In a nutshell, ‘Green Energy’ utilises natural resources such as sunlight, wind, tides and geothermal heat to provide our daily energy requirement. ‘Green’ basically means that all the energy is renewable. It is easy to think that we may be travelling back in time when we think of items such as wind power and windmills. Overall, this is the method of using modern techniques to provide eco-efficiency and planet friendly options.
It is the use of simple renewable energies such as Solar Thermal and Solar Water Heating Collectors, that suits the home environment. 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. Of course, then there is the heating from the Sun – often just called Ground Source Heat Pumps. Finally, we have two of the most traditional forms of energy generation that have gone through some resurgence over the last few years; these being Wind Power, Wind Turbines and Hydropower (including Water Wheels.)
Thermal Energy Systems: Typically referred to as Solar Energy this is mainly made up of two types of Solar Panels – each using different methods to achieve similar results. Firstly, there are elements that absorb energy from the sun and create hot water – known as Solar Water Heating Collectors. Furthermore, there are the Solar Electrical Panels (more correctly known as Photovoltaic heat collectors) which transform solar radiation into electricity. Across the board, Solar Panels should be mounted on a south facing roof, at an angle of 30 degrees away from horizontal – and to some extent away from blocking trees, surrounding buildings and chimneys.
In the UK, Solar Water Power is now one of the most sought after forms of Solar Energy. 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. Getting a professional fitting will cost around 2-5k, however, doing the job yourself could make it as low as 500 to 1500 pounds in total.
Systems Utilising Biomass Energy: Including all natural energy forms derived from plant and animal products – such as wood, straw, poultry litter and ‘energy crops’. It is extremely useful – in that it can produce a range of power sources, including heat and electricity. With one of the largest production legacies within Europe, the UK is a major player in Biomass-produced electricity. Considering all this, and the relative lack of C02 produced, makes the whole process highly green overall. To that end, many wood crops come from sustainable sources (as one tree is felled, another is planted in its place; thus the new tree absorbs the CO2 produced during the heating process.)
‘Energy Crops’ trees such as Willow and Poplar play a major part in the process – under the banner of Short Rotation Coppice (SRC). Of equal importance is the production of perennial grasses – because of their yield of dry matter. Equally significant within this practice sit Municipal and Agricultural waste products. As a by-product, Agricultural Waste is simply part of the farming process. However, waste derived from food or wood is another biomass entity – called Municipal Waste.
Geo-Thermal Energy: Both warm water and electricity can be produced as by-products of the natural heating of the Earth by the Sun. Heating or cooling properties in the UK can be achieved using the ground source heat temperature of around 12 degrees centigrade. These heat pumps do need some power to operate; but for every one unit of energy they use, they generate four units of energy in return. Heat source pump energy can go one step further (by gaining a 100 percent return) if the energy to power them comes from items such as wind turbines or solar electrical panels.
Wind Energy – An Update On Old Technology: In use for milling grain or pumping water, wind energy has been with us for a very long time, although its modern uses are complex. Recently though, there has been the trend to generate energy and deliver this onto the local grid. In the European union, it is the UK which is seen to have the largest wind capacity. The fact remains that in the UK, there exists the ability to realise 10 percent of our electricity requirement from wind power – as opposed to the current value of just 1 percent. Overall, electricity could be generated from as low as 2p per kWh – instead of the current 2-10 p per kWh. Therefore, recovery of cost takes approximately 6-9 months overall.
Within the UK, Hydropower suits the energy generation model. Although new in its approach, the act of harnessing energy from water has been going on for a long time. Interestingly enough, this type of energy production meets around 2 percent of the UK electrical total demand.
A hydropower system transforms the kinetic energy of the moving water into another type of energy by means of a turbine. It is by either water ‘drop-offs’, or Natural River runs, that turbines can work through this process. ‘Micro-Hydro’ however utilises old outdated sluices and dams. Having been reviewed recently, this form of electricity supply could provide 200mW of the UK capacity. Between 200 pounds and 3k per KW of energy output, is a good estimate of the overall cost of a project such as this.
Because of the energy need of the Western World, we are now seeing a rapid rise in ‘Green Energy’. To be fair, the UK domestic market is actually leading the resurgence, with a variety of schemes.
Electrician and Plumbers are thought to be key in providing expertise during domestic installations. Grants and financial aid is also set to increase within the EEC and the UK – as ‘Green Energy’ gets ever higher status. 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.
Copyright 2009 Scott Edwards. Hop over to Green Engineer Training or www.plumbingcourseinfo.co.uk/GreenEngineerCourses.html.