I read this story (below) in the Shields Gazette and thought 'It's about time our area has been recognised with this marvellous idea'.
Earlier this year ex pat Businessman Gerry Roberts from Colorado and I visited the operation. It is at the riverside opposite 'Dougies Tavern'. It was so impressive being shown around by the engineer and seeing how cold water from the Tyne went through heat pumps that cost £0 to run because the field of Solar Panels produced all the electricity needed.After the heat pumps did their magic we felt the hot water pipes and they were too hot to leave your hand on for very long. That hot water then went off through insulated pipes to heat the various Jarrow buildings. Ten out of Ten to our Council. This idea could be copied anywhere in the world. Before anyone asks about when it is miserable weather we were told that even on rainy days these Solar panels still produce electricity


'Leading the way' - Pioneering South Tyneside scheme wins prestigious national award
A flagship South Tyneside renewable energy has scooped a top award.
The UK-first Viking Energy Network Jarrow (VENJ) cuts carbon emissions by 1,035 tonnes per year, harnessing low-grade heat from the River Tyne and exporting it to council-owned buildings, including Jarrow Focus leisure centre, three residential tower blocks, Jarrow Business Centre, and Jarrow Town Hall.
And the scheme has been recognised as the Best Climate Action or Decarbonisation Initiative at this year’s Association of Public Sector Excellence (APSE) Awards.
It combines a river source heat pump, a combined heat and power (CHP) back-up system, a 1 megawatt solar farm, and a private wire electrical network with storage battery, is the first of its kind Cllr Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council said: “We are thrilled that the Viking Energy Network has been recognised in this way. The APSE award is another accolade for this fantastic “We are incredibly proud to be leading the way with this pioneering work to deliver clean energy in the borough, the award is testament to the hard work and dedication of the teams that helped Water source heat pumps work by extracting heat from a body of water, compressing it to increase the temperature and then converting it into useful energy in the form of hot water in a network of insulated pipes.
A solar farm provides much of the electricity to power the heat pump, ensuring it runs close to carbon neutral in the summer months.
CHP – which would be used if the solar panels do not generate enough electricity - is a highly-efficient process that harnesses the heat that is a by-product of the electricity generation process, and which would otherwise be wasted.
Cllr Ernest Gibson, Lead member for Neighbourhoods and Climate Change at South Tyneside Council, said: “This network is the first of its kind and is unique in that it will combine three renewable technologies, ensuring minimal use of fossil fuels.
“It demonstrates our commitment to cleaner, more secure energy sources bring this project forward and realise our vision.” scheme, first of its kind in the UK.