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Wind power: accessible yet frustrating
Posted by Matthew Rhodes on 8th January 2009 at 1:57 pm
Wind power is one of the most accessible and yet frustrating renewable technologies. It is accessible because it’s relatively easy to install, cheaper than many other renewables at small scale; you can buy it at any size from laptop to leviathan; it produces electricity – which is a very fl…
Posted in: Wind turbines
Microgeneration makes you feel good
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 7th January 2009 at 10:55 am
What makes you feel good? For me, the sun is one of many things. When it pops it's head out on a cloudy day life just perks up. When it streams through my office window on a winter's afternoon, not only am I warmer, but I feel better, and I think I get more done. Watching it light up the hills as i…
Posted in: General, Solar heat & hot water
Energy measuring brings highs and lows
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 11th May 2009 at 11:27 am
I find energy use and carbon emissions difficult to get my head around. You can’t see them or touch them. A monthly direct debit or quarterly bill are distant from the actual use you make of gas, electricity or oil. However, I’ve found a way to make them more visible. I’ve been measuring my us…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
Selling the electricity you generate
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 1st June 2009 at 10:12 am
If you think that choosing your utility supplier is complex and painful, then just wait until you start exploring the tariffs for exporting the electricity you generate back to the grid. There are two main ways of selling your electricity. Some suppliers pay for all the electricity you gen…
Posted in: General, Combined heat & power, Hydro electricity, Solar electricity, Wind turbines
What size and type of turbine is most suitable for my site?
Posted by Graham Eastwick on 26th June 2009 at 10:28 am
Choosing the best wind turbine for your site will depend on a number of factors. The first thing is to determine if you have enough wind. A national database of wind speeds is available and will give you an indication of the wind speed at your home. This can be accessed fr…
Posted in: Wind turbines
Solar panels have never been so attractive
Posted by Chris Rudge on 10th August 2009 at 10:50 am
With the feed-in tariff due to start in April 2010 (after a short consultation period to October) the benefits of installing a solar photovoltaic (PV) system on our houses before the end of the 2009 are probably better than we will ever have again. Simply put, if you have a PV installation befor…
Posted in: Solar electricity
Will it cost me more to harvest rainwater?
Posted by Barry Nutley on 26th October 2009 at 2:32 pm
Rainwater harvesting systems tend to be pumped, causing people to ask the following questions : 1. "Does the cost of running the pump negate any savings made?" 2. "By running a pump, are we increasing our carbon emissions, and negating any environmental benefits?" Well, to answer those…
Posted in: Rainwater harvesting
How grid-connected home-generated electricity works
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 2nd February 2011 at 8:45 am
Understanding how a home microgeneration system switches from solar PV (or wind) generated power to mains electricity and back again is much simpler than you might think. It's all completely automatic and requires no human intervention. The system comes with an inverter, which converts the home g…
Posted in: Green Electricity
How easy is it to use renewable energy 'off-grid'?
Posted by David Hunt on 6th May 2011 at 9:38 am
Q: A friend owns a remote property and has been quoted approx £60k to have his 4 bed house connected to the mains network. He was wondering if he would be better off investing in solar panels or wind generation but he needs a constant supply. Will solar panels cope or would he need a generator too.…
Posted in: Solar electricity, Wind turbines
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