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Considerations
For A Renewable Energy System
1.
Grants
The
new government programme to support the
installation of Renewable Energy systems
is called the Low Carbon Building
Programme and is just coming on line now.
There is a specific funding stream for
individual property owners, with a pot of
money that will be allocated on a first
come first served basis, through a
continual programme until the money (£6.5m)
runs out. The grant levels vary between
technologies and is subject to regular
review. For example, Solar Hot Water
systems can receive up to £400 regardless
of size of the system, whereas Wind
Turbines can get up to £1000 per kw of
their installed capacity, up to a maximum
of £5000. There are also funding steams
within the programme for communities and
businesses.
To
qualify you will only need to have
installed a reasonable level of energy
efficiency measures. These are:
270 mm of loft insulation
Cavity wall insulation (where appropriate)
Have basic thermostat and programme
controls for your heating systems
Installed low-energy light bulbs (wherever
appropriate)
You
will also need to use an accredited
installer who will be able to assist in
the completion of the application forms.
List of installers are available on the
website 'Green Book Live' – which
replaces the Clear Skies and PV
demonstration programme websites: www.greenbooklive.com/page.jsp?id=4
– and the application forms are
available on the new website from 24th
April 2006 – www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk
- or by telephoning their Helpline on 0800
915 7722
Most
electricity supply companies will also
have a grant system to help their
customers install their own private
renewable energy schemes – contact your
electricity supplier for further
information.
Solar
PV systems can also gain funds from a
separate ‘Solar P.V. Demonstration
Programme’ run by the DTI – go to www.solarpvgrants.co.uk
for further information. This provides up
to 50% of costs for homeowners, up to 65%
for public bodies, and up to 40% for
commercial organisations.
2.
Planning permission
Like
most installations, renewable systems will
often require planning permission. When
thinking about any renewable energy
development it will be worth contacting
your Local Planning Authority and finding
out whether you need to apply for planning
permission. With the Government
recognising the damaging effects of
conventional energy production there is
more and more planning support for
renewable energy developments of any size,
and the need for planning permission
should not be seen as an deterrent for
these schemes.
3.
Green Electricity Tariffs
Even
if installing a renewable energy system is
not suitable for your premises, it is
possible to purchase your electricity from
a renewable source, by switching to a
‘Green’ electricity tariff. This will
typically be available at a slight
premium, but will send a strong message to
electricity companies that green energy is
the preferred consumer option. For further
information on the green tariffs, visit www.greenprices.co.uk,
an independent website dedicated to green
electricity tariffs.
4.
Further Information
For
further and more detailed information on
any of these renewable energy ideas please
contact:
DARE
on 01837 89200, or mail@devondare.org.
DARE also offers a comprehensive range
of site assessments and feasibility
studies for individuals, public bodies,
community groups and commercial
enterprises. To discuss what renewable
energy potential you site may have, what
funding might be available, or to organise
a site visit, please get in touch.
Any of the enclosed suppliers all
of whom are DARE members (N.B. DARE
provides no guarantees about the services
offered by our members);
5.
The economics of a small-scale RE
development
Current
markets are driven by an economics that
aims only for economic growth. Yet it
seems important for our environment that
we address the issues of sustainability as
well as growth.
Responsible consumerism
should not just look at the ticket price
of a good, but also consider all the
attached costs of the production and
provision of a product. It is important
then that when we consider the costs of
the energy we consume we take into account
all the consequences attached to its
production, and not just the upfront
monetary price of purchasing it.
When
thinking about the costs of installing
renewable energy systems we need to make
sure the costs are addressed the in a way
that takes into account the issues of
responsibility and sustainability. In this
way we can fully consider the economics,
viability and appeal of such systems.
There
is one key short-term economic
consideration that cannot be got around
– the initial cost of installing a
system.
Getting some quotes and working out the
type of system you need will answer this
important question: whether you can simply
afford installation costs? If this issue
can be addressed, and with substantial
government funding and reducing prices
this is becoming more and more likely,
then we need to think about the longer
term economic and environmental benefits
of these systems.
Thinking
long-term if the money you save on
conventionally bought fuel or power pays
for a system within the system’s
expected lifetime, then you will have
saved some money (perhaps more than
expected as fuel prices rise), or at the
very least be financially neutral.
These considerations can make renewable
energy systems attractive without even
thinking about the full costs of
conventionally produced energy.
Renewable
energy installations can also add to the
value of properties, and so capital
investment can be substantially offset in
this way by an increase in asset value. Some green
developments already advertise their low
‘carbon rating’ and low running costs
as a selling point, and installing
renewable energy on any building will
bring these attractions and a potential
increase in value. There is an increasing
potential for the introduction of a
‘carbon tax’ on individuals and
businesses, which sees our carbon
emissions taxed in an effort to reduce CO2
production. Whilst this is only a
possibility, opting for a renewable energy
system could potentially reduce financial
burdens of this sort.
Even
if there are no major economic savings,
there are still costs that these systems
do not incur that make them attractive and
viable options in other ways. Primarily these systems will not have the
attached cost of CO2
production, and the resultant threat of
global warming. Global
warming is recognized by many as the
biggest threat to human society we have,
with the potential to lead to worldwide
droughts, agricultural failure, sea-level
rise, increased natural weather disasters,
flooding, and the resulting social
degradation of famine, poverty, and war.
Renewable
energy systems offset the significant cost
of environmental damage resulting from the
CO2 production that comes with
traditional energy sources. For instance a solar hot water system producing
1200KWh of usable heat a year would
prevent the release of 250kg of CO2
per year if displacing gas, and 500kg of CO2
if displacing electricity, according to
the Carbon Trust website. This is a
significant CO2 saving, and
obviously systems producing more energy
would prevent even more C02
being released.
Fossil
fuel supply will diminish, leading to a genuine potential for dramatic
increases in fossil fuel prices in the
foreseeable future. Britain is already
experiencing a steady increase in net
imports as our production starts to
decline. It also seems highly likely that
the global fossil fuel market will become
increasingly more volatile as supply
struggles to keep up with increasing
demand.
For
solar, wind and water there are guarantees
about the source and cost of the energy
– it is abundant, continuing and free.
Biomass fuels will have a price, but with
their production being sustainable, it
seems that they will be widely
available and highly affordable, and
increasingly more and more economically
competitive when compared to fossil fuels.
If
we want our actions as energy consumers to
take into account issues of environmental
sustainability, then we should not
consider only the monetary costs of
installing RE systems. It seems we have
reached a stage where it is crucial for
our environment that we start counting
environmental damage as an actual cost of
energy production.
6.
The Modern Human Problem
For a
serious description of the modern human
problem it is difficult to improve on the
following :-
‘…the cultural assets of modern
societies have buffered us against direct
accountability to the wider ecological
realm, and have diminished our awareness
of it.
The
scale of today’s environmental problems
requires us to seek sustainable ways of
living.
Time is relatively short, the
issues are complex, communities are
naturally conservative, and politicians in
democratic systems have limited horizons.
We may find technologically clever
ways of lessening our environmental impact
and thus preserving our natural resource
base.
The application of biotechnology,
the use of precision farming and water
management, the development of radical new
materials via nanotechnology, and the use
of alternative energy sources may all be
part of the solution.
However, we will need more than
technological ingenuity. We will need to reform our social priorities and economic
systems.
We will need to constrain both
human numbers and levels of
waste-generating consumption in order to
protect the life-supporting systems of the
natural environment.
…..
To
achieve the Sustainability Transition, we
must understand the ecological frame
within which we exist.
The two essential
strategies……are..
(1)
To consume nature’s flows while
conserving the stacks (that is, live off
the ‘interest’ while conserving
natural capital).
(2)
To
increase society’s stocks (human
resources, civil institutions) and limit
the flow of material and energy.
Extracted
from ’Human frontiers, environments and
disease’ by Tony McMichael and published
by CUP 2001
Given
the above situation it is both obvious how
important the urgent development of
sustainable and renewable energy supplies
is, and how difficult it is to persuade
people to forego what they see as personal
benefits and conveniences of their
lifestyles.
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