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It is the use of tides or wind to deliver our daily energy needs that form ‘Green Energy’. They are thought to be ‘Green’ due to the fact that they are easily restored and natural. Often by going back in time we see the value of wind power and windmills as modern energy sources. Regardless of this, we are mainly talking about using modern techniques to offer planet friendly and eco-efficient solutions.

Solar Thermal and Solar Water Heating Collectors are examples of what can be used in the house as part of renewable energy technologies. Following on it is items such as the Photovoltaic Panels (PV’s) that develop electricity through suitable roof-panels. Another key element is that of Biomass Energy, which relates to Stoves and Boilers burning Wood, Fuel and Pellets. There is the old heat from the Sun now known as Ground Source Heat Pumps. When we think about Wind Power and Hydropower we have two of the more habitual forms of energy generation.

Through a brief review of each we can look at those wanting to train and work in this area and the skills that they will need. Considering the points raised so far, this is expected to be somewhere in the domain of the Plumber, the Gas Engineer and the Electrician. It would be worth gathering information from as many different sources as possible, so check out our other pages on Electrical, Green and Plumbing careers. So it is worth checking out the sites for a variety of training providers as a result bookmark (CTRL-D) this page so you can come back.

Thermal Energy Systems: Often called Solar Energy, this is fact based on two types of solar panels each using different ideas to get their results. Making hot water from solar energy is the first stage and is known as Solar Water Heating Collection. Secondly, Photovoltaic heat collectors – often simply referred to as Solar Electrical Panels – which transform the 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.

As a result, Solar Water Power is often considered the most common form of Solar Energy in the UK. Solar Water heating systems are extremely important and can provide over half of hot water needs to houses within the UK. The typical cost for installation ranges from 500-1500 pounds for a DIY system all the way through to 2-5k for a professional fit.

Biomass Energy and ‘Energy Crops’ – This is a general term for all forms of plant and animal material e.g. wood, straw, poultry litter and ‘energy crops’. Considering its ability to produce energy in the form of heat and electricity this type of energy is extremely flexible The ability to generate electricity is one of the UK’s main concepts 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. 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.)

By the growth of Short Rotation Crops (SRC) the UK is able to maximise the ‘Energy Crops’ return against the plant production overall. Of equal importance is the production of perennial grasses because of their yield of dry matter. Whilst Agricultural and Municipal waste may appear lesser known they are essential to the whole process. Agricultural Waste is commonly formed as a by-product of traditional work in agriculture. Because it comes from food or wood Municipal Waste is also considered a useful biomass product.

Systems Based On Geo-Thermal Energy: Used in the generation of warm water and electricity this energy mainly comes from the Sun and heats the Earth. Having a consistent ground temperature of around 12 degrees centigrade is fortunate for the UK as it allows both the heating and cooling of buildings. With four units replaced for every one unit of energy used these heat pumps are very effective. This system can go even further if energy efficient items such as wind turbines or solar electrical panels are used.

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. However, in more recent times there’s been the option to recover the energy for its own sake – and deliver this either to a home unit or to the local power grid. With regard to wind generation it is the UK that has the highest production within Europe. 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 1 percent. Frankly, electricity can be realised from as little as 2p per kWh as opposed to the current level of 2-10 p per kWh. Recovery of the cost involved is somewhere between 6-9 months.

Within the UK, Hydropower is an energy process that suits the energy generation model. The ability to utilise energy from moving water, much like wind power, has been going on for thousands of years. That said, this type of energy can generate around 2 percent of the total electrical demand for the UK.

It is a Hydropower process, using a turbine that can convert the energy from one for into another. It is by either water drops or Natural River runs that turbines can work through this process ‘Micro-Hydro’ however avoids this system killed off by the larger national distribution methods and plans to use the outdated sluices and dams. This smaller form of electrical output has been recently reviewed and could allocate some 200MW of capacity to the UK system. The expected cost of installing a system such as this would be between 200 pounds and 3k per kW of output.

It can be seen that the route to ‘Green Energy’ is growing considerably, especially in light of the need for increasing energy outputs throughout the Western World. To be fair, the UK domestic market is leading the resurgence with the variety of schemes detailed above.

With the bulk of development work in the domestic field both the Plumbers and Electricians are set to capitalise in this area. You can now get a range of grants to support the growth of renewable energy ideas within the European market. Equally important is the role of gaining qualifications to install items that we have talked about. By mixing green training with those of electrical or plumbing you could cover both angles.

(C) S. Edwards 2009. Look at Green Certification or Click HERE.

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