‘Renewable’ and ‘sustainable’ energy are becoming pretty common buzz words but what image does this normally induce? Solar panels and wind turbines?
Yes, these are important and viable technologies but there are so many innovative technologies out there that can save, if not generate, energy saving money in addition to reducing your carbon footprint.
Let’s start with energy generation. The major renewable technologies utilise the weather and the environment to generate electricity. The sun powers PV arrays, winds drive wind turbines and water reservoirs drive hydro turbines. Why stop there? Over two thirds of the earth is ocean and this contains a tremendous amount of energy which is always on the move. Tidal currents can be utilised to power ‘underwater wind turbines’ whilst the power in mid-ocean waves can be collected and distributed to houses in-land.
Whilst heat isn’t strictly electricity, it still requires fossil fuels as an energy supply in order to heat a building and the hot water supply. Heat pumps are great technologies; these utilise a temperature gradient (a difference in temperature between two sources) to transfer heat into a system that can be processed and distributed as heating. The exact source of the temperature gradient can vary. A ground source heat pump would utilise a pipeline buried a few meters underground, whilst an air source heat pump uses outside air. Similar ideas can also be extended for water supplies, albeit ground water or sea water. Another innovative idea I found is called a heat recovery ventilation system. This system extracts warm, damp air from areas such as bathrooms and kitchens and extracts the heat that would otherwise be lost to the environment. This heat can be transferred to incoming fresh air or used for domestic hot water.
Ok, so by this point you’re probably thinking all these ideas are great but surely they’re going to cost money? Of course there would be some initial investment but the government has introduced feed-in-tariffs for renewable projects and funding from Carbon Trust may even be possible. But for those of you still unsure there are still many alternatives. Increasing wall insulation, rain water harvesting, and reducing energy consumption by doing the smallest of things such as turning off that light switch to name a few.
And on the talk of lighting there are so many innovative products out there that can save electricity, money and reduce your carbon footprint. Pretty much any light that is produced will have an energy efficient solution ranging from residential to commercial and industrial applications.
In order for a truly sustainable future, all of the above technologies need to work in unison with the best technology being chosen for the correct application. So next time you think about renewable energy don’t just think solar panels and wind turbines – think ‘what really is the best renewable technology for me?’
Martin White
ReGen Power 
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