Air
source heat pumps
An air source heat
pump provides domestic space heating and hot water.
Using proven technology used in the heating and
cooling industry these units upgrade naturally
occurring energy from the air and uses this to
provide domestic space heating and hot water.
The technology has been around the world for decades
and there are a number of systems on the market
that will provide low running costs, low maintenance,
substantial CO² reductions and high performance
heating output.
These units come in various sizes but will provide
sufficient heating for all flat and house types.
For example an 8kw unit will provide sufficient
space and hot water for a typical four bedroom
detached house.
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Solar
water heating systems
Solar water heating systems use heat from the sun
to work alongside your conventional water heater.
The technology is well developed with a large choice
of equipment to suit many applications.
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Solar
PV (photovoltaic)
Solar PV (photovoltaic) uses energy from the sun
to create electricity to run appliances and lighting.
PV requires only daylight, not direct sunlight to
generate electricity and so can still generate some
power on a cloudy day.
Photovoltaic systems use cells to convert sunlight
into electricity. The PV cell consists of one or
two layers of a semi conducting material, usually
silicon. When light shines on the cell it creates
an electric field across the layers causing electricity
to flow. The greater the intensity of the light,
the greater the flow of electricity.
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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.
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Wind
turbines
Wind turbines use the wind's lift forces to rotate
aerodynamic blades that turn a rotor which creates
electricity. In the UK we have 40% of Europe's total
wind energy. But it's still largely untapped and
only 0.5% of our electricity requirements are currently
generated by wind power.
Wind systems can be connected to the national electricity
grid. A special inverter and controller converts
DC electricity to AC at a quality and standard acceptable
to the grid. No battery storage is required. Any
unused or excess electricity may be able to be exported
to the grid and sold to the local electricity supply
company.
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Hydro
power systems
Hydro power systems use running water turning a
turbine to produce electricity. A micro hydro plant
is one that generates less than 100kW. Improvements
in small turbine and generator technology mean that
micro hydro schemes are an attractive means of producing
electricity. Useful power may be produced from even
a small stream.
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Biomass
fuel
Biomass fuel is derived from waste wood sources
or from specially farmed biomass crops such as willow
and other plant species. The fuel is fed into either
a stove or a boiler which provides all or part of
the dwellings heat load requirements.
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There
are many domestic log, wood chip and wood pellet
burning central heating boilers available. Log boilers
must be loaded by hand and may be unsuitable for
some situations. Automatic pellet and wood chip
systems can be more expensive. Many boilers will
dual fire both wood chips and pellets, although
the wood chip boilers need larger hoppers to provide
the same time interval between refuelling.
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