Renewable Energy Explained

Renewable energy is sourced from sustainable and renewable origins, primarily, the sun, wind and tides. Normally, this is energy which can be easily renewed, by natural methods.

Solar PV (Photo Voltaics)

Uses the suns energy to produce electricity. This works by sunlight hitting layers of silicon, making electrons move and producing an electric current. Often PV panels are guaranteed to produce for at least 25 years, with many having a longer life expectancy. This is a fast developing technology, with a huge potential. Panels need to be positioned to face the midday sun at the correct angle, to provide optimum efficiency.

Solar thermal

Uses the suns energy to heat water. This is particularly efficient from March until October in the UK. This is an easy technology that most people can add to their existing home.

Wind turbines

Uses our huge wind resources to turn turbines, which produce electricity for our needs. This can be achieved with small scale wind turbines, offshore wind turbines, or larger land wind turbines. There are many innovative advancements with this technology. Wind is a quick and easy way to produce impressive amounts of clean energy.

Water turbines

Uses the gravitational pull on water to turn turbines, which produce electricity for our needs. This is often called hydropower.

Efficient wood burners

The burning of wood has been used as a heat source for millenniums, Recent Improvements in technology of wood burners have helped this become an efficient tool for heating water, creating warmth and producing electricity, in the form of CHP - Combined Heat and Power. Often with very high efficiencies of wood to energy and reduced smoke emissions. The quick growth of trees such as willow offers an easy option for many people to grow their own fuel.

Ground source heat pumps

Uses the natural ambient temperature of the ground to pre-heat water. Regular advancements in this technology make this a cost effective solution, especially for new builds.

Geothermal energy

Uses the warmth from the ground to pre-heat water, often to produce large amounts of electricity. This natural resource is being used across the Earth, especially in Iceland.

Wave and Tidal Power

Uses waves and tidal cycles, to produce electricity for our needs. We are blessed with regular tides caused by the moon, which can be harnessed to help produce our energy needs.

Biogas

Uses waste organic matter and plant crops to produce gas for our energy needs.

Biofuels

Uses plants to produce oil for energy or material for combustion.

Hydrogen fuel cells

A fuel cell uses hydrogen gas to produce electricity. This is achieved by the Hydrogen attaching itself to Oxygen in the cell, giving off H2O as a waste product. Hydrogen gas can be produced by simple electrolysis.

Combined Heat and Power (CHP)

CHP uses the heat produced from combusting biomass or fossil fuels to produce electricity, often with Stirling and Steam engines. This is especially efficient, if producing in the vicinity of usage. Helping to cut out the wastage and inefficiencies of current transmission techniques. This is a technology that has huge potential, especially in larger applications, offering huge efficiencies.

Hydraulic ram pumps

Using clever valve technology, these devices can pump water up hill with no power input, other than running water.

Algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Used to harness the hydrogen it naturally produces, needing only water and sunlight. This can be used as a clean fuel in fuel cells or for combustion.

What Else?

There are many other technologies that are valuable tools for producing, clean renewable energy, which we will continue to add. If there is anything you would like to see here please let us know. Contact Us

Technologies New & Old

For thousands of years mankind has been harnessing the power of the sun, the wind, water and many other renewable energy sources for a variety of different applications. We have used the sun and wind for growing crops, baking bricks, grinding wheat, sailing, cooking and food, to name but a few. Technological advances mean that we can harness those same age old energy sources in new and exciting ways in order to satisfy our energy requirements.

For a simple example, the windmill has been used for generations to grind wheat into flour. Thanks to modern technology we can now use the same basic principles to generate our electricity from the wind, a constant renewable energy source. Another example is the nuclear reaction going on millions of miles away on our sun, which has been used for warmth, drying, cooking food, and baking clay bricks. Nowadays, thanks to advancements with solar PV, we are able to produce our electrical energy from the sun as it shines, rather than relying on stored solar energy in the form of fossil fuels.

The huge growth in renewable technologies continues to offer many new and interesting products, which can harness often abundant energy, satisfying our energy demands.

You may find these links useful :

Small installations

Large installations

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