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B&Q champions micro generation

B&Q the big DIY retail company is hoping to

“grab the attention of the public and make them think about the possibilities of micro-generation of power”

They intend to do this, in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust, by erecting a giant billboard outside Heathrow airport. The billboard uses windpower to power the lighting on the poster.

Seen on Retail Week

Written by ashleys on October 28th, 2006 with no comments.
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Plight of a Leeds man demonstrates planning problems

A resident of Leeds how wants to install a wind turbine on his semi-detached home in Leeds is facing a long delay to get the required planning permission.  Mike Collins, 66, of Armley, had thought the council would be happy with his proposal and that he would get permission quickly,  however he has experienced two months of delays.

Apparently the council have raised concerns about the potential for noise issues with the wind turbine. Mr. Collins has even gone as far as submitted an engineer’s report which describes the device as “phenomenally quiet”, paid for a site visit to try to speed up a decision, and can’t now understand why  permission has not been granted.

The council states that because this is the first application of its kind they do have to make sure they get this right and that;

“We are pleased to receive, and would positively encourage, such sustainable energy initiatives and are confident that we will make a decision on this application in the very
near future.”

This is all well and good but haven’t council planning offices thought about the concept of best practice? Why is it that every council has to spend months evaluating all the issues surrounding applications like this when they receive their first application? The impact on appearance, surrounding residential amenities and likely noise levels etc. can surely be done at a national level and referred to by local offices.

More details on the Leedstoday site

Written by ashleys on August 24th, 2006 with no comments.
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A true Solar Wind approach!

Now here is a project that will truly get solar wind working. A new project has begun in the Australian outback to build a huge tower that will capture the sun’s energy in a far more efficient way than conventional solar cells or windmills.

Now we normally separate solar and wind energy into two different things, however the reality is that wind is a result, if only an end result, of the power of the sun.  This new project is trying to build a solar tower that will link the solar and wind energy directly. The tower is huge, funnel shaped and made of clear plastic. As the sun heats the air inside the tunnel causing it to rise, the funnel shape causing the air to move faster and faster the narrower the funnel gets. The electricity is then generated by wind turbines housed in the top of the funnel.

When constructed sometime after 2006, the 3,280 foot Solar Tower will generate 200 megawatts. At a typical home consumption of one kilowatt, this will power 200,000 homes and reduce the annual production of greenhouse gases by nearly a megaton.

Read more at the dailyreckoning.co.uk

Written by ashleys on August 20th, 2006 with no comments.
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Micro-Generation of Wind Power - Some Definitions

In this section I would like to focus on the some relevant definitions with respect to the micro-generation of wind power. First a set of more general definitions followed by definitions more specifically relevant to wind power. A lot of these definitions are also available on the great online resource wikipedia, and where relevant I have included a link.

General

Ampere-hour (Ah): Quantity of electricity or measure of charge. (1 Ah = 3600 C [Coulomb])

Electrical grid: An integrated system of electricity distribution, usually covering a large area.

Kilowatt (kW): 1000 watts.

Kilowatt-hour (kWh): One thousand watts acting over a period of 1 hour. The kWh is a unit of energy.

Micro-generation: Defined as generation of a capacity of less than 50 kW. Although there has been some discussion about this.

ROC: Renewable Obligtion Certificate - A certificate that is issued to accrediated generators for each MWh of electricity that is produced from renewable sources. ROC’s can be traded and have a value of approximately £46/MWh, though the value will obviously vary due to market conditions

Wind Power

Constant-speed wind turbines: Turbines that operate at a constant rotor revolutions per minute (RPM) and are optimized for energy capture at a given rotor diameter at a particular speed in the wind power curve.

HAWT: Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine - The most common form of wind turbine in which, as the name suggests, the blades rotate around the horizontal. This is of course the form that most people will be familiar with.

VAWT: Vertical Axis Wind Turbine - In this case the turbine blades rotate about the vertical axis. This design is less common although a number are now being developed for the micro-generation market.

Wind turbines can be classified depending on the blade diameter:

Micro: Less than 1.25 metres

Small: Between 1.25 and 2 metres

Large: Greater than 2 metres

Written by ashleys on May 11th, 2006 with no comments.
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Micro Generation - An Introduction

Micro-Generation- An Introduction

Welcome to the first in a series of articles on micro-generation. This article is an introduction to small scale generation in the UK. I hope you find it useful and please feel free to provide feedback.

It’s about targets

The UK has set targets to source 10% of its electricity from renewables by 2010 and 15% by 2015 with an aspiration to reach 20% by 2020. Other governments have also been setting similar targets, although at the time of writing I haven’t researched any specific details.

The UK Government has said that it believes that micro-generation, which has been defined as under 50kW for electricity, has the potential to make an important contribution to these targets.

Secondary Benefits

Of course in addition to helping governments meet their targets, the micro-generation of power provides a number of secondary benefits such as:

(more…)

Written by ashleys on May 3rd, 2006 with no comments.
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Micro-Generation of renewable energy

I plan to write a series of posts about the potential for the micro-generation of renewable energy. The primary focus will be on how this potential can be tapped and driven by individuals, rather than through the effort of business and government. Due to my present geographic location being in the UK, there will be an unavoidable bias towards the UK but I hope to provide as much generic information as possible. I would certainly welcome any input from anyone on how any aspect of what I cover is reflected in other locations. (more…)

Written by ashleys on April 27th, 2006 with no comments.
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