last updated 22rd December 05
by 4ecotips.com

Technology could help reduce CO2 by 6.5%

Refocus Weekly reports the cost to install green heat facilities is lower than the cost for green power, and will reduce GHG emissions by a higher level, according to an analysis prepared for the UK government.

It cost £4,558 to install each of the 78,470 solar water heating systems in Britain, £7,771 for each of the 150 biomass pellet system and £9,444 for each of the 546 geothermal (earth energy) heat pumps, says the Energy Saving Trust and Cambridge University in a report to show the potential for microgeneration.

Since incentives were introduced in 2002, the cost for 6,694 solar thermal systems has dropped to £3,684, to £6,699 for 116 biomass facilities while the price for 500 earth energy systems rose slightly to £9,690.

By comparison, the price for 1,301 solar PV systems has been £15,484, £17,134 for 650 wind turbines and £26,500 for 90 hydroelectric facilities. The price for 990 micro cogeneration (combined heat & power) and 5 fuel cell systems was not known for the calculation.

The report says the eight renewable energy technologies could reduce Britain's CO2 emissions by 6.5% by 2030, of which earth energy and CHP would each contribute 1.7% and fuel cells slightly less, while biomass and wind would contribute 1% each and solar PV would be marginal.

The cost of energy from PV in the UK is currently very high due to large capital costs of the technology, the report points out. To maintain uptake, incentives are required until circa 2030 to achieve cost equivalence."

Domestic PV could be cost-effective by 2030 if it receives an energy export equivalence, domestic small wind could be cost effective by 2010-2015 and solar water heating does not become cost competitive with gas boiler water heating, and will require large cost reductions to break even with electrical water heating by 2020.

There currently are less than 100,000 microgeneration installations in Britain, and the level of grant funding is closely correlated with annual installations. The sectors seeing the most yearly installations are PV and solar water heating "in response to generous grant schemes" while the yearly installations of earth energy heat pumps and small wind turbines is increasing rapidly due to support programs and rapid cost reductions. Micro-CHP is only beginning to enter the market, but there is a very large technical effort on both Stirling engine and fuel cell technologies.