Energy award success for low carbon innovation
Tesco and combined heat and power specialist Ener-G have won a major energy industry award for excellence in low carbon innovation.
They received the Combined Heat and Power Association’s (CHPA) Innovation Award for developing the compact Ener-G Universal combined heat and power (CHP) system, which has been installed at 27 Tesco stores across the UK.
Ener-G responded to a requirement by Tesco to provide a smaller footprint CHP system that offered the same energy cost and carbon savings as larger units, but was faster to install and commission.
As a result, a compact external fully packaged combined heat and power (CHP) product range was developed. This has preserved the ‘90 per cent efficiency and low carbon performance of large containerised CHP systems within an aesthetically appealing weatherproof enclosure that is approximately 40% smaller, 3.5 tonnes lighter and significantly quieter’, says Tesco.
“We constantly strive to reduce our carbon footprint and the new Universal CHP system is key to that goal,” says Dean Pearmain, Tesco’s group buying manager (renewable energy). “We are very proud to have inspired this UK innovation that helps us save valuable space and looks attractive. It comes fully packaged for fast installation and connection to our utilities, which is a major advantage when you have tight store opening deadlines to meet.”
Alan Barlow, managing director of Ener-G Combined Power, adds: “Tesco inspired us to achieve this major advance in CHP innovation. Our in-house team has developed a new market solution for sites with space constraints and in densely populated urban areas, where low noise is critical and design sensitivities are paramount. It is proving popular with customers in many sectors, including retail and leisure.”