The River Clyde is once again leading Britain’s industrial revolution, cutting carbon emissions by 50% through a renewable source of heating and hot water for homes and buildings in the legendary Gorbals area, on the south bank of the river. Loy Surveys are proud to have contributed to this revolution.

The UK’s first inner city water source heat pump to heat an entire district of Glasgow is proposed to be developed in the Gorbals by September 2018. This £3.5 million industrial-sized water source heat pump will draw energy from the chilly waters of the Clyde and boost it up to 80 degrees Celsius to cover over 80% of the of the buildings’ heat demand. The district heating network is set to deliver immediate carbon reductions, ensuring that the district will meet the 2035 climate change goals 17 years early.

For the hydrographic survey, the HyDrone was chosen for the job. This is a one-man portable, autonomous and remotely controlled catamaran platform developed for hydrographic survey applications. Working in conjunction with the portable HydroLite-TM Echosounder Kit, the HyDrone accomplishes the same results as more expensive RC survey systems. The lightweight, wide profile, and watertight construction provides stability, ruggedness and portability. It is manufactured from high-quality marine materials and components and easily disassembles for transporting and shipping.

The surveyors were carrying out the survey for the inlet area for the proposed water source heat pump and found the manoeuvrability and the speed of the device allowed for the job to be completed in half the time a conventional survey method would take. The fact that Hydrone was controlled from the riverbank and there were no surveyors on the water also kept the Health & Safety Manager happy!