Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is a sustainable energy source that comes from the natural environment. Global environmental and economical concerns are the major factors in the interest and pursuit of renewable energy forms.
Biomass
Biomass also known as bio-energy/bio-fuels. It is organic material made from plants, waste or animals. Burning biomass provides heat, examples of biomass fuels include wood, crops, rubbish, animal waste etc. Biomass can also be converted into usable forms of energy like methane gas, ethanol and biodiesel.
Solar Panels
Solar energy uses energy from the sun which can then be converted into forms of energy such as heat and electricity. Solar power plants indirectly generate electricity when the heat from the solar thermal collectors is used to heat a fluid which provides steam that powers a generator. Solar energy can be converted to thermal energy which is used to heat water and space heating for residential, commercial and industrial use.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV)
This form of energy is the conversion of sunlight into electricity. A PV cell is the technology used to convert solar energy directly into electricity. PV systems are often used in remote locations that are not connected to an electric grid.
Wind Power
Wind turbines use blades, rotor and generators which harness the winds energy to generate electricity. Wind energy is an economical power resource and is a clean form of renewable energy.
Heat Pumps
Heat pumps transfer heat from the ground, air or water into a building to provide heating and, in some cases, to pre-heat domestic hot water. There are mainlytwo types of systems used to transfer heat from one medium to another.
Ground Source Heat Pumps
Ground source heat pumps use a buried ground loop which transfers heat from the ground into a building to provide space heating and, in some cases, to pre-heat domestic hot water. As well as ground source heat pumps, air source and water source heat pumps are also available. With a ground source heat pump on average you could save from £350 to £1000 on your heating bills and 2 to 7.5 tons of carbon dioxide per year, depending upon type of fuel replaced.
Air Source Heat Pumps
Air source heat pump absorb heat from air to heat buildings. There are two types of air-source heating systems.
- Air-to-air systems provide warm air, which is circulated to heat the building.
- Air-to-water system heat water to provide heating to a building through radiators or an under floor system.
For more info please contact us or visit www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
