Climate Change is Real - It's Official

 Two major reports in the past couple of months have significantly moved forward the debate on climate change.

1. The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change was commissioned by the UK Government and looked at how climate change will impact the economy and what needs to be done to mitigate the impacts. Its key finding was that it will cost less to prevent climate change now, than to do nothing and pay the price later. This had a major impact across the world and directly led to many major corporations developing their own plans to reduce their own carbon emissions. For the first time climate change was presented as a serious economic issue, and not just a "green" one, and the business community stood up and took notice like never before.
    

2. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently said average temperatures were probably going to increase by 1.8-4C by the end of the century. Whilst this is maybe not news to everyone, for the first time the IPCC left no room for doubt that climate change is being caused by human activity and not natural circumstances. This report will be used by all the major Governments of the world to drive their own policies over the next few years.

Nobody is now denying the existence of serious climate change caused mainly by the releasing of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels. The debate now is what we can do about it and how fast we need to act.

Renewable Energy

Everybody would agree that a massively increased use of renewable energy is part of the answer, along of course with greatly improved energy efficiency measures, which are also vital.

Renewable energy is clean, safe and given short term support, cost effective compared to other forms of energy. We can generate power from the wind, the sun, water, tides and energy crops. No one technology can provide all the world’s needs and it is therefore essential to develop a diverse range of renewable energy sources, each tailored to the local resources.

The European Union

The EU has long been at the forefront of world action and through its support for renewable energy and energy conservation has led the way for many years and funds numerous programs to support the development of the technology.

The EU has a target of 12% of all electricity to be generated by renewable energy by 2010, and this target looks like it could be met, or certainly close to it. It is expected that a target of 20% by 2020 will be adopted, but there will be some pressure to increase that in the light of the above reports.

The UK

In recent years the UK has put climate change and renewable energy very high up the agenda, but has maybe not delivered on all the promises made. The UK's targets are in line with those of the EU, and largely thanks to a massive increase in wind power, supported by Renewable Obligation Scheme, the UK will at least come close to meeting these targets.

Part of the UK Government’s strategy is micro generation, which is local generation for homes and businesses. Whilst no individual project will have the same impact as a large wind farm, or tidal barrage scheme, the cumulative effect of millions of small scheme at homes, offices, farms and industrial units can be significant. A report by the EST, Potential for Micro generation, predicts that with the right level of support, micro generation could provide over 40% of the UKs electricity needs by 2050.

Segen intends to be at the forefront of the effort to deliver micro generation solutions on an every increasing scale.

Micro-hydropower

Before the industrial revolution the main source of power in the UK was micro-hydro. Micro-hydro is defined as hydropower systems with power outputs up to 100 kW. Times have changed, and now the dominant renewable energy source is wind power, with micro-hydro lagging some way behind. In the UK however there is a resurgence in interest in micro-hydro.  Several companies that specialise in the technology have emerged and are working on projects all over the country.  The skills-package required to develop smaller hydropower sites is different from that for larger ‘utility scale’ hydro projects, mainly because rather than having dedicated teams of engineers designing specific parts of the system, a micro-hydro engineer has to be competent in all of the disciplines, from hydrology to mechanical, electrical and civil engineering design.

Available Micro-hydro Resource

No comprehensive resource assessments have been carried out to work out exactly how much energy could be generated from micro-hydro.  There were reputedly 5,000 watermills recorded in the Doomsday survey of 1086, and then this number grew over the next millennium to reach tens-of-thousands by the turn of the twentieth century.  Many of these sites still exist and could be reactivated to generate electricity.  In addition to this there are many other potential sites in wet hilly terrain that were never developed historically to generate mechanical power for milling, but could be developed now to generate electricity for export to the grid, provided a suitable grid connection point exists.  There are also many opportunities within the water supply and water treatment industries, all largely untapped.

A Micro-hydro Project

So what are the normal project stages to develop a micro-hydro site?

· The first step is a feasibility study which would determine the flow resource and the head (drop of water) available at the site, then specify the optimum type of turbine and electrical system, recommend locations for the hardware and estimate the maximum power output and annual energy production.

· Following the feasibility study the next stage is outline system design and obtaining the Environment Agency licenses and planning consents.

· Once the consents are secured, the detailed design can begin and the turbine and other key components can be ordered and work begins on the installation site.  Preparatory works are then completed to prepare the ground for the turbine arriving, plus install the intake screens and any inlet pipe work.

· Next comes the main installation phase, where all of the parts are bolted together and the wiring completed, before the system is brought into life and commissioned.

· The main issue with the ongoing maintenance of micro-hydro systems is keeping the intake screen clear of accumulated debris, which can be a particular issue during autumn when the river is full of leaves.  Larger systems would use automatic intake-screen cleaners, though even these need an eye kept on them.  The turbines and generators need only basic lubrication maintenance, and then usually give many decades of trouble-free operation.  There are many examples of turbines over 100 years old still operating in the UK.  Some of these are utility-scale hydro systems, which easily makes hydropower the longest-lived of power generation systems.

The industry is now set for rapid growth for many years to come and the UK's waterways will be put to work again after a break of over a century!

If you would like further information on micro-hydro systems, please contact Hydro Generation Ltd which is now part of the Segen group.

Hydro Generation Contact Details

 Address:    Wimberley Mill, Knapp Lane, Brimscombe, Stroud GL5 2TH

 Phone:       +44 (0)845 094 1802                                              Fax:    +44 (0)845 094 1803
 Email:         http://www.hydrogeneration.co.uk/contactus.htm  Web: www.hydrogeneration.co.uk

Which Turbine Should I Buy?

For the first time in four months, Segen isn't announcing a new product this month, so we thought we'd recap and take time out to look at the range of small wind turbine options now available from Segen.

A medium sized average home requires between 4–6 MWh of energy per annum. A school, office, community centre or farm will almost certainly use a lot more. The Iskra AT5-1 5kW turbine (pictured on the left) is capable of supplying an average house at an AMWS of about 4 m/s and can supply considerably more annual energy on a windier site, as is shown by the table below.

The Southwest Windpower Whisper 500 (pictured to the right) is a smaller device, at 3.2kW, and therefore will produce less annual energy, but costs proportionally less.

For larger applications, e.g. schools, golf clubs, farms, community centres and commercial premises the larger, more powerful, Westwind 20 20kW turbine may be more appropriate. This will generate approximately 30MWh per year at a moderately windy site.

And finally, newly introduced into the UK is the brand new Southwest Windpower Skystream 3.7, (pictured below to the left), which is an innovative 1.9kW turbine with all the electronics for the grid connection built-in to the turbine head. This helps to bring the cost down of both the system and the installation. This is an ideal turbine for smaller domestic applications, and can be sited significantly closer to neighbour's properties than any of the other turbines we offer.

An assessment of the power requirements of your particular application and a wind speed assessment of your site, will need to be made in order to determine which turbine will meet all your needs, however the question may not be as important as you might imagine ...

The wind turbine, and your property, will be connected to the national grid, so whenever you need more power than the wind turbine can produce, it will simply come from your electricity supplier as it does now.

When your turbine produces more power than you need, it is exported to the grid, and you get paid for the surplus.

Cost will of course be a major factor in your decision, and in general you should purchase the largest turbine that you can afford if you want to maximise your savings in electricity costs and environmental impact, however your neighbours and local planning authorities may not agree.

Shown to the right is a comparison table showing the expected energy generation from each of the turbines Segen now sells, and their key specifications.

Segen's web site is being constantly updated with more information on all these products, so pay a visit to our Products page and browse the updated data sheets.

How Much Wind Do I Have?

This is one of the hardest questions to answer with any accuracy. Segen has always provided a quick wind speed checker which works off your postcode, but this is only a very approximate method based upon a Government funded computer model of the UK. It is only accurate (if that is the right word) to within 1km, and that can be a big difference if you are on the South, rather the North, side of a hill.

One thing you can do is actually measure your wind speed with an anemometer, which simply measures the wind speed. When this is connected however to a data logger, you can collect and analyse your average wind speed over a period of time.

So why you might ask, do we not recommend doing this for every prospective site to obtain a more accurate wind speed?

The answer generally is that you would need to measure the wind speed for a period of at least 3 years to get a truly accurate average, as the wind speed not only varies during a year, but you can get "windy” and "calm” years, which can make a significant difference.

There are many DIY solutions available, including one from Better Generation for only £60, but to be genuinely useful, this will need to be mounted on a tower and not just attached to the side of your house.

A more sophisticated system is available from Prodata (illustrated to the left), and whilst this is more expensive, at around £400, it provides many additional features that you might find of use.

The process of collecting, and analysing the data can be a complex and skilled process, and generally we would say is best left to an expert, as many adjustments need to made to cater for local conditions before any meaningful data can be produced. A company called Sustainable Energy Systems can provide an all inclusive measuring service for approximately £400 for three months, including the rental of the equipment and tower.

The above links are simply a few we have picked out for you, so if you want to have your own measurements, try a Google search for "wind speed measurement”, and see what else you can find.

Planning Permission Service

Segen has now helped over 100 prospective customers apply for their planning permission for a small wind turbine, and we are now offering a service where, for a modest fee, Segen will undertake the whole process on your behalf.

This service will be inclusive of preparing a bespoke planning application, including a photomontage of your proposed installation and referencing information in the local development plan to enhance the chances of success.

The normal fee for this service will be £400 + V.A.T. for a domestic application, but as a special launch offer during March only, Segen is offering this for only £250 + V.A.T. This offers exceptional value for money, as this includes the normal domestic planning application fee of £135 and any costs for a scale plan, which can be £20-£50 depending on the size required.

Upcoming Events

Segen is an active supporter of local renewable energy events across the country and will be supporting and exhibiting at the following locations:

• 17th March 2007 Customer Open Day near Witham, Essex and in Denbeighshire, Wales

• 27th March 2007 Segen will be exhibiting at the Envirenergy North West exhibition.  Join us at Stand 49.

• 31st March 2007 Segen is holding an Open Day at the Eden Project in Cornwall. A chance to see one of Segen's most prestigious installations at the world famous eco park.

There is a constantly updated list of Segen and other renewable events on our News and Events page.

Please contact us if you wish to attend any of these events, or if you know of an event you would like us to publicise.

Segen launches grant service for School and Community organisations seeking to install clean energy systems.

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