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Thinking About Green Engineer Training - An A-Z

February 28th, 2010

It is the use of tides or wind to deliver our daily energy needs that form ‘Green Energy’. When ‘Green’, they are all thought to be replenishable and natural. It’s interesting to note that in some instances we’re actually travelling back in time to utilise some of the older energy skill sets e.g. Wind Power (Windmills etc.) Overall, this is the method of using modern techniques to provide eco-efficiency and planet friendly options.

In the home environment, one can see examples such as Solar Thermal and Solar Water Heating Collectors. Moving on from this there are the Photovoltaic Panels (PV’s) which can generate electricity from your roof. Equally important is that of Biomass Energy - which includes Stoves, Fuel, Pellets and Boilers burning Wood. We now also have Ground Source Heat Pumps - which draw out the heat left by the Sun. Not all ‘Green Energy’ is new - by considering Wind Power and Hydropower we are looking at some of the oldest 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.

Within Solar Energy overall, Solar Water Power is most commonly used in the UK. With the capacity to deliver 50 percent plus of a household’s hot water requirement annually, Solar Water heating systems are crucial to energy in the UK. Typically, to fit this type of equipment will cost between 500 and 1500 pounds for a DIY kit - all the way up to 2-5k for a full professional fitting.

Biomass Energy Based Systems: 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. The ability to generate electricity is one of the UK’s main green strengths - as it has one of the larger Biomass legacies within Europe. Added to all this, is the lack of C02 produced as a by-product of the whole process. Having a tree planted in place of another (that is felled for energy production) helps overall.

‘Energy Crops’ trees such as Willow and Poplar play a major part in the process - under the banner of Short Rotation Coppice (SRC). Perennial grasses also produce a high yield of dry matter. Within this process also sits the lesser known Agricultural and Municipal Wastes. Agricultural Waste is commonly formed as a by-product of traditional agricultural work. Another biomass source is that of municipal waste - and this comes from recycled wood or food.

Systems Based On Geo-Thermal Energy: By naturally heating the Earth, the Sun has the potential to generate both warm water and electricity. Using the ground temperature of around 12 degrees in the UK - we can both heat and cool buildings. These heat pumps do need some power to operate; but for every one unit of energy they use, they generate four units of energy in return. This system can go even further - if energy efficient items such as wind turbines or solar electrical panels are used.

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.

By using a turbine, a Hydropower system can transfer the kinetic energy of moving water into another form. Turbines use either a water drop (e.g. through a dam) or by a natural ‘run of the river’ - thereby having no water storage reservoir. ‘Micro-Hydro’ however utilises old outdated sluices and dams. Although a lesser known form of electricity output, this process could supply 200mW of UK demand. The expected cost of installing a system such as this would be between 200 pounds and 3k per kW of output.

Because of the energy need of the Western World, we are now seeing a rapid rise in ‘Green Energy’. The UK is very well placed to provide most of the schemes set out above, and the UK domestic market again is one of the key 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.

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