Power from the sun
Marie Payne braves the elements to examine how to turn your pad into a green powered paradise.
If the number of companies offering sustainable home energy systems
is anything to go by, ethical consumers have never had it so good. The UK
renewables market is now worth a meter worrying £650m(10) and companies
are lining up to get their piece of the pie. This report will focus on leading
UK manufacturers of solar products and a selection of smaller companies
with strong ethical values and widely available products.
Starting to shine
The first step for solar shoppers is to choose between Solar Water Heating/Solar
Thermal and Photovoltaics.
Solar water heating/Solar thermal
Over 40,000 panels have been installed in the UK to date.(1) Working in
conjunction with conventional water heating systems including combi boilers;
the panels contain water, which is heated by the sun and then flows through
to the boiler transferring heat to the water inside. It is fairly low-tech
compared with photovoltaics, consequently such products are available from
a raft of small scale concerns.
There are two types of solar water heating: flat plate and evacuated tubes.
A flat plate installation will cost between £850 and £4000.
Evacuated tubes are more efficient but cost between £2500 - £5500.
Photovoltaics (PV)
Photovoltaics generate electrical energy fuelled by light. Although start
up costs are higher than solar water heating systems - as much as £20,000
to retile an urban roof - PVs offer a range of financial and environmental
benefits. In addition to being easy to install and maintain, they can be
used as cladding for roofs and walls, supplying clean, free power to all
types of buildings from city apartments to isolated homesteads. An average
PV tiled roof will prevent over 34 tonnes of greenhouse gases in its lifetime.(11)
Clubbing together
As the process of choosing a solar water heating system can be an expensive
and a daunting prospect, non-profit making solar clubs have been set up
across the country to ease you through the process and keep costs low.
For example, WYSC is run by the Hebden Bridge Alternative Technology Centre,
a charity working with local people to improve the environment and support
sustainable development.
This, and clubs like it, run information evenings where you can ask questions
and meet the ‘experts’. The next step is a home visit (£25)*,
when a contractor will check the suitability of your home and advise on
the best equipment. This is followed by a training day (£75)* covering
everything from plumbing to ordering the equipment. Installation is carried
out by the home-owner, who often enlists the support of club members, or
a club approved contractor. The final stage is a check by a contractor,
included in your training fee.
A grant available from the Energy Savings Trust means that a professional
installation, with a new twin coil cylinder, will cost about £1,100
(including VAT). Alternatively, a cost conserving DIY installation through
the club is around £850.(2) *WYSC prices.
Solar, so good?
It is understandable to assume all companies producing sustainable technologies
like wind and solar systems are ethical themselves. But, for complex photovoltaics,
big players like Shell and BP with poor track records for doing the right
thing, are active in the market.
It is hard to believe that BP Solar, now occupying 16% of the market with
revenues of $300 million(3), is working for a better world when its oil-dealing
parent company has and done so much to place it in jeopardy.
In 2003 BP UK were criticized by the environment agency who said the company
was a repeat offender when it came to pollution and that regular fines were
having little impact on its ethics or actions.(4) Little has changed. In
May this year BP’s Texas City plant was fined $109,500 (£58,000)
for poor safety standards after 15 employees died in a refinery explosion.
An investigation found BP did not make employees wear face or eye protection,
and hazardous chemicals were leaking within the refinery for more than nine
months.(5)
Anther topical example of BP’s conduct is the 1,760 kilometre Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
pipeline, which has been ‘riddled with corrosion’ according to
a report by the Guardian.(8) The controversial project has been criticized
for its environmental impact and human right violations. People in Georgia
have protested about its route through the Borjomi Valley, one of the country’s
most scenic areas. The pipe will also lead to the eviction of large numbers
of refugees who populate the regions.(6)
Although Marlec scored highly in our table it is worth noting it is a distributor
for BP Solar(7).
Grants
Help is at hand for householders wishing to reap the benefits of renewables.
Clear Skies, funded by DTI, provides
grants between £400 - £5000 for domestic ventures, while not-for-profit
organisations can receive up to £50,000 for wind turbines, solar thermal,
small scale hydro turbines, ground source heat pumps and wood fuelled boiler
systems.
The Energy Saving Trust also offers
information on a range of grants
References
1 www.cat.org.uk
2 www.alternativetechnology.org.uk
3 www.bp.com
4 www.bbcnews.co.uk
30/07/2003
5 www.tal.telegraph.co.uk
15/04/2005
6 www.bbc.co.uk 5/5/05
7 www.marlec.co.uk
8www.guardian.co.uk
9 www.societyguardian.co.uk
10 www.renewablesnorthwest.co.uk
11 www.solarcentury.co.uk
12 Guardian 12/05/05
13 www.windsave.com