Green Energy - looking at the bigger picture

10 January 2013

What to expect from using Green Energy

Green energy is a hot topic globally. Here in the UK, the question over whether the government is doing the right thing with regards to green energy policy is an on-going issue and a situation that is being debated in many other countries. The procrastination and indecision is severely stalling the progression of the industry and the chance of meeting carbon reduction targets. But one thing is for sure, says Doug Stewart of green energy uk, looking at the bigger picture and taking a long-term approach is crucial when it comes to the renewables sector.

Here, Doug outlines why he believes the delay in committing to policy is adding to the uncertainty in the renewables sector and hampering its development and growth, which ultimately results in the passing of the problem to the next generation. He also puts the spotlight firmly on some of the latest technology that’s being used across the UK for energy generation and explains why the bigger picture of green energy should be a very diverse one, if there is to be a successful future in renewables.

There aren’t many things that are certain in life, but one certainty I can safely cite is the fact that fossil fuels are in finite supply and growing demand on them only serves to accelerate this. Can you remember the days before plugging in mobile phones, PCs, laptops, games consoles, multiple TVs per household, hair styling devices and coffee machines? Most family households these days will have more than one of each of those items. That’s a lot of electricity! And our dependence is not the only thing that’s growing, so is the population.You don’t have to be a rocket scientist – or indeed an environmentalist - to know and understand that we need to look at different ways of generating power. In my opinion, that the current indecision over an energy policy isn’t helping matters, but in any case, what could or should the future of renewable energy look like?

Using nature’s forces is a well-known and popular way to generate power. Wind, solar and hydro power are proven and viable ways to generate electricity – but can they do the job alone? I don’t think so. I think there is a range of weird and wonderful ways out there to create energy and minimise carbon emissions by reducing waste. Ways that many people are unaware of as they just don’t get the media attention that the likes of wind power does and have double benefits for the environment.

Waste not, want not Take pig poo. Ok, you might not want to take pig poo, but it has the ability to power your TV, PC or any other household appliance you wouldn’t associate with such a substance. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a little-known process to the consumer but it involves microorganisms breaking down organic material (such as animal waste) without any oxygen, producing a methane and carbon dioxide-rich bio-gas. This can be burned to produce energy – great – but it also reduces fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions – even better! It doesn’t have to have come from the back end of a pig – cow pats are just as good as well as food waste such as fruit and vegetables; after being processed by macerators, enzymes are added and then left to break down the compounds for 24 hours. In addition to creating energy, the process also produces electric heat and CO2. Using this kind of technology uses a waste stream which would ordinarily be emitting harmful gases into the environment, and reduces the burden on fossil fuels. Not only that, it provides an outlet for companies needing to dispose of food waste responsibly and the nutrient-rich solids left at the end of the process can be used as fertiliser.

Anaerobic digestion plans are a major source of renewable power in countries such as Germany and France already – we need to embrace them to become more mainstream, not alternative. It’s fair to say that the UK has been slow to accept and commit to AD systems as the technology was generally unknown, however, this method of energy generation is being used to power homes and businesses all over the country right now, but you’d rarely see this kind of technology covered in the news. I think that if it was, it would make the issue of green energy more interesting to consumers than listening to rows about the location of wind turbines. Education is key and by spreading knowledge of the growing technologies and creating an interest in them, I believe, would make a huge difference in the numbers of people signing up to greener energy. Anaerobic digestion isn’t the only method being used to convert waste to energy. Biomass generates energy from burning organic material – which can again be animal waste but can also be plant-based waste products from industrial, agricultural or even domestic sources and biodegradable food products such as cooking oil. Both biomass and anaerobic digestion offer the added benefit of disposing of the waste that would ordinarily sit in landfill emitting methane, a gas 20 times more potent than CO2. This should please the greener folk among us, but that brings me to my next point – this isn’t just for the eco-conscious, it can and should be mainstream. The problem with mentioning ‘the environment’ is that people can sometimes put up a barrier, perceiving hassle, cost or time investment. I strongly believe that people can make a difference with little effort or significant cost and I believe making it as easy as possible is the way forward if we’re to convince this group of people that they can make contribute too.

Education to make people vote with their feet Going back to the point about education and knowledge being key, people are probably entirely unaware of the fact that a significant amount of heat created in a standard coal-fired power plant goes to waste, and this could be another factor that would help in the quest to get people voting with their feet. One method of combatting the energy waste, which is more a process than a technology, is through CHP (combined heat and power). It involves the simultaneous generation of heat and power in a single process, meaning CHP plants can actually be up to 95 per cent more efficient than a standard power plant. CHP plants harnesses 'waste' heat for a useful purpose. Whether it’s AD, biomass or CHP, the reason why I am a champion of new technologies in the energy generation arena is because I firmly believe that the future of renewables can only be successful if it is truly diverse. Wind, solar and hydro power are long-term projects on which return on investment isn’t reaped quickly. The infrastructure needed is vast in order to provide a sustained and reliable source of energy. The more diverse we can make the sources the more chance we have of creating an infrastructure that is fed by many areas to create a plentiful flow. The international move towards waste energy is a great one which will allow an outlet for waste streams created by modern society, allow us to feed off it and reduce the burden that our lifestyle puts on depleting fossil fuels. It really does make sense, doesn’t it?

Learning from successful models Before we start thinking that a future where renewables make up a significant percentage of our energy sources is too far off to contemplate, we can look to innovative projects such as that which is to be implemented on the Isle of Wight. Once one of the major energy users in Europe, it has become a test bed for new technologies and plans for a ‘smart grid’ to be up and running within ten years would see the island self-sufficient, using 40 per cent less electricity and paying significantly lower bills. This is a project being developed by Ecoisland, a Community Interest Company (CIC), with funding from major companies such as IBM, Cable and Wireless and Toshiba. The project will look to wind, hydro and solar power and also incorporate waste sources. It’s an exciting prospect and one which could spur many similar projects and reap results that would set a great example for others to follow.

Security for energy and the economy So, if the green element doesn’t swing it, let’s think for a moment about the security angle and how this impacts on the economy. The UK used to be a net exporter of energy and is now a net importer. When you’re importing fuel from potentially unstable parts of the world, and in addition are at the end of the gas pipeline as the UK is, energy security becomes an issue and relying on energy imports can leave a country very vulnerable. Political and financial motives could jeopardise the UK’s supply, as well as global factors such as natural disasters and other world events, which makes for a very insecure situation. Global events like that can have a huge impact on the energy supply chain. On the economic side, although energy created through new technologies isn’t exportable, the technologies developed to create it can be exported to the benefit of the UK economy.

The switch to sustainable energy was never going to be an overnight process, and long-term investment is needed. The government’s dalliance may continue for a while yet and this will stall investment as the market remains in limbo, with companies reluctant to commit funds without knowing which way the policy will go. But ultimately a decision needs to be made, and sooner rather than later, if we’re to leave a planet for future generations that can sustain modern life as we know it

Doug Stewart