Sheffield District Energy operator, Veolia, is taking to the night sky this evening (5th January 2022) to undertake an aerial drone survey of the Sheffield District Energy Network. The results will provide thermographic images of the underground pipework to assist with maintaining the District Energy Network.
All relevant authorities and stakeholders have granted permission for this work to be undertaken and the specialist drone operators have identified several safe Council, public and private spaces as take-off and landing sites for the drone to use while surveying the Network.
The District Energy Network sits beneath the streets of Sheffield. A wide range of buildings in and around Sheffield City centre tap into the low carbon energy source that is generated from the Energy Recovery Facility. By burning the general waste from the city that cannot be recycled, water is heated and pumped through a network of underground pipes and delivered to a heat exchanger in connected buildings to provide them with heating and hot water.
The steam generated from the Energy Recovery process is passed through a turbine to generate electricity for the National Grid.