Wind Power in the UK
As we know, the United Kingdom is a windy place, making it ideal for generating electricity with the power of wind. Using a combination of both grid connected wind farms and stand alone turbines, the UK has generated more electricity through wind power than coal power plants since 2016! In 2018 wind power contributed to 18% of electricity generation in the UK and in the first quarter of the year, wind power surpassed nucleur power for the first time ever.
Domestic renewable heat
The UK government has announced their commitment to ‘net zero’ green house gases by 2050. So how can UK residents help to contribute to this goal? These are some options of renewable heating systems you can have installed in your home. Renewable energy comes from clean sources such as sun and wind – which won’t run out.
Solar Heat
Solar water heating or ‘solar thermal’ works by installing a solar collector – this can either be solar panels or solar evacuated tubes onto the roof of your property. Solar collectors absorb the heat from the sun and transfer it into hot water to use in your home. The flat panels or evacuated tubes should be south facing and sit at around 30°
Biomass Boiler
Similar to a conventional gas boiler, biomass boilers provide heating and hot water to your home by combusting sustainable wood pellets, chips or logs instead of using gas or oil. Biomass boilers are larger than regular boilers, which means they require more space. Biomass boilers also need additional space to store the fuel, this will ideally be somewhere convienent for deliveries and feeding the boiler.
Ground Source Heat Pump
Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) can be used to supply heat to radiators, underfloor heating, and water. GSHPs work by extracting heat from the ground and transfering it into your home, the same way fridges extract heat from food and transfer it into the kitchen. The sun heats the earth, and the earth will then store and maintain a temperature of 10°, even through winter so the heat pump can be used year round.
Air Source Heat Pump
Similar to ground source heat pumps, air source heat pumps (ASHPs) can also be used to supply heat to radiators, underfloor heating, and water. ASHPs work by extracting heat from the ambient air (the temperature can be as low as -15 outside°) and transferring it into your home, the same way fridges extract heat from food and transfer it into the kitchen. The air from outside is then compressed by a pump and released at a higher temperature into your heating system.
