Isabel at a Life Cycle Assessment conference in Fukuoka, Japan

Isabel Schestak

Isabel from our Bangor team had the chance to attend the biannual EcoBalance conference in Fukuoka, Japan, focussing on all things Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), from 30th October to 2nd November. It was the first time EcoBalance was organised as an in-person event again since the start of the pandemic. It was a great opportunity to meet the “who is who” in LCA and for networking, as the conference invited researchers, practitioners and companies from the LCA field from around the globe.

Isabel presented her first findings of the on-going research on the environmental footprint of the transition to renewable water and space heating in the domestic sector. Further, she had the pleasure to chair the session on Sustainability Assessment together with Tomoko Mori from Kokushikan Unversity, Japan.

Apart from featuring research on the development of the LCA methodology itself or software tools for facilitating its implementation, focusses were on the application of LCA in the chemical sector, textile industry, metal mining or the newest recycling technologies for products crucial for the renewable energy transition, such as permanent magnets, amongst others.

Thanks to the Dwr Uisce funding from the European Regional Development Fund for making research and trip happening and to the organisers of the conference for a very smooth run of the conference, including the invitation of interesting key note speakers.

Nathan Walker at the SDEWES conference in Paphos, Cyprus.

Nathan Walker

Aerial group picture of the delegates

The 17th Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES) was dedicated to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge on methods, policies and technologies for increasing the sustainability of development by de-coupling growth from the use of natural resources and by a transition to a knowledge-based economy. All taking into account the economic, environmental and social pillars of sustainable development.

These themes were highlighted right from the keynote speech by Professor Maria da Graça Carvalho, who spoke about the role of research and innovation in the European plans for the clean energy transition. Throughout the talk, it was clear that research was key to hitting key carbon reduction targets throughout Europe and beyond.

Throughout the proceeding sessions during the week, it was amazing to see the diverse ways researchers are tackling our common problems. From sessions on smart energy networks, modelling, and transport, to environmental policy and management, wastewater treatment, and biofuels, along with the sessions I presented in concerning sustainability comparisons and measurements, there was so much to be inspired from.

The research I presented was from our research on cross-sector benchmarking, where we developed a framework to analyse the sustainability of companies and compare them to others, even in different sectors.

A video of my presentation summarising our cross-sector benchmarking research can be watched below.

Alternatively, you can read the whole open access publication here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jup.2022.101417

Furthermore, selected streamed talks from each day from the SDEWES 2022 conference are available here: https://www.youtube.com/@SdewesOrg/streams

Finally, a big thank you to the funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Interreg Ireland-Wales Cooperation Programme for the opportunity to present at the latest SDEWES conference!

Take a virtual tour of two of our demonstration sites!

Roberta Bellini & Madhu Murali

You might remember that during the summer we shared our thoughts and ideas about the future of our demonstration sites once the project ends next year in February. We continued working on the 3D virtual tour project and we are now pleased to announce you can take a virtual 3D tour of the Drain Water Heat Recovery System (DWHR) in Penrhyn Castle, Wales and of the Micro-Hydropower installation at Blackstairs, Co. Wexford Ireland. The tours are hosted on the platform Github and provided in English/Irish for Blackstairs demo site or English/Welsh for Penrhyn Castle demo site.

Below you can see the initial view of the demonstration site in Blackstairs. Starting from the view from the raw water tank, it is possible to visit and read details about the pump-as-turbine system, the control room and all the way up the Blackstairs mountain at the river intake.

Initial 3D view of the demonstration site at Blackstairs, Co. Wexford, Ireland.

Similarly, it is possible to visit the DWHR system located in Penrhyn Castle. From the initial view of the Old Coal yard, where a short introduction about the history of the castle is also provided, it is possible to visit and read about the cellar and control room where the system is hosted and about the Teamrooms on the first floor.

Initial 3D view of the demonstration site in Penrhyn Castel, Wales- UK.

Avatar and 3D view of the Tearooms in Penrhyn Castel during the virtual 3D tour at the online Launch Event

During the Launch Event of the DWHR system at Penrhyn on October 11, 2022 participants of the online event were guided through the 3D virtual environment in the Mozilla Hubs platform. Here, the different 360° photos of the demonstration site were used to recreate the different rooms and views and participants were able to move around as an avatar and interact with the Dŵr Uisce researchers, other tour participants, and the environment. If you missed the event or the tour, you can view the recording in the Cluster Member Area.

We hope to develop two further 3D tours to include all the demonstration sites. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn or subscribe to our Newsletter for more updates.

We have launched the second part of the Dŵr Uisce citizen science project in Irish households

Aisha Bello-Dambatta

Last year, we launched the Dŵr Uisce Citizen Science Project in households in the Republic of Ireland. The main aim of this project is to engage and collaborate with the public to improve our understanding of water-related energy use in Irish homes and to find the most effective ways of improving the efficiency of household water and energy use. The project consists of two parts:

• A cross-sectional survey launched last year on current public perception of household water and water-related energy use which you might have participated in; and

• The recently launched longitudinal study which consist of a week-long data collection study which will involve participants record their actual water use.

The main aim of this follow-up study is to develop a baseline of current household water use and water-related energy use which will help in quantifying the potential of energy efficiency and emissions reductions from water use in Irish households. The findings of the whole project are being used to develop up to date best practice guidelines for climate action from household water use efficiency.

The longitudinal study is open to all households in the Republic of Ireland and ONLY one submission is required per household.

If you are able to participate, this will require logging your household water use information over 7 days here:

The survey should take no more than 10 minutes a day to complete.

You may begin the survey any day before 21st November 2022 but will need to do it daily for the week.

You are automatically registered for this study if you have previously taken part in our cross-sectional survey and have opted to be contacted for follow up. Once you begin the survey, a separate link will be emailed to you after submitting an entry for the next day’s submission.
You can download a printable daily water use log to help your household keep track of water use here.

Each member of your household can keep a separate log to be tallied with the everyone’s log at the end of each day.

If you have not previously taken part in the cross-sectional survey or if you have previously taken part but opted out of being contacted and would like to participate in the follow-up, please do so by clicking on the button below.

Why participate?

We need your help: we will not be able to have a comprehensive understanding of water use and water use behaviours in households without your participation.          
We hope that you can also benefit from the study as well. A lot of our everyday environmental contribution to climate change is caused by routine actions that we take without thinking. So, why not to spend a few minutes to reflect on how you use water and what your water use habits and behaviours mean in terms of energy use, emissions, and costs?

You may discover that by simply changing some of your habits you can greatly reduce your water and carbon footprint, as well as your energy bills. Or you might find out you are already a champion and decide to do even more!

 You can read about our summary findings from the cross-sectional survey here.

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 Ethics statement: Ethical approval to conduct this research has been granted under the procedures operated by the College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering Ethics Committee at Bangor University: Approval Number: COESE2022ABD/01A.

Water going down the drain isn’t money down the drain for National Trust Cymru’s Penrhyn Castle

Press Release

• National Trust Cymru have been working with researchers from Trinity College Dublin and Bangor University on a pioneering heat recovery system at Penrhyn Castle

• Results show it reduces energy consumption by 230 kWh per month, making a saving of £1770 per annum in heat savings

• Energy saving is equivalent to making 88,000 cups of tea a year!

• Technology could be rolled out further to support significant financial and carbon savings for organisations and businesses

Bangor, Oct 11th 2022 – Researchers from Trinity College Dublin and Bangor University are leading a six-year project aiming to stop useful energy going down the drain. They have piloted a system that recovers energy from wastewater at Penrhyn Castle and Garden – a fantasy castle and garden owned by National Trust Cymru in north Wales, UK.

Using the new technology, the researchers are extracting heat from the hot wastewater flowing out of the kitchens at between 20°C and 55 °C, and use this to preheat the cold water coming into the kitchens. The heat recovery system has been operational since February 2022 at Penrhyn Castle and Garden. A formal launch event was held on the 11th of Oct 2022 to highlight the energy saving and climate impacts that the technology achieved in the past year.

Professor in Civil Engineering at Trinity, and the Dŵr Uisce project lead, Prof Aonghus McNabola, said: “We have, alongside our partners at Bangor University, been working closely with National Trust Cymru on this project over the last 6 years. We are hopeful that we will further develop this exciting new heat recovery technology and that it may soon be used more widely in the food and hospitality sector.”

“This technology has the potential to reduce energy consumption at Penrhyn Castle’s tea rooms by over 230 kWh per month. At the current exceptionally high energy prices the payback period of the system can be achieved in a little over one year. It can generate over £1770 per annum in heat savings. We are excited by these possibilities, and are very grateful for the opportunity to design, implement and showcase it with the support of National Trust Cymru.”

This heat is currently provided by a main heating loop, where the heat is generated in a biomass boiler house, and then pumped to the rooms in the castle. The savings are thus expected to be twofold, not only will the pellet consumption of the boiler be reduced, but, more importantly, the electricity consumption, used for driving the pumps, will decrease as well.

Dr Prysor Williams is leading the team at Bangor University, who are tasked with calculating the impacts of installing the technology. He commented, “As well as the obvious financial savings, we expect this project to lead to greenhouse gas emission savings of just over 780 kg CO2 equivalent, per annum. If the technology is implemented more broadly, it could offer real economic and environmental benefits – a clear ‘win–win’”.

If successful at Penrhyn Castle, the technology will be rolled out at other sites across Ireland and the UK, where it should support the growing energy recovery sector and could potentially offer significant financial and carbon savings over the coming years for organisations and businesses that produce large quantities of hot wastewater, such as hotels, restaurants, and commercial kitchens.

Consultancy Manager for the Climate, Land Outdoors and Nature team at National Trust Cymru, Paul Southall, said: “At a time where cost of living is at its highest on record, we must find ways to be more energy efficient – but we need to do more than just reduction in use. It’s also about the re-use of waste, or what we currently consider to be waste.”

“We’re working to improve energy systems at our places particularly at built heritage sites that can be hard to heat and where implementing new systems can be difficult due to conservation needs and costs. However this technology has proved that it can be successfully integrated into our buildings, at an affordable cost compared to other energy systems, whilst bringing the same great benefits.”

“The energy generated from the heat recovery system produces over 2,760 kWh a year which powers a quarter of our hot water needs in the tea-room, or in other terms, the energy produced will enable us to make over 88,000 cups of tea a year! With a 100,000 visitors a year, that’s almost enough to give every visitor a cup of tea!”

“The heat recovery system at Penrhyn Castle is a small step to become carbon net zero by 2030, but it could be a big step forward if we integrate it across all our sites in Wales, England and Northern Ireland. It also has the potential to make big cost savings across the organisation which would allow us to continue investing charitable funds in caring for our places, for everyone, for ever.”

The technique trialled at Penrhyn consists of using the hot drain water, with peaks up to 57°C, to preheat the mains water before it enters the current heating (biomass) system at the castle. Thanks to this preheating, it will require less energy to heat the hot water, saving energy and money, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

This project is being supported by several different companies who have provided expertise in developing this project, including Detectronic, whose technology has been used for wastewater flow monitoring, and Showersave, whose technology will be adapted for heat recovery at the Castle.

The Dŵr Uisce project is part of an Ireland-Wales Cooperation Programme 2014-2020 project supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Ends

Media Contact

Thomas Deane, Press Officer for the Faculty of Engineering, Mathematics and Science, Trinity College Dublin, at deaneth@tcd.ie or Tel: +353 (0)1-896-4685 / +353 (0) 85-131-5587

Project Website: www.dwr-uisce.eu Twitter: @Dwr_Uisce

Elinor Elis-Williams, Press Officer for Bangor University, at press@bangor.ac.uk or Tel: +44 (0)1248 383298

< Datganiad Newyddion >

• Nid arian i lawr y draen i Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol Cymru yw’r dŵr sy'n mynd i lawr y draen yng Nghastell Penrhyn

• Mae Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol Cymru wedi bod yn gweithio gydag ymchwilwyr o Goleg y Drindod Dulyn a Phrifysgol Bangor ar system arloesol i adennill gwres yng Nghastell Penrhyn

• Mae’r canlyniadau’n dangos ei fod yn lleihau’r defnydd o ynni gan 230 kWh y mis, gan wneud arbediad o £1770 y flwyddyn ar gostau gwresogi

• Mae’r arbediad ynni yn cyfateb i wneud 88,000 paned o de y flwyddyn!

• Gellid cyflwyno’r dechnoleg hon i gefnogi arbedion ariannol ac arbedion carbon sylweddol i sefydliadau a busnesau eraill

Bangor, 11 Hydref 2022 - Mae ymchwilwyr o Goleg y Drindod Dulyn a Phrifysgol Bangor yn arwain ar broject pum mlynedd gyda’r nod o rwystro ynni defnyddiol rhag mynd i lawr y draen. Maent wedi treialu system sy’n adennill ynni o ddŵr gwastraff yng Nghastell Penrhyn, sef castell a gerddi sy’n eiddo i Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol Cymru nid nepell o Fangor.

Trwy ddefnyddio'r dechnoleg newydd, mae’r ymchwilwyr yn echdynnu gwres o'r dŵr gwastraff poeth sy'n llifo allan o'r ceginau, ac sydd rywle rhwng 20°C a 55°C, ac yn ei ddefnyddio i gynhesu'r dŵr oer sy'n mynd i mewn i'r ceginau. Mae’r system adennill gwres wedi bod yn weithredol ers mis Chwefror 2022 yng Nghastell Penrhyn. Cynhaliwyd digwyddiad lansio ffurfiol ar 11 Hydref 2022 i dynnu sylw at yr effaith o ran arbed ynni a’r effaith ar yr hinsawdd y llwyddodd y dechnoleg hon i’w chael yn ystod y flwyddyn ddiwethaf.

Dywedodd Dr Aonghus McNabola, Athro mewn Peirianneg Sifil ym Mhrifysgol y Drindod Dulun, ac arweinydd y project Dŵr Uisce: “Rydym ni, ynghyd â'n partneriaid ym Mhrifysgol Bangor, wedi bod yn gweithio'n agos gyda'r Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol ar y project hwn dros y 6 mlynedd ddiwethaf. Rydym yn obeithiol y byddwn yn gallu datblygu ychwaneg ar y dechnoleg newydd a chyffrous hon i adennill gwres ac y gellir ei defnyddio'n ehangach yn y sector bwyd a lletygarwch.” 

“Mae gan y dechnoleg hon y potensial i leihau defnydd ynni ystafelloedd te Castell Penrhyn gan fwy na 230 kWh y mis. Gyda phrisiau ynni yn eithriadol o uchel ar hyn o bryd byddai’r system yn talu amdani ei hun mewn ychydig dros flwyddyn. Gall gynhyrchu dros £1770 y flwyddyn mewn arbedion gwres. Rydym yn teimlo’n gyffrous am y posibiliadau hyn ac yn ddiolchgar iawn am y cyfle i gael cynllunio, gweithredu ac arddangos y system gyda chefnogaeth Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol Cymru.”

Ar hyn o bryd caiff y gwres hwn ei ddarparu gan brif ddolen wresogi, ac mae'r gwres yn cael ei gynhyrchu mewn bwylerdy biomas, ac yna’n cael ei bwmpio i ystafelloedd y castell. Disgwylir felly i'r arbedion fod yn ddeublyg, nid yn unig y bydd y boeler yn defnyddio llai o belenni, ond, yn bwysicach, bydd y defnydd o drydan, a ddefnyddir i yrru'r pympiau, yn lleihau hefyd.

Mae Dr Prysor Williams sy'n arwain y tîm ym Mhrifysgol Bangor, yn gyfrifol am gyfrifo effeithiau gosod y dechnoleg. Dywedodd, “Yn ogystal â'r arbedion ariannol amlwg, rydym yn disgwyl i'r project hwn arwain at arbedion mewn allyriadau nwyon tŷ gwydr o ychydig dros 750 kg y flwyddyn. Os caiff y dechnoleg ei rhoi ar waith yn fwy eang, gallai gynnig manteision economaidd ac amgylcheddol go iawn - lle mae pawb yn amlwg ar eu hennill.

Os bydd yn llwyddiannus yng Nghastell Penrhyn, caiff y dechnoleg ei chyflwyno mewn safleoedd eraill ar draws Iwerddon a'r Deyrnas Unedig, lle dylai gefnogi'r sector adennill ynni, sy'n sector sydd ar ei phrifiant, a gallai gynnig arbedion ariannol ac arbedion carbon sylweddol dros y blynyddoedd nesaf i sefydliadau a busnesau sy'n cynhyrchu llawer iawn o ddŵr poeth gwastraff, megis gwestai, bwytai a cheginau masnachol.

Dywedodd Paul Southall, sef Rheolwr Ymgynghorol yn nhîm Hinsawdd, Tir, yr Awyr Agored a Natur, Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol Cymru: “Ar adeg pan fo costau byw ar ei uchaf erioed, mae’n rhaid i ni ddod o hyd i ffyrdd o ddefnyddio ynni’n fwy effeithlon – ond mae angen i ni wneud mwy na dim ond lleihau defnydd. Mae hefyd yn ymwneud ag ailddefnyddio gwastraff, neu’r hyn yr ydym yn ei ystyried ar hyn o bryd fel gwastraff.”

“Rydym yn gweithio i wella systemau ynni yn ein safleoedd, yn enwedig mewn safleoedd treftadaeth adeiledig a all fod yn anodd eu gwresogi a lle gall fod yn anodd gweithredu systemau newydd oherwydd costau ac anghenion cadwraeth. Fodd bynnag, mae’r dechnoleg hon wedi profi y gellir ei hintegreiddio’n llwyddiannus yn rhan o’n hadeiladau, am gost fforddiadwy o gymharu â systemau ynni eraill, tra’n dod â’r un math o fanteision.”

“Mae’r ynni a gynhyrchir o’r system adennill gwres yn cynhyrchu dros 2,760 kWh y flwyddyn sy’n pweru chwarter ein hanghenion dŵr poeth yn yr ystafell de, neu mewn termau eraill, bydd yr ynni a gynhyrchir yn ein galluogi i wneud dros 88,000 paned y flwyddyn! Gyda 100,000 o ymwelwyr y flwyddyn, mae hynny bron yn ddigon i roi paned o de i bob ymwelydd!”

“Mae’r system adfer gwres yng Nghastell Penrhyn yn gam bach i ddod yn garbon net sero erbyn 2030, ond gallai fod yn gam mawr ymlaen pe baem yn integreiddio systemau tebyg ar draws ein holl safleoedd yng Nghymru, Lloegr a Gogledd Iwerddon. Mae ganddo hefyd y potensial i wneud arbedion cost sylweddol ar draws y sefydliad a fyddai’n caniatáu i ni barhau i fuddsoddi arian elusennol i ofalu am ein safleoedd, i bawb, am byth.”

Mae'r dechneg a gafodd ei threialu yng Nghastell Penrhyn yn cynnwys defnyddio'r dŵr poeth gwastraff, o hyd at 57°C, i gynhesu'r prif gyflenwad dŵr cyn iddo fynd i mewn i'r system wresogi (biomas) bresennol yn y castell. Diolch i'r cynhesu ymlaen llaw hwn, bydd angen llai o ynni i gynhesu'r dŵr poeth, gan arbed ynni ac arian, a hefyd yn lleihau allyriadau nwyon tŷ gwydr.

Cefnogir y project hwn gan sawl cwmni gwahanol sydd wedi darparu arbenigedd wrth ddatblygu'r project hwn, yn cynnwys Detectronic, defnyddiwyd eu technoleg i fonitro llif dŵr gwastraff, a Showersave, caiff eu technoleg ei haddasu i adennill gwres yn y Castell.

Mae project Dŵr Uisce yn rhan o broject 2014-2020, Rhaglen Gydweithredu rhwng Iwerddon a Chymru a gefnogir gan Gronfa Datblygu Rhanbarthol Ewrop (ERDF).

Diwedd

Media Contact

Thomas Deane, Press Officer for the Faculty of Engineering, Mathematics and Science, Trinity College Dublin, at deaneth@tcd.ie or Tel: 01-896-4685 / 085-131-5587

Project Website: www.dwr-uisce.eu

Twitter: @Dwr_Uisce

Elinor Elis-Williams, Press Officer for Bangor University, at press@bangor.ac.uk or Tel: 01248 383298

Our Autumn 2022 Newsletter is out!

Welcome/Croeso/Fáilte

Welcome to our Autumn 2022 Newsletter, bringing you up to date on the Dŵr Uisce project.

In this edition, we highlight the Dŵr Uisce team’s continued commitment to provide solutions to improve the sustainability of the water sector and to spread the message. With the current energy crisis unfolding across Europe and the extreme weather witnessed leading to droughts and the needfor water rationing, our work has never been more relevant and timely. The outputs of the project therefore have relevance to amuch broader area than the study countries of Ireland and Wales. In this edition, we reflect on how our research and technological applications have offered actions to lower the carbon footprint and water use in a historical pub. The article on our engagement with school children highlights the role of education in building awareness of the need for prudent water use amongst the next generation. You can also read updates from our demonstration sites, in particular from the drain water heat recovery system at Penrhyn Castle in Bangor, north Wales. The upcoming launch event is on 11 October ’22, and there is still time to register to find out how much energy, cost and CO2 can be saved using this technology. We are passionate about collaborating in response to these challenges and we thank you for being with us.

Read it here.

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Croeso i gylchlythyr hydref 2022 sy’n dod â’r wybodaethddiweddaraf i chi am broject Dŵr Uisce. Yn y rhifyn hwn, rydymyn tynnu sylw at ymrwymiad parhaus tîm Dŵr Uisce i gynnigatebion i wella cynaliadwyedd y sector dŵr ac i ledaenu'rneges. Gyda’r argyfwng ynni presennol ar draws Ewrop a’rargyfwng hinsawdd parhaus, ni fu ein gwaith erioed yn fwyperthnasol nac amserol. Mae’r argyfyngau presennol hyn yngolygu fod y gwaith yn berthnasol i ardaloedd ymhell tu allan yddwy wlad astudiaeth, sef Iwerddon a Chymru. Yn y rhifyn hwn,rydym yn adfyfyrio mewn darn sy’n sôn am ein gwaith gydathafarn hanesyddol ar sut mae ein hymchwil a’n cymwysiadautechnolegol yn cynnig atebion ymarferol i leihau ôl-troed carbonein defnydd o ddŵr. Mae’r erthygl ar ein hymgysylltu â phlantysgol yn tynnu sylw at rôl addysg wrth adeiladu ymwybyddiaethymhlith y genhedlaeth nesaf. Gallwch hefyd ddarllen diweddariadau am ein safleoeddarddangos, yn enwedig am y system i adennill gwres o ddŵrgwastraff yng Nghastell Penrhyn. Mae'r digwyddiad lansio ar 11Hydref 22 ym Mangor, gogledd Cymru, yn nesáu, ac maeamser o hyd i gofrestru er mwyn cael cyfle i glywed faint o ynni,cost, a CO2 gellir arbed trwy ddefnyddio’r dechnoleg yma.

Rydym yn angerddol am gydweithio wrth ymateb i’r heriau hyna diolchwn ichi am fod ar y daith hon gyda ni.

Gallwch ei ddarllen yma.

An update on our wastewater heat recycling system

Ajeet Singh

Fig. 1. Tea Room at Penrhyn Castle, Bangor, UK serves food and drinks to visitors of the Castle.

With less than a month to go to our Launch Event at Penrhyn Castle, here is a short piece on how the system to recover heat from the wastewater flowing out of the Tea Room’s kitchen works and on how it is performing. You can take a virtual 3D tour and explore the Drain Water Heat Recovery (DWHR) system in here.

Penrhyn Castle is a popular tourist attraction in the Bangor area. On busy days, up to 1500 people visit from all over the world. The Tea Room serves food and beverages to the visitors (Fig. 1).

The pilot wastewater heat recycling system is located directly underneath the kitchen, and it is accessed via the old Coal Yard. The hot wastewater from the kitchen is discharged through vertical drains.

Fig. 2. Shell-Tube type heat exchanger arrangement having counter flow pattern for maximum heat recovery by freshwater from hot wastewater.

A portion of the vertical drain has been replaced by a ‘Shell- tube’ heat exchanger (Fig. 2) made of two copper concentric tubes in which the hot wastewater flows through the inner tube and the cold freshwater through the outer one. The outgoing hot wastewater and incoming cold freshwater flow in opposite directions to take advantage of the maximum difference in temperature, or thermal gradient, and to maximise the thermal exchange. In operation, the system has demonstrated the potential to preheat the cold fresh water beyond 15 ℃ through recovering heat from the hot wastewater. This preheated freshwater is then accumulated in an adjacent 300 liter capacity buffer tank from which freshwater is drawn to meet the ongoing hot water demands in the kitchen. Overall, the system  reduces the energy required to heat the fresh water.

Demonstrating the capabilities of the system

The system was designed and developed by the engineering members of the Dwr Uisce Team located in Trinity College Dublin. Working closely with representatives of National Trust Wales, they gathered preliminary data, and facilitated the installation and commissioning of the system.

The engineers monitored the system for a period of 119 days, from 25 February to 22 June 2022: the total energy saving was almost 900kWh which consequently saved 251.63£ of electricity cost associated with water heating. In comparison, the system has saved a maximum of 5 kW of power under limited operational hours during COVID restrictions. Very soon the data for the summer monitoring period will be available, which we expect will show higher energy recovery and therefore savings due to higher number of tourists.

Overall, the installation has payback period of less than 2 and a half years due to savings of beyond 45 kW of waste energy potential daily. Reduced energy demands correspond to reduced carbon emissions: the system saves about 780.27 kg CO2e/year. If replicated in all the suitable commercial kitchens in the UK for example, the energy savings would be in the order of Tera Watts and the carbon footprint of their overall operations would shrink greatly.

The present heat recovery is an example of heat recycling from the kitchen wastewater and contributes to meet the net-zero carbon emission goals of the EU. The energy saving realised by application of waste heat recovery systems in fact would result in reduced carbon emission generated by burning fossil fuels for water heating and attenuate dependency on. Seen the current energy and climate crisis it seems that exploring the potential for wider application should be a no-brainer.

Join us online or in person on October 11 at our Launch Event to discuss with our researchers and other interested parties about opportunities and challenges in this field.

Thinking Differently about How we have Collaborated in the Dŵr Uisce Research

Prof. Paul Coughlan

Figure 1: 29th IPMC 2022 Logo

The 29th Innovation & Product Development Management Conference took place at the Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Germany on 17-20 July 2022. Organised by the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management (EIASM), the theme this year was "Innovation in the Era of Climate Change". The conference aim was to provide space for discussion of opportunities and challenges faced by companies and researchers when innovating for sustainability.

The programme included a session on New Methods for Innovation Research. During this session, Dŵr Uisce team member Prof. Paul Coughlan of Trinity Business School presented a paper titled “Researching Green Process Innovation Across Borders and Boundaries: Implementing a Transdisciplinary Research Initiative”.

Given the nature of the topic, all of the Dŵr  Uisce research team members contributed to the paper. The lead authors included Paul Coughlan, Roberta Bellini, Aisha Bollo-Dambatta, Daniele Novara and Isabel Schestak. The idea for the paper emerged during fruitful discussions among team members that led us to realise that our collaboration was characterised by crossing discipline and geographical boundaries and working with a network of practitioners and society at large.

Figure 2: Opening slide of Prof Coughlan’s presentation

Said differently, we were carrying out transdisciplinary research. This approach to research is quite appropriate for research-based responses to the Sustainable Development Goals. However, there are few descriptions of how to undertake such research. In response, the paper drew upon our shared experience of realising Dŵr Uisce as a green process innovation, and described and conceptualised the process we undertook to implement this transdisciplinary research initiative.

Before the conference, the team introduced the paper in a brief video. At the conference, the presentation received positive feedback and prompted insightful questions around the differences between transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary research, evidence of disciplinary engagement and the skills and experiences of the practitioners in the project network. On September 15 next, the paper will be presented to students participating the CHARM EU Masters in Global Challenges for Sustainability, which is delivered by Trinity College Dublin, the University of Barcelona, Utrecht University, the University of Montpellier and Eotvos Lorand University Budapest. Subsequently, a journal article submission is planned.

Figure 3: Prof. Paul Coughlan (right) with IPDMC 2022 Conference Co-Chair, Prof. Dr. Hans Koller, Professur für Betriebswirtschaftslehre, insbesondere Technologie- und Innovationsmanagement, Helmut-Schmidt-Universität, Hamburg, Germany

Dŵr Uisce Demonstration Sites: What will the future be?

Roberta Bellini and Madhu Murali

As part of the project, four demonstration sites have been set up to showcase real-life applications of micro-hydropower (MHP) and drain water heat recovery (DWHR) systems in Ireland and Wales.

In 2019 we hosted two launch events: the first took place in May in Ireland at the water treatment plant of the Blackstairs Group Water Scheme demonstration site where a pump-as-turbine is installed at the inlet of the raw water tank and has been generating electricity, reducing costs and emissions of the water provider. The second event took place in Wales in November 2019 and here an example of run-off- river MHP was demonstrated. Then in early 2020 the pandemic hit and questions around the two remaining demonstration sites arose. While the ABP DWHR system was not ready for an official launch event, the opening for the site in the Tea rooms at Penrhyn Castle had to be postponed.

The spell of virtual meetings and workshops offered an opportunity for reflection. We asked different questions: how amenable are the sites? Are they in the background or foreground of the locations where they are installed? Looking ahead, what will the future of these examples of working novel technologies be? How do we make sure all the hard work is not lost but continues to create opportunities for knowledge sharing, demonstration and up-take of the technologies? How can we maximise the potential by increasing accessibility and outreach?

We still haven’t got all the answers, but we definitely have some ideas! And here is how they developed. From the launch events of the demonstration sites, we learnt that people enjoyed the opportunity to see the technology in operation and to ask questions to all parties involved in the development, installation, and operation. From our series of online events, we learnt that we could reach more people with a broader geographical spread. From students in the primary and secondary schools whom we worked with, we learnt that being able to see the demonstration site, by means of a video for example, would enhance their experience. So, we started to explore ways to combine all these lessons learnt. And we decided to create virtual tours of the demonstration sites using 360° photos: these are panoramic images which can be moved through in all directions to provide a complete and interactive 360° field of view of the area around the camera. A common type of 360° photo you may already have experienced are the Google Street View photos that can be viewed on Google Maps showing urban streetscapes. The idea for these virtual tours came from attending a webinar by fellow Interreg project CCAT in 2021 all about VR experiences. You can watch the videos on the project Youtube channel here.  The talk by Dr Gareth W. Young, V-SENSE project at Trinity College, is what really got us inspired!

Our work in this area started with an investigation into capturing 360° photos without the use of specific hardware. This was ultimately unsuccessful as app-based solutions were difficult to use in smaller spaces and using a regular camera and tripod was too laborious. Subsequently, we were able to borrow a camera from the V-SENSE team with the capability to take 360° photos. We would like to offer a special thank to Gareth at this point for his help with setting up the tours and for lending us the 360° camera. The use of this camera resulted in developing a catalog of 360° photos showing various relevant aspects of our demonstration sites. You can see some examples in the gallery below (from left to right: control room, coal yard (both at Penrhyn Castle, Wales); water treatment plant site overview and intake at Blacktairs GWS, Co. Wexford Ireland).

We were then able to start building a full tour using these 360° photos and a free online tool, Marzipano. This tool allowed us to put together multiple scenes using 360° photos from a demonstration site, link them in a certain order, mark points of interest using information bubbles, and provide interpretive information as required. Our first pilot tour of the DWHR demonstration site at Penrhyn Castle (linked below), give great insights on what goes on behind the scenes of a research project and a popular tourist site! It shows some parts of the castle that are not usually available for public access while providing some details on what the demonstration site aims to achieve.
Link to Penrhyn Castle Tour here.

We feel that these virtual tours can be relevant digital artefacts of our project going into the future. With the support of our partners at the National Trust, we are hoping to provide visitors to Penrhyn Castle with an interpretive sign that both describes the demonstration site and provides easy access to view the virtual tour on their mobile phones through a QR code or similar. Further, there are also plans to build more on our work with 360° tours. We are now planning and designing a concurrent live virtual tour of the DWHR system at Penrhyn Castle during the official launch event on 11th October 2022 while the physical tour occurs. This live virtual tour will use the Mozilla Hubs platform to create a virtual meeting space within the different 360° photos of the demonstration site where participants will be able to move around as an avatar and interact with the Dŵr Uisce researchers, other tour participants, and the environment. Hence, implementing these virtual tours will not only serve as a digital artefact of our demonstration sites in the future but also assist in enhancing engagement with them while the Dŵr Uisce project is still in progress.