When our daily energy requirements are met by ‘Green Energy’, then we are using resources such as wind, tides or geothermal heat. They are thought to be ‘Green’ due to the fact that they are easily restored and natural. When considering elements such as Wind Power and Windmills, in many cases we are looking back at the history of energy production. This idea is preserved by the use of technology, eco-efficient options and planet friendly alternatives.
The home can use a range of new ideas to help with energy usage – including Solar Thermal and Solar Water Heating Collectors. Equally there is electricity that is generated through roof-installed panels. A further factor revolves around stoves and boilers – which are known as Biomass Energy. There is also the ground heat from the Sun – now known as Ground Source Heat Pumps. Considering items such as Wind Power and Hydro Turbines, we are finally getting to very old forms of energy production.
Solar Energy Systems: Often called Solar Energy, this is fact based on two types of solar panels each using different ideas to get their results. Initially, there is the process of obtaining hot water from the Sun via Solar Water Heating Collectors. Additionally, there is the method of converting solar radiation into electricity known as Photovoltaic – or simply Solar Electrical panels. Solar Panels themselves need to be away from all light blocks, and should be on south facing roofs at angles of 30 degrees from the horizontal plane.
Within Solar Energy overall, Solar Water Power is most commonly used in the UK. With the capacity to deliver 50 percent plus of a household’s hot water requirement annually, Solar Water heating systems are crucial to energy in the UK. Typically, to fit this type of equipment will cost between 500 and 1500 pounds for a DIY kit – all the way up to 2-5k for a full professional fitting.
Biomass Energy Based Systems: This is a general term for all forms of plant and animal material e.g. wood, straw, poultry litter and ‘energy crops’. It’s the ability of this power source to generate diverse forms of energy, such as heat and electricity, that makes this so adaptable. The ability to generate electricity is one of the UK’s main green strengths – as it has one of the larger Biomass legacies within Europe. Added to all this, is the lack of C02 produced as a by-product of the whole process. Having a tree planted in place of another (that is felled for energy production) helps overall.
‘Energy Crops’ trees such as Willow and Poplar play a major part in the process – under the banner of Short Rotation Coppice (SRC). Perennial grasses also produce a high yield of dry matter. Within this process also sits the lesser known Agricultural and Municipal Wastes. Agricultural Waste is commonly formed as a by-product of traditional agricultural work. Another biomass source is that of municipal waste – and this comes from recycled wood or food.
Systems Using Geo-Thermal Energy – Used in the generation of both warm water and electricity, this energy mainly comes from the Sun and heats the Earth. By using the ground source temperature of approximately 12 degrees, we can either heat or cool buildings within the UK. Generally, items such as Heat Pumps are thought of as very effective, as they produce four units of energy for every one that is used for generation. A greater return of energy (sometimes almost 100 percent) is produced – because heat source pumps can operate in-line with wind turbines and solar electrical panels.
Systems Based On Wind Energy: When you consider the milling of grain and pumping of water, it is easy to see how long wind energy has been with us. Whether to your home or to a local grid, when the energy has been generated it must be delivered to a point of usage – and cannot be stored. To be fair, the UK has the highest level of wind generation within Europe. It is interesting to note that whilst we can produce 10 percent of our entire power requirement from wind power, at present we only produce 1 percent. Rather than electricity production running at 2-10 p per kWh, it could be run at 2p per kWh. Therefore, recovery of cost takes approximately 6-9 months overall.
Finally, we have Hydropower; an area in which the UK does well within Europe. The ability to utilise energy from moving water, much like wind power, has been going on for thousands of years. It is this type of energy production that could meet 2 percent of all the UK’s demand.
Using a turbine, a Hydropower system can transform the energy of water into other forms. No water reservoirs are required – as the turbines either run through a water drop-off system or the natural power of the river. It is by using the eroded national distribution systems, that allows for outdated sluices and dams to be used by techniques known as ‘Micro-Hydro’. Having said that, this process could still generate 200mW of the National Capacity. When considering the installation cost of items such as this, we’re looking at somewhere between 200 pounds and 3k per kW of energy created.
Because of the energy need of the Western World, we are now seeing a rapid rise in ‘Green Energy’. The UK is very well placed to provide most of the schemes set out above, and the UK domestic market again is one of the key beneficiaries of this technology.
Electricians and Plumbers in particular are expected to provide the main thrust of domestic installation expertise. With ‘Green Energy’ rising up the political agenda in Europe, a range of financial aids and grants are becoming available. This is a new industry – but getting the right certification can only improve job security and opportunities for the future. Electrical or plumbing training that incorporates green technology could be very useful for the future.
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