Renewables
An exciting aspect of the environmental sector that is developing quickly is commercial micro-generation – businesses generating their own energy. As well as combatting increasing energy costs businesses generating their own energy can also take advantage of new Governmental measures introduced in April 2010 such as the Clean Energy Cashback Scheme, where businesses will be paid for any renewable energy they produce.
the green house has a number of solutions that can enable businesses to generate their own energy. In many cases, there is a direct correlation between other green house solutions that can create significant synergies for businesses.
Mini Case Study
In the case of shopping centres often food waste represents over 50% of the total waste output which could meet the necessary volumes to install a micro-anaerobic digestion facility on site. 100% of the organic waste produced could be fed into this process which is then used to generate electricity to power the building – thereby achieving the second objective of cutting energy usage.
Why renewable energy?
Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The successful achievement of sustainable development is only possible if there is real synergy between profitability and sustainability.
The use of alternative energies is one the most sustainable methods of achieving a harmonious balance across environmental divisions. The use of alternative energies in many cases helps to ‘close the loop’ between production, processing, disposal and reuse and at each stage of the chain clear environmental benefits can be seen.
Previously, alternative energies were only possible for ‘Super Users’ who had the space, capacity, volume and appetite to move into what is the high-end of sustainability. Today, with developments in technology, the ability to generate energy is something possible for almost any business.
For those that can achieve it the green house believes that implementing a technology to deal with waste, carbon and energy is the ultimate way to achieve world-class environmental credentials.
Tailor-made Solutions from the green house
the green house provides tailor-made environmental solutions for waste disposal and clean energy production for clients in conjunction with leading technology providers.
The focus is on using low-temperature, low-cost, small-footprint, high-volume, energy-efficient technologies that effectively eliminate the environmental hazards of today’s waste streams.
In partnership with global leading companies the green house offers the following services to clients:
- Engineering
- Rental Equipment
- Operator Training
- Sourced Financing
- Construction Management
- Engineering Study & Feasibility Analysis
- Complete Engineering, Procurement and Construction
Technologies
Specific solutions will not be apparent at this stage because each solution needs to be identified and catered for but it is expected that technologies used will include:
- Anaerobic Digestion
- Biomass
- Hydroelectricity
- Microgeneration
- Solar
- Wind
Clean Energy Cashback Scheme
The clean energy cash back system is designed as an incentive for energy producers to move away from conventional fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Essentially, it is government legislation which guarantees a fixed, premium rate for renewable electricity fed into the national grid. The power companies are obliged by the government legislation to buy the renewable electricity, the additional costs of which are passed onto the customers.
When this new legislation comes into force on April 1st 2010 it means that if you produce renewable energy you will generate revenue as well as energy, an attractive proposition to any business considering generating their own energy.
The UK government is committed to reducing its carbon emissions through the adoption of renewable energy sources, particularly in regards to the generation of power in order to combat climate change.
The government has established the new department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) headed by Ed Milliband, whose job it is to reduce carbon emissions and help the UK meet the targets set out in international agreements such as Kyoto. They will see it as absolutely fundamental that the provisions for a clean energy cash back allow the UK to have the legal infrastructure for investors to feel safe in the knowledge that any investment they make is protected in the long term as it is in other states with strong clean energy cash back systems.
