You’ve probably been hearing a lot about renewable energy but what is it? It’s power from natural sources, such as wind, the sun and water. Using special technology, power from these natural resources is also replenished naturally as well.
What are the benefits?
There are many good reasons to install this technology in your home, such as using local and secure resources, reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide, reducing your energy costs and helping jobs in the renewable energy sector. For more information on renewables or more efficient Boiler Installation Forest Of Dean, Green Planet Heating provide boiler installation in the forest of dean.
There are various methods available for use in the domestic home, including wind turbines, solar panels, hydro power and micro-CHP.
Solar Panels
A solar panel system can also be known as photovoltaics and they catch the energy from the sun using special photovoltaic cells. The cells don’t require direct sunshine, they can still generate some power on overcast days too. The cells convert the energy into electricity, powering appliances in your home and lighting.
Wind Turbines
These generate electricity by harnessing wind power. The UK benefits from almost half of all the wind energy blown across Europe, so we’re well-placed to use it for renewable energy. A smaller, domestic system positioned in an exposed location can generate enough power to run household appliances and lighting.
Hydro
Using either a small stream of water or a river, micro hydroelectricity systems can produce sufficient energy to power a domestic home. The system works by using the downward energy created when water flows downhill. This potential energy is converted into kinetic energy using a turbine which in turn, drives a generator to create electricity.
Micro-CHP
This means micro combined heat and power. It’s a system of generating electricity and heat at the same time using the same source of energy. The main benefit is heat production, with a smaller output of electricity that is still significant enough to run household appliances. A domestic set-up will, on average, produce up to 1kW of electricity in a year and any unused energy can be sold back to the National Grid.
These micro-CHP domestic systems are powered by gas or LPG, with the hope being in the future that they will also use bio-liquids. Despite the use of fossil fuels, the system is still considered to be a low-carbon technology. The systems are of a similar size to a conventional domestic boiler but with the added benefit of producing electricity as well as heat.
Getting started with a renewable system for your home means there are several things to consider. It helps to ensure your home is as energy efficient as possible so you can get the maximum benefit from renewable energy. It’s important to make sure that your property is well insulated and to think about using your household appliances and lighting in a more efficient way.
