When our daily energy requirements are met by ‘Green Energy’ then we utilise items such as wind, tides or geothermal heat. ‘Green’ basically means that all the energy is renewable. It’s interesting to note that in some instances we’re actually travelling back in time to utilise some of the older energy skill sets e.g. Wind Power (Windmills etc.) Overall, this is the method of using modern techniques to provide areas such as eco-effiency and planet friendly options.

Solar Thermal and Solar Water Heating Collectors are examples of what can be used in the house as part of renewable energy technologies. Following on it is items such as the Photovoltaic Panels (PV’s) that develop electricity through suitable roof-panels. Another key element is that of Biomass Energy, which relates to Stoves and Boilers burning Wood, Fuel and Pellets. There is the old heat from the Sun now known as Ground Source Heat Pumps. When we think about Wind Power and Hydropower we have two of the more habitual forms of energy generation.

Looking at each area in turn we will consider some of the skills needed by those who want to train in this field. If you currently work in the areas of Electrical, Gas and Plumbing then this could be appealing to you. Certainly by getting information from many sources we can look at the career potential for Electricians, Gas and Plumbers. We’ve also provided links and adverts from several training providers, so book-mark this page (CTRL-D) and you can come back later to review other options.

Thermal Energy Systems: Often called Solar Energy, this is fact based on two types of solar panels each using different ideas to get their results. Making hot water from solar energy is the first stage and is known as Solar Water Heating Collection. Secondly, Photovoltaic heat collectors – often simply referred to as Solar Electrical Panels – which transform the solar radiation into electricity. Across the board, Solar Panels should be mounted on a south facing roof, at an angle of 30 degrees away from horizontal, and to some extent away from blocking trees, surrounding buildings and chimneys.

As a result, Solar Water Power is often considered the most common form of Solar Energy in the UK. Solar Water heating systems are extremely important and can provide over half of hot water needs to houses within the UK. The typical cost for installation ranges from 500-1500 pounds for a DIY system all the way through to 2-5k for a professional fit.

Biomass Energy Systems – Includes all natural forms derived from plant and animal products such as wood, straw, poultry litter and ‘energy crops’. It’s the ability of this power source to generate diverse forms of energy such as heat and electricity that makes this so adaptable. It is a useful point to make that the UK is one of the major producers of Biomass fuels within Europe. It should be borne in mind that the whole process is designed to produce energy without an impact on CO2. That being said the process where each tree felled is replaced by another helps to reduce the overall effect on C02 as a part of energy produced.

‘Energy Crops’ such as Willow and Poplar play a major part in the process under the banner of Short Rotation Coppice (SRC). Of equal importance is the ability to produce dry matter and perennial grasses are very good for this. Equally significant within this practise sit Municipal and Agricultural waste products. To begin with Agricultural Waste is often produced as part of the agricultural process overall. Whereas Municipal Waste is derived from wood or food and can be used for biomass energy.

Geo-Thermal Energy Systems… This is where both warm water and electricity can be produced as by products of the natural heating of the Earth by the Sun. By using the ground source temperature of approximately 12 degrees we can either heat or cool buildings within the UK. Heat pumps are recognised as a very good form of power generation generally giving back four units of energy for everyone used. Without a doubt the energy generated from wind turbines and solar electrical panels alongside heat source pumps can be almost 100 percent renewable.

Systems Based On Wind Energy: As an energy source wind energy has to be one of the oldest forms of energy creation in history. Whether to a home or local grid when the energy has been generated it must be delivered to appoint if usage and cannot be stored. The UK alone is considered one of the best sources of wind generation within Europe. For the fact remains that within the UK we have the ability to generate 10 percent of our requirement from Wind Production as opposed to the current value of 1 percent. Instead of producing electricity at a rate of 2-10p per kWh we could be generating at 2p per kWh. Because of this it is estimated that it takes between half a year to three quarters of a year to cover the costs.

Hydropower is a subject that suits the UK energy production system. Having said that the art of using energy from moving water, as like wind power is very traditional. Interestingly enough this type of energy production meets 2 percent of the UK electrical demand in total.

It is a Hydropower process, using a turbine that can convert the energy from one for into another. It is by either water drops or Natural River runs that turbines can work through this process ‘Micro-Hydro’ however avoids this system killed off by the larger national distribution methods and plans to use the outdated sluices and dams. This smaller form of electrical output has been recently reviewed and could allocate some 200MW of capacity to the UK system. The expected cost of installing a system such as this would be between 200 pounds and 3k per kW of output.

It can be seen that the route to ‘Green Energy’ is growing considerably, especially in light of the need for increasing energy outputs throughout the Western World. To be fair, the UK domestic market is leading the resurgence with the variety of schemes detailed above.

With the rise in demand for domestic installations both Electricians and Plumbers are well placed to take advantage of this technology. Not only in the EEC but also in the UK ‘Green Energy’ is rapidly gaining ground as the way forward and a range of financial incentives are in place to support this. It is by gaining the right certificates across the board that will help opportunities and job security for the long term. To that end it may be worth thinking about combined training where you can get plumbing or electrical training along with green knowledge.

Copyright 2009 S. Edwards. Browse around CLICK HERE or Solar Training.