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Home:
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Environment:
Renewable energy
Types of renewable energy
Lisa Herron - February 2007
environment.unit@kirklees.gov.uk
Wind energy
Wind energy is generated when the wind rotates a turbine's blades which drive a generator to produce
electricity. Wind turbines vary in size, they can be very small (one metre in diameter) and attached to a
building; they can be larger and power a school or hospital, or they can be over 100m tall and based off-shore
to generate large amounts of electricity. |
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Solar hot water heating (also called solar thermal)
Solar thermal systems capture the energy from the sun's radiation and use it to heat water. The hot water can
then be used immediately or stored in a cylinder for later use. Some solar thermal systems can be linked to
underfloor-heating systems. |
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Solar electricity
Solar electricity systems capture the energy from the sun's radiation and convert it into electricity. They
will work in any weather, as long as there is daylight, and the electricity is available for use in the
building immediately. |
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Ground or air source heat pumps
There are two types of heat pumps: ground source and air source. Ground source heat pumps use the constant
temperature of the soil at 1 metre below the surface as their heat source. Air source heat pumps extract heat
from the air by a unit that is sited outside the property. |
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Biomass and Biofuels
Biomass falls into two broad categories: woody (forest residues and energy crops like willow) and non-woody
(animal waste and high energy crops like rape). For domestic use of biomass, the fuel used is usually wood
pellets, wood chips and wood logs. Biofuels are derived from biomass, for example ethanol produced from sugar
cane is commonly used as an automotive fuel in Brazil. |
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Hydro
Hydroelectric power is derived from the energy of flowing waterways; this can be either natural watercourses or
the flow from man-made reservoirs. The flow of water drives a turbine which powers a generator. In the Kirklees
area hydropower was a key historical factor in the development and success of the textile industry. |
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