Energy and Climate Change Minister Lord Callanan was taken on a virtual tour of a street powered entirely by ground source heat pumps from Cornish manufacturer Kensa.
Lord Callanan took time out during the Cities, Regions and Built Environment Day at COP26 to visit the Green Zone stand of Kensa Heat Pumps – the only heating appliance on display at COP26.
During the meeting Lord Callanan met with MD James Standley, and business development director Karl Drage, to hear the company’s vision and solution for decarbonising heat.
The Government has pledged 600,000 new heat pumps will be installed every year by 2028 as part of a bid to phase out gas boilers and reduce household greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
Rather than just funding boiler replacements on a house-by-house basis, Kensa believes it can help hit the target through its large, networked solution that mimics and replaces the current gas grid, with individual ground source heat pumps, in each dwelling connected to an ambient shared ground loop array.
And during his visit, Lord Callanan used a computer tablet to experience Kensa’s Green Street augmented reality experience.
Lord Callanan was taken on the virtual tour of decarbonised Green Street in Glasgow, a real street in the shadow of the conference, which in the AR is heated through networked ground source heat pumps.
Lord Callanan said: “Our landmark Heat and Buildings Strategy sets out how heat pumps will be a key technology for the UK as we look to decarbonise our homes and businesses while reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.
Standley added: “It was great to be able to demonstrate our solution and show Lord Callanan the augmented reality experience at COP, minutes from the inspiration for our story at the real Green Street in Glasgow.
“Our virtual Green Street proves any street can be a Green Street, by showing how the ground beneath our feet can transform how we heat and power our homes and accelerate progress on climate change through the lowest carbon, cost and electrical grid compact solution.”
