When our daily energy requirements are met by ‘Green Energy’ then we utilise items such as wind, tides or geothermal heat. ‘Green’ basically means that all the energy is renewable. It’s interesting to note that in some instances we’re actually travelling back in time to utilise some of the older energy skill sets e.g. Wind Power (Windmills etc.) Overall, this is the method of using modern techniques to provide areas such as eco-effiency and planet friendly options.
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 the basic electricity generated through roof-installed panels. Equally important is that of Biomass Energy which includes Stoves, Fuel, Pellets and Boilers burning Wood. Then we have the ancient energy of the Sun and the heat that come it – now often called Ground Source Heat Pumps. At the end there are two of the most mature forms of energy methods in the UK albeit renamed as Wind Turbines and Hydropower.
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 Solar Energy – Often commonly referred to as Solar Energy, this is primarily captured by two types of solar panels; each of which utilises different technologies for the process. As a first draft there are elements absorbing energy from the sun and creating hot water known as Solar Water Heating Collectors. Furthermore, there are the Solar Electrical Panels more correctly known as Photovoltaic heat collectors which changes solar radiation into electricity. To get best results these panels need to be situated 30 degrees from the horizontal, on a south facing roof and obviously free from blockages such as trees and buildings.
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 Systems – Includes all natural forms derived from plant and animal products such as 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. It is a useful point to make that the UK is one of the major producers of Biomass fuels within Europe. It should be borne in mind that the whole process is designed to produce energy without an impact on CO2. That being said the process where each tree felled is replaced by another helps to reduce the overall effect on C02 as a part of energy produced.
A process titles Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) such as Willow and Poplar are used to meet the demands of such ‘Energy Crops’. Perennial grasses are also responsible for large quantities of dry matter. Of equal importance, although maybe less well known are Municipal and Agricultural Waste. Using normal agricultural activity, Agricultural waste is a natural by-product. Another biomass element is that called municipal waste and this comes from wood or food goods.
Geo-Thermal Energy Systems… This is where both warm water and electricity can be produced as by products of the natural heating of the Earth by the Sun. By using the ground source temperature of approximately 12 degrees we can either heat or cool buildings within the UK. Heat pumps are recognised as a very good form of power generation generally giving back four units of energy for everyone used. Without a doubt the energy generated from wind turbines and solar electrical panels alongside heat source pumps can be almost 100 percent renewable.
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 is down to the worldwide energy requirements that sees the growth in ‘Green Energy’. Considering this schemes laid out above the UK domestic market appears to be one of the core beneficiaries of this technology.
With the rise in demand for domestic installations both Electricians and Plumbers are well placed to take advantage of this technology. Not only in the EEC but also in the UK ‘Green Energy’ is rapidly gaining ground as the way forward and a range of financial incentives are in place to support this. It is by gaining the right certificates across the board that will help opportunities and job security for the long term. To that end it may be worth thinking about combined training where you can get plumbing or electrical training along with green knowledge.
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