Energy
Efficient Technology on the rise as sustainable growth picks up
momentum
Spending
all my days on the net writing about energy efficiency and renewable
technologies, I am constantly amazed at the amount of passion and
energy that is put into this industry. New technologies are emerging
daily and governments are creating more and more legislation to make
sure that sustainable growth is here to stay.
While
our own government is in internal conflict with the Treasury and
George Osborne, about expenditure into renewable technologies, it has
not stopped the rest of the industry from soldiering on in the face
of adversity. We are now in a time when sustainability is paramount,
as the old ways of generating energy are becoming redundant, as
research has shown time and time again, that they are no longer
ecologically or economically viable.
Our
resources are running lower by the day and no matter what the
politicians would have you believe, we are in the midst of not just
an economic crisis but an ecological one of giant proportions.
Climate change is not going to go away and the best we can hope to do
is to try and slow it down. Renewable technologies are the way
forward and while there are many people who dispute this, the facts
speak for themselves.
In
the UK, energy efficiency has really taken off and with news that we
are number one in the global energy efficiency league table, we
should give ourselves a well deserved pat on the back. However, this
does not mean that we can afford to be complacent, as there is still
a tremendous amount of work to do before we can even think of slowing
down the pace.
Renewable
technologies are advancing every day and new and innovative designs
and systems are appearing on the market at a rapid rate. Only the
other day there was an article in the press that covered new solar
thin-film technology, that can be stuck to windows and doors and is
70% transparent to the human eye. The technology utilises infra red
rays that humans cannot see, to create electricity and it has a
higher output than traditional solar panels. This technology will
revolutionise the solar market and while solar panels will still
continue to be used, thin film solar cells will undoubtedly become
the norm as the price drops and more people see the benefits.
As
the technology is changing at such a rapid rate, it begs the question
as to whether anything will stay on the market long enough before it
is overtaken by something more advanced, compact, powerful, faster,
sleeker and stronger.
A
great invention to be released next month from Ireland is the latest
energy efficient Iameco laptop tablet that is 80% recyclable
and has an extremely low carbon footprint. My favourite part of the
tablet is the fact that it has a wooden casing that is made from
sustainably sourced off-cuts from factories. Wood you believe it?!
(groan)
Vertical
axis wind turbines are another little known advancement on wind
technology, that destroy the usual complaints associated with normal
turbines. The latest version of the McCamley MT101 MK2 turbine makes
very little noise, is clearly visible to animals so they do not get
caught in them, can be erected in urban areas owing to it's size and
it is self starting, requiring very little maintenance, a huge cost
for normal turbines. Furthermore, It has no cut-out speed and can
continue to operate in storm winds. It will allow residential blocks
and urbanised areas access to clean energy. This should put the
'wind' up George Osborne as he battles to install gas plants and
nuclear stations all over our country. Who is he really working for I
wonder?
Developments
for commercial energy efficiency are always cropping up on the market
and with the Commercial
EPC ( Energy Performance Certificate ) now being a compulsory
standard in the commercial property sector, energy efficient building
design and practice have become paramount. The UK's building stock
accounts for almost half of our total carbon emissions, so energy
efficient re-fits are now essential to help commercial properties
reach carbon neutral emissions targets.
The
same can be said for the domestic property market, as landlords have
been taking advantage of government grants to re-fit their
properties. As with commercial properties, the Landlord
EPC is now also compulsory in order to market a property for sale
or rent and the attached sheet of recommendations, drawn up by the
energy assessor, on how to raise the energy efficiency rating of a
property, has provided invaluable information. Cavity-wall and loft
insulation, upgraded central heating systems, Solar PV installations
and underground heat pumps are just some of the upgrades that
landlords are implementing in their re-fits and tenants have reported
greater comfort and significant reductions in their fuel bills, as a
result.
So
the tide of energy
efficiency, backed up by innovations in renewable technology and
government legislation continues to grow as we move into a new,
sustainable future. The moves we make now are crucial to our survival
as a race, yet there are those out there who would still hang on to
outdated ideas and selfish ambitions, in their attempts to control
the world's energy resources for their own, hollow ends. With that in
mind it is important to keep raising awareness through any means
available, about the benefits of renewable technology and sustainable
growth and warn against the dangers of staying as we were and
destroying the fabric of our environment.
Article written for Just EPC by Paul Patane
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