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.
It is the use of simple renewable energies such as Solar Thermal and Solar Water Heating Collectors that suits the home environment. Following on it is items such as the Photovoltaic Panels (PV’s) that develop electricity through suitable roof-panels. Equally important is that of Biomass Energy which includes Stoves, Fuel, Pellets and Boilers burning Wood. There is the old 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.
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.
Thermal Solar Energy – This technology is based around two core types of knowledge to achieve the results known as Solar Energy. At a first strategy we have Solar Water Heating Collectors which basically creates hot water from solar energy. Then we have the work of the Photovoltaic Heat Collectors, often called Solar Electrical Panels which transform solar radiation into electricity. Obviously situated away from blockages such as chimneys these Solar Panels basically need to be mounted on south facing roofs at an angle of 30 degrees from the horizontal.
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.
Systems Utilising Biomass Energy: 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. With one of the largest production legacies within Europe, the UK is a main player in Biomass produced electricity in the area. It should be borne in mind that the whole process is designed to produce energy without an impact on CO2. With each tree being planted as another is felled you can see how the C02 produced during heating is minimised and why the system is deemed sustainable.
‘Energy Crops’ such as Willow and Poplar play a major part in the process under the banner of Short Rotation Coppice (SRC). Also producing high yields of dry matter are perennial grasses. Municipal and Agricultural waste products are both little known but essential materials to this field. Agricultural Waste is commonly formed as a by-product of traditional work in agriculture. Of equal importance is Municipal Waste, which comes from wood and food.
Geo-Thermal Energy Based 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. Using the ground temperature of around 12 degrees in the UK we can both heat and cool buildings. With four units replaced for every one unit of energy used these heat pumps are very effective. The energy generated by a heat source pump can in fact be considered 100 percent renewable, if the power to operate the pump comes from solar electrical panels or a wind turbine.
Wind Energy Based Systems – As an energy source wind energy has to be one of the oldest forms of energy creation in history. That aside the ability to generate energy and transfer this onto homes or the local grid has been a relatively new option. The UK alone is considered one of the best sources of wind generation within Europe. Although, within the UK we currently only utilise 1 percent of electricity from wind, yet the potential rests at a surprising 10 percent. Rather than electricity production running at 2-10 p per kWh it could be run at 2p per kWh. It is from this that the recovery process takes around 6-9 months.
Then there is Hydropower – something within Europe that the UK excels in. Having said that the art of using energy from moving water, as like wind power is very traditional. In total, this could result in something like 2 percent of all electricity produced in the UK.
A hydropower system transforms the kinetic energy of the moving water into another type of energy by means of a turbine. The important thing is that without relying on water storage the turbines can generate electricity. A ‘Micro-Hydro’ system creates energy through the use of dams and sluices that are not considered in the larger national distribution schemes. This process alone could meet 200mW of the UK requirement. When considering the install cost of items such as this it is worthwhile to think about the return which rests somewhere between 200 pounds and 3k per kW of energy created.
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. Within the UK and mainly the domestic sector we are well placed to take advantage of the schemes listed above.
It is the drive for installations in the domestic sector that looks to favour jobs such as plumbers and electricians. With ‘Green Energy’ rising up the political agenda in Europe a range of financial aids and grants is becoming available. Getting the right qualifications can often provide job security in a new field such as this. Training such as electrical or plumbing that incorporates green technology would be very useful for the future.
Copyright 2009 S. Edwards. Pop to Green Engineer Training or Green Engineer Courses.