The University of Virginia is building a ground-breaking energy plant that will essentially gather wasted heat and store it in subterranean wells until it ’ s needed again . The plant that construction crews are building in the Fontaine Research Park will supply thermal energy to the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology . Because 90 % of the University ’ s fossil fuel consumption is used for heat , employing new and efficient technologies will help the University toward its goal of being carbon neutral by 2030 and fossil fuel-free by 2050 . The Fontaine plant won ’ t burn fossil fuels to create heat , said Paul Zmick , director of energy and utilities at the University . Rather , |
the facility is a geoexchange system that , in simple terms , captures heated water , stores it underground , and retrieves it when it ’ s needed to provide heating or cooling to a facility . Initially , the plant will utilize about 100 underground storage wells . The geoexchange system is essentially a very large thermal battery . The plant is part of a multi-pronged effort to curb the University ’ s energy use . That effort includes dialing down the temperature of hot water from 200 degrees to 165 or lower and boosting the energy efficiency of new buildings and additions . The geoexchange system is highly efficient because it takes heat that would otherwise be vented or wasted and essentially recycles it . |
LU-VE Group has signed – through its Friulian subsidiary Refrion – an agreement for the supply of cooling systems for the EDGs ( emergency diesel generators ) of the nuclear island of the Hinkley Point C power plant in Somerset , UK . The value of the contract , signed with the Nuclear New Build Generation Company ( NNB ) through the UK contractor Bouygues Energies & Services , is for approximately EUR 27M , with the supply of the first batches starting in 2025 . This is a highly strategic collaboration for the Group based in Uboldo , Varese , and its development plans , allowing it to expand its technical expertise and offer high-potential technological solutions in a strategic sector to achieve the Net Zero goal |
and protect the environment from the threat of climate change . LU-VE ’ s high-tech systems , designed to withstand shock waves caused by explosions and earthquakes , will cool the emergency diesel generators ( EDGs ) located within the nuclear island of the power plant . These generators are activated when the nuclear plant is disconnected from the grid , ensuring the power supply to critical components such as the reactor cooling system , which is necessary to ensure a controlled shutdown in an emergency . The project involves the creation of Air Coolers with entirely copper coils and high-strength steel structures , equipped with motors and fans developed in co-design with international players in the nuclear industry . |