E.ON and Australian real estate developer Lendlease have signed an agreement to build a low-carbon energy network for more than 6,000 new homes and business properties at Silvertown in London.

The Silvertown site will be the UK’s first development of E.ON's Ectogrid system, an energy sharing heat network based on heat pump technology with 88 per cent lower emissions than traditional gas boilers. Plans include the construction of around 6,500 homes alongside new generation workplaces, stores, restaurants, bars and a sports centre.

Ectogrid provides heating and cooling by first using existing energy sources available locally, such as air, water or ground. Each connected building sends excess heating or cooling to other buildings as needed, and by sharing, balancing, and storing energy in rotation, uses all available energy before adding any ‘new’ energy, reducing consumption, costs and environmental impact.

Marc Spieker, COO Customer Solutions at E.ON emphasized: “Around half of the energy in Europe is used for heating and cooling, mainly from non-renewable sources such as fossil fuels. This is precisely why we offer our customers innovative, reliable and affordable solutions in this area, using pioneering technology to reduce the CO2 emissions of entire neighborhoods or cities.”

Ectogrid is already being used in sustainable projects such as Medicon Village in Lund, southern Sweden. When completed, Silvertown will be the largest space heating and cooling network in UK.

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