carbon for the winter last

neighbour:

are you getting ready for a cold winter?

I:

no! for the last!

No, I won't discuss this stupid "wood is carbon neutral again" while my nose is still full of those fossil fumes from the chainsaw, the tractor and the hydraulic splitter from yesterday's workout in the forest.

Last Winter we ran out of gas (LPG) which fires our CHP Island solution (i.e. off-grid); producing electricity and thermal energy (i.e. heat). The gas tanker - a high-tech-one-wheel-drive (1WD) with no locks but on Formula 1 slick-like tyres, what else would you expect North of Loch Ness - wouldn't make it up for weeks. So we installed two 48kg bottles and had the complex of 22,000 sqft run on bottled gas, one lasting two days! Hard to believe it worked, electricity-wise and for some of the thermal energy we need; for the additional heat we started up the good old 110kW wood-chip boiler which we hadn't used for three or four years. Worked so-so and we had to chip more wood to fill the hopper; at minus five feeling rather like -18°, a solidly frozen chipper and horizontal snowstorms not really my favourite amusement; but again, and lucky us it worked.

This year, surprise, we want to be prepared and with this crazy weather all around the globe who knows what this coming Winter or the next will have in mind for us.

So we cut about 30 stacked cubic metres of wood; that's more than what 4 to 5 hectare of matured woodland reproduce every year. 0.7 kg CO2 are stored per square meter and year, so, once fired we will have emitted what CO2 the 45,000m² have not stored in one year, i.e. 31,5 tonnes! That's a load - and a nice plot of land, isn't it?

I don't know in detail how long it will last us; in theory this depends very much on the quality of the wood, humidity and how old it is and in practice, how cold it will be; as we cleaned up wind fallen trees as well the moisture content and quality defer very much. I will monitor the figures - however, theory would calculate about 1 cubic metre spruce weighing app. 350 kg, the equivalent of 1.400 kw/h, so we stacked 42,000 kWh.

So far so easy; but we are replacing LPG; 1 kg LPG equals 12.4kw/h, so in theory we will then not burn about 3,390 kg of LPG which are about 6,600 litres and not emit about 9.3 tonnes of CO2 but then, surprise, surprise, 31.5 tonnes while burning that wood will not be stored.

Understood? It just tells us how difficult and complicated the process of replacing fossil fuels with any renewables is and will be... it also tells us all that every single step, theory, material and technology will have to be thoroughly analysed and it tells you that burning wood emits more CO2 than using gas! Why?

... and still the forest needs replanting, managing, protecting, harvesting...

The proof is in the pudding - and in lots of muscles.


Carpe diem!

more than a nursery...

rockenergy's project in Glasgow

We will detail the nursery's key components and technology details in the coming weeks and explain why the construction is "A" rated (EPC)*; here is what our client Milnbank Housing Association and the Energy Saving Trust have to say:

Carpe diem


* EPC (Energy performance Certificate) rated; not rated by any of the rating agencies dominating financial headlines, the rats.

Years later on "an island...

on its roofs"!

FITs for power from photovoltaic

So it only took a couple of - lost - years until finally a "Feed-in-tariff" will be introduced for power from photovoltaic cells on your roof animating and supporting you to invest into what is the one and only renewable energy - remember, water always needs to be on the high side ....

From 1 April, households with approved­ schemes will be paid for the electricity they generate, even if they use all of it themselves.
...
The payments will physically come from your existing electricity supplier, but will be overseen by the regulator Ofgem.

Endless times I had to listen to how bad and stupid those continental (not to say global) incentives schemes would be and what harm they did hindering the healthy and free development of a so-called "free market".

Rubbish! Yes, those schemes hinder, but they hinder the economies that pretend to think on a global scale while they are entrapped into national feud and lobbyism. If nothing else they hinder the ones not following such schemes as they get financially decoupled from investing into what has an extremely bad ROI lacking FITs. We wanted to play globally, so we have to face it.

So may be somebody read this blog post on the UK falling behind fast; most unlikely. Anyway, there is some hope that on their path to think energy and the known and proven methods to generate energies (yes, they are coming in plural) to an end our decision makers will find the guts to also put incentives in place for simple but highly efficient Combined Heat and Power units instead of half-hearted scrappage schemes. May be by then BRE will finally look into that technology - without inventing any wheels again!

That is because the final step taking energy seriously will be when we understand that efficiency comes close once avoiding wasting energy has become the dominating factor of all this.

Might only take some more years now.

Carpe diem!

incentives avoid 3 (8) pplants since 2002

The "B-KWK", the "Bundesverband Kraft-Waerme-Kopplung", a complicated name for what is simply the association of CHP manufacturers and suppliers in Germany has proudly published that the capacity of all installed CHP units since 2002 has avoided to build three average sized power plants in Germany; export included the equivalent of even eight pplants had not to be constructed.

Here is the link; sorry you will need to use some translation software as the association is merely supporting German manufactures - in German language - I was told today. So much for globalisation.

Anyway, it would be interesting to compare the total of paid out incentives with the cost of building those power plants; and then there is the benefit (for...?) of not having had to convince sensible voters and force tough antagonists into actually approve those plants whether nuclear or gas or coal.

Carpe diem!

the crux with foreign incentives

...and why the UK is falling behind: fast!

The most advanced alternative energy systems based on PV (photovoltaic), biogas (manure sewerage), or CHP (Combined Heat and Power), proven in thousands of applications, are on offer from European markets, dominated by mostly German based companies.

Those companies and their clientele benefit from a wide range of incentives for supplying electricity "back" into the public grid; this is because the enduser sells at least part of what he produces to the providers which helps to improve the return on investment into such innovative means of generating energy. In fact those incentives are actually what makes the complete investment feasible and are often paid for all energy produced even when used right away on site!

The various programmes and incentives are constantly discussed; often they are labelled unfair and an unjustified interference with what is to be "left to the markets"; without doubt the oligopoly of energy suppliers makes and dominates this market and is constantly fighting against anything that might threaten its position.

And threatening it is; the more decentralised the energy supply will become the more ground the oligopoly will loose. What is more, a "fast forward" with supporting and developing the intelligent grid based on decentralised power generation will prove at least some of the gigantic investments and unpleasant political pronouncements against very strong public resistance towards new nuclear or in fact any other kind of power plant avoidable.

While this is all happening accompanied by innovative power saving devices and highly energy efficient construction we can all but watch; as the cheap times of pumping oil a few feet up being burnt in what looks like medieval monsters are counted for investments into new proven technologies are almost impossible and often make no "economic", i.e. monetary sense for us in the UK.

Of course, a weak Pound is one problem, but investing into such advanced technology by importing what is proven is hindered even more by the fact that we lack the support, the incentives that, as above, created a vast market on the Continent. Feasibility lacks commercial viability.

I can hear the "let's do it ourselves!" Well, that is like "inventing the wheel again", needs people and banks ready to invest in technology, lots of wheels, a skilled workforce and yet supportive regulation.

So, we leave it to the markets: happy falling.

Carpe diem!

Is your car the better CHP?

The other day I explained to a visitor that his car would basically be the same like our wee domestic power plant ecopower, a CHP, a Combined Heat and Power unit. You should have seen his face's expression, but...

• the automobile's engine makes you cover miles; the heat generated from the engine's work keeps one warm, preferably in hard winters like just now;
• the CHP's engine makes a generator produce electricity; the heat generated from the engine's work keeps your house warm, pref...

That's putting it very basic, true; but it is spot on; Mike Cocking of Marathon, our American partner, reveals the "not so dark secrets" behind all that:

Find more videos like this on PickensPlan

And NO, your car is not the better CHP; among others it produces far more thermal energy (heat) than you need to be kept warm inside that small vehicle - even if it was a gigantic mobile home. That surplus of heat is radiated, i.e. blasted into the environment. Strangely enough that "wasted" heat is by far not discussed as much as GHG emissions are even though it definitely warms up the globe.

Our system produces just the "energies" (electricity and heat) that are needed to run our premises, no more, no less, no excess, no waste!

Okay, it does not carry you anywhere, but it is simple, reliable and very efficient; such systems will be the basic elements of what will become the intelligent grid and is strongly supported in many countries worldwide but the UK!

Why?

Carpe diem!

apropos energy!

telegraph: "Climate targets can't be achieved, say energy companies”

It is very obvious that this statement comes from energy companies that use any type of fossil fuel to generate power. If I was one of those I would most probably sign that statement.

At least, the article says something interesting about gas:

...Several urged governments to consider gas, rather than less reliable, more expensive renewables, because this fossil fuel emits 50pc less carbon dioxide than coal when burnt.

So gas in combination with Combined Heat and Power units (CHPu) and intelligent construction should give us time to develop further energy alternatives avoiding the disasters of idleness and/or fruitless discussions about what should or should not be done.

And what is more Natural Gas could soon become Bio Gas!

What is the hold up?

Carpe diem!

CHP - one way forward: intelligent grid

Telegraph: original article

1.3 to 4.7 kW electric and 4.0 to 12.5 kW thermal energy
CHP = Combined Heat and Power,
CHP = producing thermal and electric energy in one unit, in one go)

One way to avoid rising fuel bills is to consume less energy by avoiding waste and abundance.

If governed by intelligence uncoupled from lobbies or cartels saving ennergy won’t let you sit in the cold and dark at all.
Modern methods of Insulation, Construction and e.g. Illumination of your then even cosy home are on the way to help: for example Passive House Technology and LED lighting (certainly not that energy saving bulb crap!).

But there is another key element, which is to produce energy and become part of an intelligent grid (even become autarkic/independent, all it takes is an additional battery and a rectifier).

Thousands of these highly efficient CHP systems installed at the users' end of the grid would make additional power plants like unsolved-waste-laden-nuclear- or ccs-burdened-fossil-power stations redundant.

The suppliers will need to be told to like the idea.

Carpe diem!

Cereal, Friend, Car or CHP?

Imagine you bought a house in the middle of nowhere, beautiful, romantic and no electric grid connection; an “island off the grid”.

• If you belonged to house buyer type “C” you would sit and have your cereal while the sun goes down and you would try to make it to bed before it became too dark to find it.
  
  The more comfortable solution would be to get a diesel generator supplying electricity.
  
  
  
• House buyer type “B” would sweat on his bicycle while charging a battery to be able to watch TV and have some light, at least.
  
  The more comfortable solution would be to watch a friend riding the bike.
  
  
  
• House buyer type “A” would avoid all this by modifying his car’s engine to where a PTO connection drove an electric generator instead of the gearbox – thus he’d have sufficient electricity and what is more he would connect the cooling system of the car to the central heating system and warm up the house.
  
  Basically he combined the generation of power and heat both coming from one source; the car’s engine revealed its true application of being a Combined Heat and Power unit, which at the same time boosted its efficiency dramatically by no longer just taking one person from A to B and back.

Using a CHP unit in an island-solution, an off-grid building or home (has) had its challenges, but it is all very possible and demonstrated here; it has supplied exactly what was needed in electricity and heat for the last three years and just that.

What turned out to be more challenging than developing the system is to make people understand the logic behind this highly efficient device: +92%; but in general terms CHP systems produce 1/3 of electric and 2/3 of thermal energy with the electricity being the much higher ranked energy; so it is a faulty comparison to evaluate a modern boiler’s efficiency of +92% with producing heat, “only”, and the above +92% of a CHP unit producing both energy forms.

Simple, known, proven technology driving efficiency.

Latest CHP systems on the market allow for the replacing of conventional boilers and building up an intelligent, decentralised grid supply; with efficiency levels drastically improved they will help to see an environmental turnaround.

Carpe diem!