidence that Dudley Council is attempting to create the push to increase engagement to compensate for the lack of pull with the launch of a decarbonisation and net zero grants programme.

Many Dudley residents actively celebrate their Black Country heritage. There is a Black Country flag, a Black Country day and a thriving Black Country Society. Dudley is of course home to the famous Black Country Museum. There is significant social capital associated with Black Country heritage and it is likely that a Heat Network scheme tied to aspects of Black Country heritage will engender a greater buy-in from the community. Mines, canals and industry are all just about as Black Country as it gets!

Conclusion

Why have Dudley MBC not reviewed the potential for Heat Network Developments within the borough? With its unique layout of loosely connected town centres it is clear that Dudley will need to consider several competing options for Heat Networks within the borough. However, this should be viewed as an opportunity for robust analysis rather than a problem.

It is of course evident from the Dudley BEES project that resident buy-in cannot be assumed and needs to be earned. How might Dudley MBC appeal to residents who may be dubious about the development of a heat network in their neighbourhood? The answer, at least in part, is tied in with the rich cultural heritage of the Black Country. Dudley is considered as the heart of the Black Country (at least by Dudley MBC and Dudley’s residents!) and is of course home to the Black Country Museum. From a cultural capital point of view, many Dudley residents see themselves as the guardians or custodians of the Black Country heritage. The mines, canals and industrial buildings that exemplify the Black Country cultural heritage may hold both the technical and non-technical answers for making a heat network viable.

I appreciate that this article is only the beginning of the conversation, but it's a conversation I think is well worth having. I would be happy to share my full research with Dudley MBC is they are interested!