Thinking About Green Engineer Training – An A-Z
In a nutshell, ‘Green Energy’ utilises natural resources such as sunlight, wind, tides and geothermal heat to provide our daily energy requirement. They are considered ‘Green’ because they are environmentally friendly. It is easy to think that we may be travelling back in time when we think of items such as wind power and windmills. However, it is the result of eco-efficient and planet friendly options that this process is maintained.
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 electricity that is generated through roof-installed panels. A further factor revolves around stoves and boilers – which are known as Biomass Energy. There is also the ground 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.
Thermal Solar Energy – Typically referred to as Solar Energy this is mainly made up of two types of Solar Panels – each using different methods to achieve similar results. To begin with, we have the concept of drawing energy from the Sun to heat water – known as Solar Water Heating Collectors. Secondly, Photovoltaic heat collectors – often simply referred to as Solar Electrical Panels – which transform the solar radiation into electricity. Obviously situated away from blockages such as chimneys etc., these Solar Panels need to be mounted on south facing roofs at an angle of 30 degrees from the horizontal.
For the UK, this is often considered the most popular form of ‘Green Energy’. Solar Water heating systems can meet the need for more than half of all hot water needs in the domestic market. Getting a professional fitting will cost around 2-5k, however, doing the job yourself could make it as low as 500 to 1500 pounds in total.
Biomass Energy: This term encompasses all forms of natural products – such as plant and animal material. Considering its ability to produce energy in the form of heat and electricity, this type of energy is extremely flexible. Furthermore, within the European Markets, the UK is one of the central producers of Biomass fuels. 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.)
Within this field is the need for the use of ‘Energy Crops’, such as fast growing trees, e.g. Willow and Poplar or other entities grown on a Short Rotation Coppice (SRC). Of equal importance is the production of perennial grasses – because of their yield of dry matter. Other less known materials within this field are Agricultural and Municipal Waste. To begin with, Agricultural Waste is often produced as part of the agricultural process overall. Municipal Waste such as food or wood can also be utilised as a biomass product.
Geo-Thermal Energy Systems… This is primarily the heating of the Earth (mainly from the sun) and can be utilised in electricity and warm water production. Heating or cooling properties in the UK can be achieved using the ground source heat temperature of around 12 degrees centigrade. Whilst these heat pumps require energy to operate, their rate of return is excellent – being four units produced for every one unit used. Heat source pump energy can go one step further (by gaining a 100 percent return) if the energy to power them comes from items such as wind turbines or solar electrical panels.
Systems Based On 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. Whether to your home or to a local grid, when the energy has been generated it must be delivered to a point of 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 power requirement from wind power, at present we only produce 1 percent. Rather than electricity production running at 2-10 p per kWh, it could be run at 2p per kWh. Therefore, recovery of cost takes approximately 6-9 months overall.
Last of all there is Hydropower – an area of especial importance to the UK. Having said that, the art of using energy from moving water (just like wind power) is very traditional. Within the UK, this form of energy production is responsible for somewhere in the region of 2 percent of all electrical needs.
Using a turbine, a Hydropower system can transform the energy of water into other forms. No water reservoirs are required – as the turbines either run through a water drop-off system or the natural power of the river. It is by using the eroded national distribution systems, that allows for outdated sluices and dams to be used by techniques known as ‘Micro-Hydro’. Having said that, this process could still generate 200mW of the National Capacity. When considering the installation cost of items such as this, we’re looking at 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. The UK domestic market appears to be one of the core beneficiaries of this technology.
Electricians and Plumbers in particular are expected to provide the main thrust of domestic installation expertise. With ‘Green Energy’ rising up the political agenda in Europe, a range of financial aids and grants are becoming available. This is a new industry – but getting the right certification can only improve job security and opportunities for the future. Electrical or plumbing training that incorporates green technology could be very useful for the future.
Copyright 2009 S. Edwards. Pop over to Green Engineer Certification or Renewable Energy Certification.
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