Water, Energy, and Environment
Renewable energy is energy that is sourced from the resources that are replenished on a human timescale naturally such as geothermal heat, rain, sunlight, waves, and the wind (Boyle, 2012, p. 43). It is the energy whose source is not depleted when used. A clean energy revolution is currently taking place in the United Kingdom and the world. The revolution is attributed to the steady and rapid expansion the United Kingdom’s renewable energy sector. It is apparent that the renewable energy sector generates billions in economic activity and is projected to continue to advance rapidly in the future. Britain has a remarkable economic opportunity for individuals and organizations that manufacture and export renewable energy technologies. Examples of the renewable energy technologies encompass the technologies that enable the use of or use one or more renewable energy sources. They include bioenergy, geothermal energy, hydropower, solar energy, ocean energy, and the wind energy. The proposed renewable energy technologies for the Yew Tree Farm are discussed in this paper.
The area around the Yew Tree Farm is conducive to developing renewable energy for the purpose of self-sufficiency and the potential for some element of energy export. The location has few housing, which are concentrated around one place. As such, much of the land remain idle; therefore, the remaining land can be utilized to develop renewable energy. The area is suitable for the development of solar energy, wind energy, bioenergy, or geothermal energy. Hydropower energy would not be suitable since there is no river around the place that can be used to turn the turbines to produce electricity (Sorensen, 2011, p. 165). The area is suitable for the development of renewable energy because it is a remote area far away for the human population.
There are some assumptions that would be made in the development of renewable energy in the area around the Yew Tree Farm. For instance, it is assumed that the local weather pattern of the region would allow most sunny days to enable the trapping of solar energy by the solar panels. In setting up the solar energy technology, it is assumed that the land is not being used for other domestic or commercial purposes because the solar facilities are likely to interfere with the existing land uses. It is apparent that most of the solar energy facilities demand comparatively large chunks of solar radiation collection when used to produce electricity at utility-scale (Sorensen, 2011). Additionally, it is assumed that the development will not have ecological impacts. For instance, the renewable energy technologies will not interfere with the drainage and rainfall patterns in the area, native vegetation, or cause injury to the housing units nearby. Besides, it will be assumed that the construction of the renewable energy facilities will not affect water, soil, and the air resources around Yew Tree Farm.
The region around the Yew Tree Farm has some factors that limit the development of renewable energy technologies. For instance, the housing units market by yellow boundary limits the development because the renewable energy facilities pose a threat to the lives of the people living in those houses. Another limitation is lack of infrastructure in the region. It is apparent that the development of renewable energy technologies requires huge initial funds to build the infrastructure (Kurtz, 2009). The initial investments would in turn lead to an increased cost of providing the renewable energy during the initial years. The development will also be limited by the small size of the available land. It is evident that the renewable energy facilities need a large piece of land, as such, since the area has some housing units and the Yew Tree Farm, the remaining land would not accommodate big facilities.
In the year 2010, the UK government introduced the Feed-in Tariffs to replace the government grants as the main financial incentive to encourage individuals and organizations to develop renewable electricity-generating technologies (Walker, 2013). The Feed-in Tariff promotes the uptake of various low-carbon and small-scale energy electricity generation technologies. The scheme requires some electricity suppliers to make tariff payments on the generation and export of low carbon and renewable electricity. For instance, an individual or organization can apply to get payment from his energy supplier if he generates his electricity with wind turbines or solar panels. The scheme qualifies most of the domestic technologies such as wind turbines, solar electricity (roof mounted), hydroelectricity, micro combined heat and power, and anaerobic digesters (Walker, 2013).
The Domestic Renewable Heat Initiative is a financial initiative of the UK government that is aimed at promoting the use of renewable heat in homes and organizations. The scheme provides those who join it and adheres to its rules the opportunity to earn quarterly payments for seven years for the amount of green, clean, and renewable heat produced by their systems (Pimentel, 2008). The technologies that qualify for the domestic renewable heat scheme are the biomass boilers, solar water heating pumps, and certain heating pumps. The scheme was launched in the year 2014 with the aim of encouraging the uptake of renewable heat technologies among communities, businesses, and households in England, Scotland, and Wales. The UK government expects the scheme to contribute towards its ambition of having 12% of its heat coming from renewable sources by the year 2020 (Pimentel, 2008, p. 32).
The renewable energy technology to be developed for the area around the Yew Tree Farm also requires technologies that would benefit from the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (Domestic RHI). The Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive is a UK government’s financial incentive that is aimed at promoting the utilization of renewable heat. It is apparent that the shift to the use of electricity that use naturally replenished energy would enable the United Kingdom reduce its carbon emissions (Majumder & Saha, 2015). The technology that is suited for the Yew Tree Farm under the UK feed-in tariff scheme is the solar PV technology, which will generate electricity. On the contrary, the heating technology that is eligible under the Renewable Heat Initiative is the ground source heat pump technology that will generate heat.
The installation of solar PV panels in the Yew Tree Farm area addresses various practical issues. The installation addresses the problem of global warming. It is apparent that global warming is a threat to the human society’s survival and other species (Boxwell, 2010). Luckily, efficient solar PV panel systems help to produce electricity without producing any greenhouse gas that causes global warming. Additionally, the installation of solar panels addresses the critical problem of high cost of electricity. It helps individuals and the society to save money. Putting up solar panels on the roofs of the housing units in the area would help to save the resident thousands of pounds (Solanki, 2012, p. 62). Additionally, solar power provides energy reliability and security. It is evident that the sun will always rise and set consistently throughout the year. Although at times, the weather might be cloudy, there is a good daily and seasonal projection of the amount of sunlight to be received in various locations; therefore, it is reliable (Boxwell, 2010). Besides, nobody can buy or monopolize the sun, thus it a secure source of electricity.
The solar PV panels are feasible for generating electricity in the Yew Tree Farm because the area has a predictable weather pattern. The use of solar photovoltaic is also the best for Yew Tree Farm because sunlight is free and no individual or organization can monopolize it (Irvine, 2015). The installation of the solar PV technology will help to reduce the electricity bills that are always paid because the panels would be able to generate sufficient electricity (Hesteer & Harrison, 2003, p. 54). Additionally, the solar photovoltaic is also the best for the Yew Tree Farm because of the availability of government incentives, for instance, the UK government, through the Feed-in Tariff rewards owners of solar PV for every unit of electricity that the generate. The solar PV panels also do not produce harmful elements into the environment. Therefore, it is apparent that the solar PV panels are the best for generating electricity in the Yew Tree Farm.
The ground source heat pumps are also best for generating heat in the Yew Tree Farm. The ground source heat pumps use pipes that are buried in the ground or a garden to extract heat from the ground. The heat generated from the ground is then utilized to heat radiators, warm air heating systems, underfloor, and heat water in homes. The ground source heat pumps are suitable for the Yew Tree Farm because it could provide income to the owners through the Renewable Heat Initiative of the UK government (Degunther, 2008). Additionally, the ground source heat pumps are also the best because they do not incur any fuel deliveries. They help in lowering fuel bills when one decides to replace his or her conventional electric heating system. The ground source heat pumps also have minimal maintenance costs (Degunther, 2008, p. 98). They can also be used to heat water and the home correspondingly. As such, it is evident that the ground source heat pumps are the best for the Yew Tree Farm.
The two technologies have some potential challenges. For instance, the housing units market by yellow boundary provides some technical challenges because the digging of the ground around the area for installing the ground source heat pump’s pipes pose a threat to the lives of the people living in those houses. Another technical challenge is lack of infrastructure in the region. It is apparent that the development ground source heat pumps require huge initial funds to build the infrastructure (Kurtz, 2009). The initial investments would in turn lead to an increased cost of providing the renewable energy during the initial years. The installation of the ground source heat pumps also faces the technical challenge of small size of the available land. It is evident that the ground source heat pump’s pipes need a large piece of land, as such, since the area has some housing units and the Yew Tree Farm, it would be technically challenging to install the heat generation facility.
The installation of solar panels in the Yew Tree Farm area addresses various practical issues. The installation addresses the problem of global warming. It is apparent that global warming is a threat to the human society’s survival and other species (Boxwell, 2010). Luckily, efficient solar panel systems help to produce electricity without producing any greenhouse gas that causes global warming. Additionally, the installation of solar panels addresses the critical problem of high cost of electricity. It helps individuals and the society to save money. Putting up solar panels on the roofs of the housing units in the area would help to save the resident thousands of pounds (Solanki, 2012, p. 62). Additionally, solar power provides energy reliability and security. It is evident that the sun will always rise and set consistently throughout the year. Although at times, the weather might be cloudy, there is a good daily and seasonal projection of the amount of sunlight to be received in various locations; therefore, it is reliable (Boxwell, 2010). Besides, nobody can buy or monopolize the sun, thus it a secure source of electricity.
Cost and Payback Period
Questionnaire
QUESTION
ANSWER
What is the annual householder’s electricity consumption
3100 kWh/ year
What is the cost of electricity
£0.3526 p/ kWh
How many people live in the farm or how many beds
250 people
What is the living space or heat required in m2
2500m2
What is the farming space in m2
1600m2
Estimated space of heating = 2500 m2
Hot water demand = 1000000 litres annually
Electricity demand = 3100 kWh/ year
The earnings from the Feed-in tariff are tax free, therefore, an individual can save approximately £8,080 tax free for a 4kW solar system. Averagely, the payback period for the investment is as below:
Source of income
Earnings/ Savings
Generation tariff
£168
Export tariff
£79
Electricity bill saving
£157
Total per year
£404
Payback period
14.85 years
References
Boxwell, M. (2010). Solar electricity handbook: a simple, practical guide to solar energy : designing and installing photovoltaic solar electric systems. Ryton on Dunsmore, Warwickshire, U.K., Greenstream Pub.
Boyle, G. (2012). Renewable energy: power for a sustainable future. Oxford, England, Oxford University Press in association with the Open University.
Degunther, R. (2008). Solar power your home for dummies. Hoboken, NJ, Wiley Pub.
Hester, R. E., & Harrison, R. M. (2003). Sustainability and environmental impact of renewable energy sources. Cambridge, Royal Society of Chemistry.
International School On Energetics, & Wilson, R. (2013). Energy for the year 2000. New York, Plenum Press.
Irvine, S. J. C. (2015). Materials challenges: inorganic photovoltaic solar energy. [Online] http://alltitles.ebrary.com/Doc?id=11001215. Accessed 16th Feb, 2016
Kurtz, S. R. (2009). Reliability challenges for solar energy. [Golden, CO], National Renewable Energy Laboratory. http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS118072.
Majumder, Mrinmoy, & Saha, Apu K. (2015). Feasibility Model of Solar Energy Plants by Ann and Mcdm Techniques. Springer Verlag.
Pimentel, D. (2008). Biofuels, solar and wind as renewable energy systems: benefits and risks. [Dordrecht, Netherlands], Springer.
Solanki, D. G. (2012). Feasibility study of solar energy in residential electricity generation. [Abstract] [Online] http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012PhDT…….204S Accessed 16th Feb, 2016
Sørensen, B. (2011). Renewable energy physics, engineering, environmental impacts, economics & planning. Burlington, MA, Academic Press.
Walker, A. (2013). Solar energy: technologies and the project delivery process for buildings. [Online] http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=4035034. Accessed 16th Feb, 2016
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