The Highland Council leads the way with heat map
A NEW heat map, the first of its kind in Scotland, has been developed to help identify opportunities for properties in the Highlands to be heated using renewable energy sources.
The Highland Council, working with partners and consultants, has developed the map, which is the first at local authority level in Scotland to provide users with tools to examine and probe opportunities for renewable heat at a local scale. It takes into account issues such as heat demand, potential heat supply and skills and technology available in an area.
The project has been funded by the Scottish Government and led by a joint steering group with representatives from the Highland Council, the Scottish Government and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). Consultants AECOM were commissioned to develop the heat map.
Councillor Ian Ross, chairman of the council’s planning, environment and development committee, said: “The Highland Heat Map provides the council with a ground-breaking, powerful tool with which to identify renewable heat opportunities and test development scenarios in any part of the local authority’s area.
“Understanding the spatial dimension of heat demand and supply is vital to inform our policies, projects and initiatives and assists in identifying opportunities.”
The heat map will be used across a range of the council’s functions. For example, in planning and development it will be used in the preparation of the local development plans to assess and compare site options for development by helping understand the impacts of new development on heat demand within an area. The heat map predicts future heat demand using the proposal details.
In housing and property the heat map can provide useful information at regional and local level to inform management and investment in the council’s housing stock and other property.
For waste management there will be opportunity for information from the heat map to be considered in reviewing the council’s waste management strategy in the light of Scottish Government’s Zero Waste Plan.
The heat map is expected to be of use in a range of other work such as promotion, education, renewable energy and technology.
Energy minister Fergus Ewing said: “Scotland is warming to renewable heating but we need to accelerate the use of green technologies to meet our target of 11 per cent of heat to come from renewables by 2020.
“The mapping tool will help all councils identify opportunities to maximise the use of heat in planned new developments, helping councils plan local heat strategies as well as maximising economic benefits by incorporating local skills and services.”
As a pilot for such heat -mapping work, which is identified in the Renewable Heat Action Plan for Scotland, the Highland Heat Map Project has provided an approach which can be repeated by local authorities throughout Scotland. A template is now available which outlines key stages in preparing a heat map.
