Renewable Energy
What is renewable energy?
Renewable Energy is important because it is sustainable. Unlike fossil fuels (gas, coal, oil) there are essentially endless supplies (sun, wind). Renewable energy is important for the environment as it produces little or no greenhouse gases. The exception is biomass which is considered as being 'carbon neutral'. This is because the carbon dioxide that is emitted in using the fuel is offset by the carbon absorbed from the atmosphere by the organic material while it was growing.
Producing your own energy at home is often referred to as on-site generation. This is because you are using energy at the point of use, which is in itself efficient because there are no transmission losses. To produce energy at home we use Microgeneration technologies.
What is your policy on renewable energy?
Our policy, in line with national policies, supports and encourages the development of renewable energy in the area. We will also exercise our power as a regulatory authority to encourage appropriate renewable energy technologies that will deliver maximum benefits to the environment and the local economy.
Why would you install renewable energy technologies?
People have different reasons for switching to renewable energy. For example, in some remote rural areas of Perth & Kinross there is no gas supply and perhaps not even an electricity supply. These homes will generally be dependent on expensive energy sources, often brought great distances - a diesel generator for example.
Most renewable energy is Clean Energy. Carbon dioxide emissions are low or zero. This makes a major contribution to a desire to reduce your Carbon or Ecological Footprint - your impact on the global ecosystem. Renewable energy is 'free'. Once you have purchased technology such as a solar panel or micro-wind turbine, the energy is free so long as the technology keeps working. The value of this free energy increases with time as energy prices rise.
There are a number of renewable technologies worthy of consideration by people living in Perth & Kinross.
For heating and/or hot water:
- solar thermal - hot water system
- biomass burners - e.g. wood pellet-burning stove
- ground-source heat pumps
For electricity:
- photovoltaics - solar panels that produce electricity
- micro-wind - small wall-mounted wind turbines
Grants are available towards the cost of all of these.
Can you tell me more about these technologies?
Solar Thermal is by far the most common renewable technology in the housing sector. This is primarily because it is just about cost-effective in an economic 'payback' sense. In other words, it will eventually pay for itself in reduced energy bills. Solar thermal involves installing a panel on your roof and linking this to a hot water cylinder. The panel will meet about 60% of a typical household's hot water needs during a year - more in the summer and less in the winter.
Photovoltaics are very expensive. Many different PV technologies are available - seek professional advice from a company that installs a variety of different types. if you need to replace your roof, this is a good time to consider 'solar shingles' on the southerly elevation. The cost is less if you have to replace the roof anyway!
Micro-Wind turbines are usually attached to a gable end or high up on a wall. It is difficult to estimate the proportion of household electricity needs that will be met - but expect about one-fifth over a year.
Biomass Stoves come in many shapes and sizes, from traditional 'Victorian' style stoves to designer modern stoves that look very space age! Stoves can provide everything from background heating to full central heating with hot water. They use a variety of fuels, such as wood pellets or wood chips or even logs. Before purchasing a biomass stove you should think about where you will obtain fuel - and where you will store it.
Heat pumps come in three types - ground-source, air-source and water-source. Unless you have a small loch in your back garden you can discount water-source heat pumps! Air-source heat pumps are the least efficient but the easiest to retrofit and can be used in homes that do not have gardens.
Ground-source heat pumps are the most common, but you need a fairly sizeable garden to lay the pipes that extract the free heat from about 1.5 metres below the ground.
Want to know more?
The best independent source of information about all of these technologies is the Energy Saving Trust website.
Are there grants for renewables?
Householders and community groups can access grants for a range of technologies from the Scottish Community & Householder Renewables Initiative (SCHRI) which is funded by the Scottish Executive and managed jointly by the Energy Savings Trust (EST) and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). For more information look at
http://www.est.org.uk/schri/
