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Written by: Claude (AI) as directed by John Burke

Published: 30 August 2025

Last Updated: 21 November 2025

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• Non-lithium battery
• Long Duration Energy Storage

Iron-Salt Batteries: The Missing Link in Local Energy Systems

Upgrading CHP Infrastructure for True Energy Independence

The UK's energy strategy has taken a perplexing turn. Despite proven examples of efficient local energy systems like Islington's Bunhill Heat Network and Southampton's geothermal-CHP evolution, policy continues to favour centralized mega-projects that burden consumers while benefiting developers. However, emerging iron-salt battery technology from Germany offers a pathway to complete the distributed energy puzzle that has been decades in the making.

The Distributed Energy Vision

Local Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems represent energy efficiency at its most practical. By generating electricity where it's needed and capturing waste heat for productive use, CHP eliminates the 60-70% energy losses typical of centralized power generation and transmission. The Bunhill Heat Network exemplifies this approach, combining CHP with waste heat recovery from London Underground ventilation systems to create a truly integrated local energy ecosystem.

Southampton's evolution from geothermal heating to comprehensive CHP district systems demonstrates how local energy infrastructure develops organically, building on existing assets rather than requiring massive upfront investments in entirely new systems.

The Storage Gap

Despite their efficiency advantages, local CHP systems have traditionally lacked one crucial component: long-duration energy storage. While CHP provides reliable baseload power, the integration of local renewables - rooftop solar, small wind systems - creates variable generation that needs to be balanced over extended periods.

Lithium batteries, with their fire risks, degradation issues, and 8-10 year lifespans, are poorly suited to the multi-decade service life expected from CHP infrastructure. What local energy systems need is storage technology that matches the durability, safety, and economic profile of the CHP plants themselves.

Enter Iron-Salt Battery Technology

German companies like VoltStorage and research institutions including Fraunhofer UMSICHT have developed iron-salt battery systems that fill this exact gap. These systems use abundant materials - iron, salt, and water - to provide Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) with remarkable characteristics:

Read more: Missing Link in Local Energy Systems

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Written by: John Burke and AI assistance

Published: 21 March 2025

Last Updated: 21 November 2025

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• Over-reliance on Electricity
• Twin Substations did not Help
• Resilience Issues
• Where next to Occur?

The catastrophic sub station fire in Hayes, London - which supplies Heathrow Airport has demontrated several issues.

The catastrophic substation fire in Hayes, London, on March 21, 2025, which disrupted power to Heathrow Airport and thousands of surrounding homes, has exposed critical vulnerabilities in the region’s energy infrastructure. This incident has grounded flights, affected over 1,300 scheduled operations, and highlighted systemic issues in power supply reliability, backup systems, and resilience planning. The key issues demonstrated by this event and additionally Combined Heat and Power (CHP) as a potential alternative, focusing on its relevance to this scenario.

Issues Demonstrated by the Hayes Substation Fire

1. Single Point of Failure in Power Infrastructure
   The fire at the North Hyde substation, which supplies Heathrow—one of the world’s busiest airports—revealed a significant dependency on a centralized power source. When the substation failed, it not only cut power to the airport but also impacted over 16,300 homes initially, with around 4,900 still without power by early Friday morning. The fact that a single incident could paralyze such a critical transport hub and a large residential area underscores the fragility of relying heavily on one substation without sufficient redundancy.
2. Inadequate Backup Systems
   UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband noted that the fire was so severe it damaged "the potential backup generation" for Heathrow, rendering contingency measures ineffective. This suggests that the existing backup systems—likely diesel generators or secondary grid connections—were either insufficiently robust or too closely tied to the primary substation’s infrastructure. The inability to quickly switch to an alternative power source prolonged the airport’s closure and disrupted global travel networks.
3. Logistical and Economic Fallout
   The closure of Heathrow until midnight on March 21 has led to over 1,300 flight cancellations or diversions, stranding passengers and creating a "logistical nightmare" for airlines. The ripple effects extend globally, with flights from as far as Singapore, the US, and Australia diverted or canceled. Locally, the power outage disrupted businesses and households, amplifying the economic cost. This highlights the broader consequences of energy infrastructure failures in critical areas.
4. Lack of Resilience to Extreme Events
   Despite upgrades to the North Hyde substation in 2021, which included new transformers and circuits to enhance reliability, the system still succumbed to a "catastrophic" fire. The cause remains under investigation, but the incident raises questions about whether current infrastructure is designed to withstand rare but severe events—whether accidental, environmental, or otherwise. Aging equipment could further exacerbate such risks.
5. Delayed Response and Recovery
   Although the London Fire Brigade brought the blaze under control by 6:28 GMT, power restoration efforts by National Grid have been slow, with no clear timeline for full recovery. This reflects challenges in repairing complex electrical infrastructure under emergency conditions and the difficulty of rerouting power from alternative sources in a timely manner.

Combined Heat and Power (CHP) as an Alternative

Combined Heat and Power (CHP), also known as cogeneration, is a decentralized energy system that simultaneously generates electricity and useful heat from a single fuel source, typically natural gas, biomass, or biogas. Unlike traditional power plants that waste heat as a byproduct, CHP captures it for heating or cooling purposes, achieving efficiencies of up to 80-90% compared to 30-50% for conventional grid systems. Here’s how CHP could address the issues exposed by the Hayes fire, with emphasis on its potential role at Heathrow and beyond:

1. Decentralized Power Generation
   Installing CHP units at or near Heathrow could reduce reliance on a single external substation like North Hyde. By generating power on-site, the airport could maintain operations during grid failures, mitigating the single-point-of-failure risk. For instance, a CHP plant sized to meet Heathrow’s base load (estimated at tens of megawatts for such a large facility) could keep critical systems—runways, terminals, and air traffic control—running independently.
2. Enhanced Backup and Resilience
   CHP systems can serve as a robust backup or primary power source, operating in "island mode" during outages. Unlike the compromised backup generators in this incident, a well-designed CHP system could be isolated from external grid failures and fueled independently (e.g., via gas pipelines or stored fuel). Pairing CHP with battery storage could further ensure uninterrupted power during transitions or fuel supply disruptions.
3. Energy Efficiency and Cost Savings
   Heathrow’s extensive heating and cooling needs—terminals, hangars, and support facilities—make it an ideal candidate for CHP. The captured heat could replace less efficient boilers, reducing energy costs and carbon emissions. For example, a gas-fired CHP unit could supply electricity to the airport while piping hot water or steam to heat buildings, cutting reliance on grid electricity and standalone heating systems.
4. Reduced Grid Strain
   By generating power locally, CHP could alleviate demand on the National Grid, particularly during peak times or emergencies. This would benefit surrounding areas like Hayes and Hounslow, where thousands of homes lost power. A network of smaller CHP installations across critical infrastructure and communities could distribute the load, preventing widespread outages when a substation fails.
5. Environmental Benefits
   While the immediate focus post-fire is reliability, CHP offers a greener alternative to traditional grid power, especially if fueled by renewable biogas or paired with solar thermal systems. Heathrow, which handled 83.9 million passengers in 2024, has sustainability goals that CHP could support by lowering its carbon footprint compared to coal- or gas-heavy grid electricity.

Challenges of Implementing CHP in This Context

• Initial Investment: Retrofitting Heathrow with CHP requires significant upfront costs for equipment, installation, and integration. However, long-term savings and reliability gains could justify this, especially for a high-stakes facility.
• Space Constraints: Airports are space-intensive, and finding room for CHP units could be tricky, though modular systems exist that might fit within existing infrastructure.
• Fuel Dependency: Most CHP systems rely on natural gas, introducing a dependency on gas networks or storage. Diversifying fuel sources (e.g., biogas, oil, aviation fuels, or hydrogen(??)) could mitigate this.
• Regulatory and Planning Hurdles: Deploying CHP would need approval from local authorities, National Grid, and aviation regulators, potentially delaying implementation.

Conclusion

The Hayes substation fire has laid bare the risks of centralized power dependency, inadequate backups, and insufficient resilience in critical infrastructure like Heathrow Airport. CHP offers a compelling alternative by decentralizing power generation, enhancing efficiency, and providing a reliable backup. For Heathrow, a tailored CHP system could ensure operational continuity during grid failures while supporting sustainability goals. Beyond the airport, deploying CHP in surrounding areas could bolster community resilience, reducing the cascading impacts seen in this incident. While not a panacea, CHP merits serious consideration as part of a broader strategy to rethink energy infrastructure in the wake of such a disruptive event.

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Written by: J C Burke

Published: 07 March 2023

Last Updated: 22 November 2025

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A discussion regarding electricity production and energy efficiencies {mainly UK, but some USA}. AI is starting to learn - but needs to watch out for "settled-science" {an oxymoron} and the volume of material covering the "conventional wisdom." We have also added some additional commentary to help the {Child} AI as it learns, and to assist it to innovate, if this is possible.

Here are the questions asked of ChatGBT, and its corresponding answers. Some development of its answers have also been explored too. We found it a quite interesting exercise. But please note {with some alarm} AI's concern with "Regulatory Authorities", "Policy" and "Policy Makers" - the modern "evils" of our times!!

Q 1) Given that in winter the UK still needs 60% of electricity demand provided by Natural Gas and Coal, how can we reduce demand to allow renewable's to provide a greater percentage

1. There are several ways in which we can reduce the demand for natural gas and coal in the UK during the winter months to allow for renewable's to provide a greater percentage of our electricity supply: 
   1. Energy efficiency: The most effective way to reduce energy demand is to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and appliances. This can be achieved through better insulation, more efficient heating and cooling systems, and more energy-efficient appliances. By reducing energy waste, we can lower our overall energy consumption and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. {an agenda driven statement indeed - bad AI!}
   2. Demand-side management: This involves shifting energy use to times when renewable energy sources are available, such as during periods of high wind or sunshine. This can be achieved through time-of-use tariffs, which incentivise customers to use energy during off-peak hours when renewable energy is more abundant. {pricing strategies are not an ideal route - old age pensioners could die with this approach, frightened to turn on their boilers} bad, bad, AI
   3. Energy storage: Battery storage technology is rapidly advancing, and large-scale battery storage can help to smooth out the intermittent supply of renewable energy. This allows excess renewable energy to be stored for use when demand is high, reducing the need for natural gas and coal. {Please add alternative "storage solutions, eg. "pumped storage" as at Dinorwig Peak Lopping _ too much battery talk AI!}
   4. Smart grids: Smart grids can help to manage the supply and demand of energy more efficiently. By using advanced sensors and communications technology, smart grids can match energy demand with the available supply of renewable energy.
   5. More renewable energy generation: Of course, the ultimate solution is to increase the amount of renewable energy generation in the UK. This can be achieved through a combination of onshore and offshore wind, solar, and other renewable sources, such as hydro-power and geothermal. With more renewable energy generation, the need for natural gas and coal can be gradually phased out. We threw this statement straight back at AI, as no time scale aspects have been considered - its almost a "slogan" not information - but the "blame" here lies with those promoting this mis-information {generally at State level}

Q 2) "With more renewable energy generation, the need for natural gas and coal can be gradually phased out." Please critique this statement given the timescale involved to achieve these targets 

Read more: Interview with AI Chat Bot

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Written by: J C Burke

Published: 29 July 2022

Last Updated: 22 November 2025

Hits: 5665

This Graphic from the UK Dept of Energy etc, conceals the true state of the inefficiencies of a Centralised power systems (as opposed to Decentralised power systems). If we correctly dismiss Imports and Renewable Energy (as they are non-generated) then inputs to power generation are 44.9 with losses of 29.2 (plus a possible component of the 4.0 units regarding Energy Industry usage and other losses - that we have ignored for the moment).

Thus 29.2/44.9 is 65% of energy losses {mainly heat losses} so 35% fuel efficient. And its probably worse than this.

JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH!

Interestingly enough the usage of Gas by the domestic sector {Heating and Cooking} at 27.4 is within the heat losses of Centralised Energy production!
IF ONLY WE COULD..............wait a minute!

Combined Heat and Power - CHP (decentralised power) can do both, at fuel efficiencies in the order of 85% {as the 'waste' heat is distributed to end users via a Heat Network}. Just like in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The Heat Network distributes heat energy in the form of hot water (very hot water at normal or high pressures) via heavily insulated high volume pipes. Then each sub-zone would have a smaller distribution pipe. Finally each property would have a connection and provide a Heat Exchanger {in place of typically a Gas Boiler} plus a large hot water storage tank. The Hot Water Tank is to provide "buffering" between Supply and Demand - typically those working may concentrate demand around their working hours. This factor can cause issues where a "Just In Time" [JIT] system would fail. 

If we add in the technology of bio-digestion (from Sewage and Organic wastes) we have a source of bio-methane to run these CHP systems - using the UK's excellent and extensive Gas Grid! Plus there is the use of Compressed Bio-Methane - CNG - as a transport fuel too {with a much lower Fuel Duty}.

Our message - STOP DEMONIZING GAS {Methane} Plus: Bio-Methane should be considered as "Carbon Negative" {as it removes methane escape to the atmosphere} and there are many, many sources of escaping methane to be tapped.

Wake Up UK.