Transport for London began its relocation from small, disjointed offices to larger ones in 2006, when it moved into the Palestra building in Southwark. The next move was to make the property more sustainable and live up to the Greater London Authority’s target of reducing CO2 emissions by 60% before 2025, compared to 1990 levels.

As part of its £5m retrofit, funded by TfL’s £25m Climate Change fund, TfL installed the UK’s largest in-house hydrogen fuel cell as part of the Palestra’s brand new Combined Heat and Power plant (CHP).

Name

Transport for London Combined Heat and Power plant

Client

Transport for London (TfL)

Cost

£2.4m

When it happened

March 2009 – February 2010

Brief

Improve the Palestra building’s CO2 emissions from BREEAM “very good” to BREEAM “excellent” by creating energy locally to the property.

Aims

• Create the largest in-house hydrogen fuel cell in the UK as part of a wider sustainability programme for the Palestra building
• Work towards cutting carbon emissions as part of 60% target reduction in co2 emissions by 2025
• Showcase the benefits of the fuel cell to the public

How it was done

£2.4m funding secured for UK’s largest hydrogen fuel cell from TfL’s climate change fund to provide electricity, heat, cooling and hot water to the building.

Innovative use of space was used to integrate the CHP and the other sustainability measures into the building. New engineering methods  included burying the fuel cell in an unused cellar space.

Two power sources used. Hydrogen fuel cell produces 200kw, the largest output from such equipment in the UK. The CHP provides another 850kw of energy.

Hydrogen fuel cells do not produce pollutants or noise, unlike other energy generating systems.

The cell’s only waste product is water, which is used to flush the building’s toilets.

Thermal storage vessel (pictured top of page and video) saves surplus heat for later use and prevents energy wastage.

An absorption chiller on the building’s roof takes waste heat from the CHP during the summer and converts it into cooling for its offices.

Display Energy Centre created on the ground floor to show the public how the project was carried out and the benefits it will bring.

Key benefits

30% long-term emissions reduction for the Palestra building

£90,000 energy cost savings per year

Quarter of the building’s energy will be generated on-site during peak times

What they say

“We’re incredibly proud of the fuel cell. It’s not space age technology, but at this size, it has got a serious role to play in commercial buildings. TfL will continue to drive forward programmes that will result in CO2 reductions and increased fuel efficiency.”

- Andrew Stanton, TfL Head of Sustainable Buildings

“Zero polluting hydrogen fuel has the potential to radically transform the way we power our city to create a more pleasant environment. This isn’t a fuel of the future, but available right now. To catalyse its use more widely, we are showcasing the technology, so others will be inspired to follow our lead.”

- Kit Malthouse, Chair of the London Hydrogen Partnership and Deputy Mayor of London for policing

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