The workshops, the first of which will be held at the company’s wind farm in Delabole, North Cornwall on 31 October, will provide attendees with advice on how to select the right renewable energy technology, how to plan and finance the technology and how to generate revenue from the energy that is generated.

The company said that the workshops would be aimed at both individuals interested in installing microgeneration technologies such as solar panels and small-scale wind turbines, and businesses interested in installing commercial-scale renewable energy systems on their land.

Seen at BusinessGreen.com

Technorati Tags: Solar wind, solar power, microgeneration

Micro generation report - this is a pdf file so you will need acrobat reader to view the document

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The report which actual has the title “The Growth Potential for Micro generation in England, Wales and Scotland” had been commissioned by the UK government department for business, energy and regulatory reform duly arrived and according to some elements of the press suggests that the use of solar and wind and other forms of micro generation could generate as much electricity as five nuclear power stations! The report did get a lot of press mostly just echoing or at least headlining similar claims.

As you know we are a supporter of micro generation here and have often talked about the need for the UK to develop more effective policies that would support a grater uptake of micro generation. The report largely echoes this view saying that supporting a wider adoption of micro generation will require sustained policy support. In other words the government is going to have to create the environment in which the uptake of micro generation technologies becomes attractive to the public and allows them to overcome the initial up front cost. The report looks at a lot of technologies including Combined Heat and Power (CHP) units and not just home wind and solar.

One thing is clear it is going to cost and cost a lot. But then as I see it all solutions at this point are going to cost and we need to find the right approach to spending that money without wasting money. It is also equally clear, to me at least, that micro generation is not the complete solution, just like nuclear isn’t either, but it is certainly one which has the potential to provide a significant contribution to the solution. It is one approach for which the economics are all going in the right direction and with significant uptake is only going to develop more effective technologies and innovations and reduced cost to the consumer.

Technorati Tags: micro-generation, solar, wind.

“People used to be attracted to living off-grid for largely environmental reasons, although that is now changing as energy prices rise”

Of course it helps to live in Arizona with good wind and plenty of sun but it is an interesting read and the photographs are definitely worth a look.

The report also quotes Nick Rosen author of the book “How to Live Off-Grid.”

“Because of technology advancing … and because of high house and energy prices … there are a lot more people moving off grid.”

Well OK, but in my mind, I don’t see the imperative to move completely off grid, but as Nick says, solar, wind and other technologies are advancing to make home generation a more attractive option, reducing energy costs and potentially feeding back to the grid. All we need now is feed in tariffs in the UK to keep things move forward and bring balance to the grid …… OK so now I sound like Yoda, so I’m going to stop.

Technorati Tags: solar-power, wind-power, micro-generation

This seems to be a good approach as it ensure it includes energy conservation in the equation we should always be the first thing a homeowner looks at prior to investing in micro generation. However I am still of the opinion that the UK should be looking at feed in tariffs as a more effective way to drive the uptake of micro generation, and help foster supporting industries.

Anyway all we have to do now is wait and see what the the announcement really says!

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Very interesting stuff!

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There is an interesting debate going on presently in The Shetland News letters pages where questions have been raised about the reality of Sustainable Shetland’s proposed alternatives. Here is that organisation’s reply. Good stuff!

Micro generation is increasingly seen as a potential contribution to the solution, which can only be a good thing

Technorati Tags: Wind-power, micro generation

“It would be good, therefore, to dismantle some of the barriers that make it tough for new suppliers to enter, particularly those that are trying to develop innovative businesses in renewable energy and micro generation.”

Hear, hear, absolutely and lets get the whole idea of feed in tarifs back on the agenda as soon as possible too.

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Given that the whole housing market appears to be going south rapidly though , I am not sure that Barratts are going to find the apartments in the development easy to shift. It would interesting to see if the environmental features make it them more or less attractive to pontential buyers. What do you think?

Read more here
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