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UK Solar Training Courses Examined
By Jason Kendall | February 19, 2010
In a nutshell, ‘Green Energy’ utilises natural resources such as sunlight, wind, tides and geothermal heat to provide our daily energy requirement. They are thought to be ‘Green’ due to the fact that they are easily restored and natural. The older energy skill sets often have value set in times gone by especially when we think of wind power and windmills. Generally this is a result of using up to date ideas, specifically those relating to planet friendly and eco-efficiency.
It is the use of simple renewable energies such as Solar Thermal and Solar Water Heating Collectors that suits the home environment. Following on it is items such as the Photovoltaic Panels (PV’s) that develop electricity through suitable roof-panels. Equally important is that of Biomass Energy which includes Stoves, Fuel, Pellets and Boilers burning Wood. There is the old heat from the Sun now known as Ground Source Heat Pumps. Considering items such as Wind Power and Hydro Turbines we are finally getting to very old forms of energy production.
Covering each area in turn we will also be able to look at the skills required by those who want to train in this field. Thinking about the items raised, Gas and Electrician Engineers and Plumbers could all benefit from these points. In light of the above it is worth gaining as much intelligence as possible, so try out our pages on Electrical, Green and Plumbing careers. CTRL-D this site now so that you can come back later and look at the links and adverts of relative training providers.
Thermal Solar Energy – This technology is based around two core types of knowledge to achieve the results known as Solar Energy. At a first strategy we have Solar Water Heating Collectors which basically creates hot water from solar energy. Then we have the work of the Photovoltaic Heat Collectors, often called Solar Electrical Panels which transform solar radiation into electricity. Obviously situated away from blockages such as chimneys these Solar Panels basically need to be mounted on south facing roofs at an angle of 30 degrees from the horizontal.
With Solar Power being so common within the UK it is now Solar Water Power that often comes to mind. With the ability to provide almost half the annual need for hot water in the house then Solar Water heating systems is very important. The average cost of installing this type of equipment is expected to range from 500 to 1500 pounds for a DIY system, through to 2-5k for a professionally installed system.
Biomass Energy Systems – Although in the modern world this now includes ‘Energy Crops’ it also takes in suitable plant and animal substances. Considering its ability to produce energy in the form of heat and electricity this type of energy is extremely flexible The ability to generate electricity is one of the UK’s main concepts as it has one of the larger Biomass legacies within Europe. One of the main factors of this style of energy is the result without the impact on C02. To that end, many wood crops come from sustainable sources (as one tree is felled, another is planted in its place; thus the new tree absorbs the CO2 produced during the heating process.)
Within this field is the need for the use of ‘Energy Crops’, such as fast growing trees, e.g. Willow and Poplar or other entities grown on a Short Rotation Coppice (SRC). Perennial grasses are also responsible for large quantities of dry matter. Within this process also sits the lesser known Agricultural and Municipal Wastes. Using normal agricultural activity, Agricultural waste is a natural by-product. Another biomass element is that called municipal waste and this comes from wood or food goods.
Geo-Thermal Energy: By naturally heating the Earth by the Sun one of the offshoots is the potential to generate both warm water and electricity. Having a consistent ground temperature of around 12 degrees centigrade is fortunate for the UK as it allows both the heating and cooling of buildings. Although heat pumps require energy to function their rate of return is superb being a fourfold benefit against the energy put in. This system can go even further if energy efficient items such as wind turbines or solar electrical panels are used.
Wind Energy Based Systems – As an energy source wind energy has to be one of the oldest forms of energy creation in history. That aside the ability to generate energy and transfer this onto homes or the local grid has been a relatively new option. The UK alone is considered one of the best sources of wind generation within Europe. Although, within the UK we currently only utilise 1 percent of electricity from wind, yet the potential rests at a surprising 10 percent. Rather than electricity production running at 2-10 p per kWh it could be run at 2p per kWh. It is from this that the recovery process takes around 6-9 months.
Last of all there is Hydropower an area of especial importance to the UK. Just like a thousand years ago we are looking utilising energy from water. It is this type of energy production that meets 2 percent of all the UK’s demand.
By using a turbine a Hydropower system can transfer the kinetic energy of moving water into another form. No water reservoirs are required as the turbines either run through a water drop system or the natural run of the river. ‘Micro-Hydro’ however avoids this system killed off by the larger national distribution methods and plans to use the outdated sluices and dams. Although a lesser known form of electricity output this process could supply 200mW of UK demand. So installing a system like this could cost between 200 pounds and 3k per kW of energy created.
Due to the energy requirements worldwide ‘Green Energy’ is naturally growing at a fast rate. The UK is well placed to provide most of the schemes set out above, and the UK domestic market again is one of the key beneficiaries of this technology.
With the bulk of development work in the domestic field both the Plumbers and Electricians are set to capitalise in this area. You can now get a range of grants to support the growth of renewable energy ideas within the European market. This is a new industry but getting the right certification can only improve job security and opportunities for the future. By mixing green training with those of electrical or plumbing you could cover both angles.
(C) 2009 – S. Edwards. Visit Click HERE or Green Engineer Courses.
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