Basically the ideas is how ‘Green Energy’ meets our everyday needs supplied by natural resources such as wind, tides and even geothermal heat. ‘Green’ basically means that all the energy is renewable. It is easy to think of the fact that we are often travelling back in time, especially when we think of items such as wind power and windmills. 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. For electricity created through roof-installed panels you would need elements such Photovoltaic Panels or PV’s. Another key element is that of Biomass Energy, which relates to Stoves and Boilers burning Wood, Fuel and Pellets. We now also have Ground Source Heat Pumps which is simply the heat from the Sun. Lastly, there are two of the more historical forms of energy production namely Wind Turbines and Hydropower.
For those wanting to train in this area we will expand on each section and cover off some of the skills required. Working in the field of Plumbing, Gas or as an Electrician you can see that the points raised would be of value to you. It would definitely be worth looking at modern careers such as Electricians, Plumbers and Green engineers and see how they relate to this information. So we have researched this site and added links and adverts for interested parties and bookmark via CTRL-D.
Solar Thermal Energy – Typically referred to as Solar Energy this section is mainly made up of two types of Solar Panels each using different methods to achieve similar results. To begin with we have the idea of drawing energy from the Sun and making hot water known as Solar Water Heating Collectors. Added to this is the generation of electricity from solar radiation known as Photovoltaism or more commonly Solar Electrical panels. 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.
With Solar Power being so common within the UK it is now Solar Water Power that often comes to mind. With the ability to provide almost half the annual need for hot water in the house then Solar Water heating systems is very important. The average cost of installing this type of equipment is expected to range from 500 to 1500 pounds for a DIY system, through to 2-5k for a professionally installed system.
Biomass Energy Systems – Although in the modern world this now includes ‘Energy Crops’ it also takes in suitable plant and animal substances. 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. One of the main factors of this style of energy is the result without the impact on C02. 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.)
A process titles Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) such as Willow and Poplar are used to meet the demands of such ‘Energy Crops’. Perennial grasses also produce a high yield of dry matter. Of equal importance, although maybe less well known are Municipal and Agricultural Waste. As a by-product, Agricultural Waste is simply part of the process of agriculture. However, derived from food or wood is another biomass entity – Municipal Waste.
Geo-Thermal Energy Technology: The constant energy of the Sun to heat the Earth results in both warm water and electricity being produced. Within the UK, the constant ground source heat temperature is around 12 degrees centigrade and can be utilised to both heat and cool buildings. 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 generates comes from items such as wind turbines or solar electrical panels.
Wind Energy Systems: The use of wind as a source of energy has been going on for thousands of years, especially in milling grain and pumping water. Whether to a home or local grid when the energy has been generated it must be delivered to appoint if 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 requirement from wind power at present we only produce 1 percent. Electricity can be produced from as little as 2p per kWh, but generally comes in somewhere between 2-10p per kWh. Because of this it is estimated that it takes between half a year to three quarters of a year to cover the costs.
Last of all there is Hydropower an area of especial importance to the UK. Just like a thousand years ago we are looking utilising energy from water. It is this type of energy production that meets 2 percent of all the UK’s demand.
By using a turbine a Hydropower system can transfer the kinetic energy of moving water into another form. No water reservoirs are required as the turbines either run through a water drop system or the natural run of the river. ‘Micro-Hydro’ however avoids this system killed off by the larger national distribution methods and plans to use the outdated sluices and dams. Although a lesser known form of electricity output this process could supply 200mW of UK demand. So installing a system like this could cost between 200 pounds and 3k per kW of energy created.
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. Look for combined electrical and plumbing training, with a key emphasis on practical green systems and installation.
Copyright 2009 Scott Edwards. Hop over to Green Engineer Training or www.plumbingtraining4u.co.uk/Green-Engineer-Courses.html.
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