Solar photovoltaic panels

Paul Norris has the kind of power bill we all dream of - his electricity supplier sends him a cheque.

He generates so much electricity from the solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roof of his three-bedroom house in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, that he not only satisfies his own needs but also exports excess supplies to the National Grid.
Since Chelsfield Solar (www.chelsfieldsolar.co.uk) installed the system in April last year, he has been able to wave goodbye to his £300 annual power bill and now receives a cheque for £200 from his electricity company, Scottish and Southern Energy (www.scottish-southern.co.uk).
Paul could also make more than £130 per annum, if he was prepared to endure the Government's convoluted support system. This involves Renewable Obligations Certificates (ROCs), which are accrued by those generating renewable energy and are purchased by suppliers so they can meet their eco-obligations.

Although the value of a ROC is set by the market, it is typically around £45 and a large PV system like Paul's can amass three a year, which should sweeten the move to renewable energy considerably.

Alas the process, which was originally designed for large-scale enterprises, is so bureaucratic it is likely to deter the average homeowner.

"I intended to register but I haven't been able to face the red tape," he says.

Even without the ROCs, Paul has estimated that his PV system - which cost him £8,500, because he received a 50 per cent grant from the Government - will pay for itself within 14 years. However, the grant has now been capped at £2,500.

full article

Thin-layer Solar Cells

Enough solar energy falls on U.S. soil to provide 500 times the country's energy needs – but the cost of harvesting this free and sustainable resource is preventing people from using it to power their homes. That’s why scientists in the sunny U.K. are excited about the possibility of thin-layer photovoltaic cells that could bring the price of solar energy down and make solar cells a viable addition to the average home.

Current commercially available solar cells are frequently silicon-based and contain indium, a rare and expensive metal that contributes to the high cost of solar panel installations – but a new research project at Durham university in Britain aims to find cheaper and more accessible alternatives, focusing on developing thin-layer PV cells using materials such as copper indium diselenide and cadmium telluride.

It’s hoped that the development of more affordable thin-film PV cells could lead to a reduction in the cost of solar panels for the domestic market and an increase in the use of solar power, which currently provides less than one hundredth of one percent of the UK’s home energy needs.

The thin-layer PV cells would be used to make solar panels that could be fitted to roofs to help power homes with any surplus electricity being fed back to the National Grid, leading to cheaper fuel bills and less reliance on fossil fuels for energy.

Professor Ken Durose, Director of the Durham Centre for Renewable Energy, who is leading the research, said: “One of the main issues in solar energy is the cost of materials and we recognize that the cost of solar cells is slowing down their uptake.

“If solar panels were cheap enough so you could buy a system off the shelf that provided even a fraction of your power needs you would do it, but that product isn’t there at the moment.

“The key indicator of cost effectiveness is how many pounds do you have to spend to get a watt of power out? If you can make solar panels more cheaply then you will have a winning product.”

full article

Don't scrap green housing rule, urge campaigners

A coalition of renewable energy and green groups yesterday urged the government not to scrap a key plank of local authority policy that has been credited with boosting the use of renewable energy.
The call came after the leak earlier this week of a draft planning policy statement which local authorities said would undermine their ability to insist that developers use green technologies.

The Home Builders Federation and British Property Federation oppose the so-called "Merton rule", which requires builders to obtain at least 10% of a building's energy from sustainable sources such as solar or wind power.

Sustainable Energy Partnership organiser Ron Bailey said: "The current campaign by the British Property Federation and Home Builders Federation to overturn this modest yet proven and highly successful policy in the climate change policy planning statement is nothing short of scandalous bearing in mind the urgent need to reduce CO2 emissions."
full article

Garden of the future

Out go the delphiniums, aster and lupins..... in come the oleander, cactus and bougainvillea.
Concrete patios and wooden decking will be replaced by more environmentally friendly porous gravel.

Hardier Bermuda grass will take the place of green sward lawns and palm trees will sway in the breeze.

This is the vision of Chelsea Flower Show gold medal winning designer Andy Sturgeon who has designed the Garden of the Future.

It was commissioned by the National Gardens Scheme (NGS) to mark 80 years of opening gardens to the public to raise money for charity.

The design reflects the fact that by 2087 the environmental impact of climate change, increased energy prices, urbanisation and recycling will all have a direct impact on how our gardens will look.

"The next 80 years will see the biggest change in gardening ever, as we move from a temperate climate towards a sub-tropical one," said Sturgeon.
" Frosts are already virtually non-existent in the south and we need cold winters to stimulate flower buds on things like blackberries and cherries, otherwise they won't fruit.

"Rhododendrons and birch which need cool summers will gradually die out and traditional cottage garden favourites like Delphiniums, Aster, Lupin and Phlox which need a moist fertile soil will also disappear as they can't cope with drought."

The garden has a distinct Mediterranean feel and takes into account that temperatures in the summer in 80 years time could hit the 42°C mark - the same sort of heatwave that has struck much of southern Europe this year.

If as expected temperatures remain higher in the winter it could lead to a year round growing season for plants and lawns. This will increase maintenance time and costs making smaller gardens more desirable.

Sturgeon's vision takes in as much sustainability and recycling as possible.

With waste collection now taxed by the local authority compost bins will be a must for the recycling of garden and kitchen waste.

And with water at a premium during the long dry summer months it will be compulsory to harvest and recycle what little rainwater there might be and to make further use of grey water. A huge underground tank will be fed by drainpipes from the roof and overflow water from a pond.

Because of the colossal CO2 emissions caused in the manufacturing process, the use of cement will be frowned upon if not banned altogether.

Rammed earth walls will be used to make raised plant beds and instead of large paved patios and driveways which allow valuable excess water to run off into the drains, there will be porous gravel to soak up the overflow.

Similarly the use of expensive stone imported from far flung corners of the world and hardwood timber from endangered rainforests will cease, to be replaced by reclaimed and recycled local materials.

High energy prices will lead to the use of photo-voltaic cells placed on top of walls to capture the sunlight to provide power to pump water and illuminate the garden.
full article