News On Green Engineer Courses

It is the use of tides or wind to deliver our daily energy needs that form 'Green Energy'. 'Green' basically means that all the energy is renewable. 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-effiency and planet friendly options.

Solar Thermal and Solar Water Heating Collectors are examples of what can be used in your house as part of renewable energy technologies. Equally there is electricity that is generated through roof-installed panels. Following on from this is a process known as Biomass Energy - which includes Boilers burning wood and other fuels. 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.

Solar Thermal Energy - By using different technologies, Solar Energy is effectively made up of two types of solar panels. Initially, there is the process of obtaining hot water from the Sun via Solar Water Heating Collectors. Additionally, there is the method of converting solar radiation into electricity known as Photovoltaic - or simply Solar Electrical panels. To get the best results these panels need to be south facing at an angle of around 30 degrees from horizontal, and away from blockages.

With Solar Power being so common within the UK, it's Solar Water Power that is most often used. Solar Water heating systems can meet the need for more than half of all hot water needs in the domestic market. The average cost of installing this type of equipment is expected to range from 500 to 1500 pounds for a DIY system, through to 2-5k for a professionally installed system.

Biomass Energy Systems - Including all natural energy forms derived from plant and animal products - such as wood, straw, poultry litter and 'energy crops'. Considering its ability to produce energy in the form of heat and electricity, this type of energy is extremely flexible. 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. It should be borne in mind that the whole process is designed to produce energy without an impact on CO2. Having a tree planted in place of another (that is felled for energy production) helps overall.

To meet the need, fast growing trees, known as Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) are utilised. Perennial grasses are also responsible for large quantities of dry matter. Within this process also sits the lesser known Agricultural and Municipal Wastes. To begin with, Agricultural Waste is often produced as part of the agricultural process overall. However, waste derived from food or wood is another biomass entity - called Municipal Waste.

Geo-Thermal Energy Based Systems - By naturally heating the Earth, the Sun has the potential to generate both warm water and electricity. Within the UK, the constant ground source heat temperature is around 12 degrees centigrade - and can be utilised to both heat and cool buildings. Heat pumps are recognised as a very good form of power generation, generally giving back four units of energy for every one used. By using energy from solar electrical panels or wind turbines to power them, heat source pumps can be almost 100 percent renewable in energy production.

Systems Based On Wind Energy: As an energy source, wind energy has to be one of the oldest forms of energy creation in history. However, in more recent times there's been the option to recover the energy for its own sake - and deliver this either to a home unit or to the local power grid. To be fair, the UK has the highest level of wind generation within Europe. Although, within the UK we currently only utilise 1 percent of electricity from wind, yet the potential rests at a surprising 10 percent. Rather than electricity production running at 2-10 p per kWh, it could be run at 2p per kWh. Recovery of the cost involved is somewhere between 6-9 months.

Last of all there is Hydropower - an area of especial importance to the UK. The ability to utilise energy from moving water, much like wind power, has been going on for thousands of years. That said, this type of energy can generate around 2 percent of the total electrical demand for the UK.

A hydropower system uses a turbine to create energy from moving water. By using a dam or a natural river drop, these turbines do not require water storage. A 'Micro-Hydro' system creates energy through the use of dams and sluices (that are no longer a part of the national distribution system.) Although a lesser known form of electricity output, this process could supply 200mW of UK demand. 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.

Because of the energy need of the Western World, we are now seeing a rapid rise in 'Green Energy'. The UK domestic market appears to be one of the core beneficiaries of this technology.

With the rise in demand for domestic installations, both Electricians and Plumbers are well placed to take advantage of this technology. With 'Green Energy' rising up the political agenda in Europe, a range of financial aids and grants are becoming available. It is important to gain the correct qualifications to install these items. Electrical or plumbing training that incorporates green technology could be very useful for the future.

(C) Scott Edwards 2009. Hop over to electricalcourseuk.co.uk/Renewable-Energy-Certification.html or Green Engineer Certification.