Conserving power is definitely somewhere at the top in the list of activities that need to be undertaken without further delay if we are to save the environment, and ourselves. Thankfully, the world has woken up to the need for alternative sources of power and a lot of work is being done in that front.
The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), Wales, is installing a combined heat and power (CHP) generator. Powered by woodchips, it promises to be more than 80 per cent efficient when running on full power.
Let’s take a look at the mechanism of this promising gadget. The Talbotts BG100 generator will burn woodchips to produce 100kW of electricity for use in the center and 250kW of heat. The unit, which is about the size of a couple of shipping containers, will be run to fit the center’s power and heating needs as closely as possible. The generator will catch the heat from the burning chips after generating electricity and using it to heat water for hot water supply. Thick, insulated pipes have been laid under the CAT site, to transport hot water to the various buildings for heating. A new building has been built to house the generator as well, which is the first building in the UK to use blocks made from Ibstock Ecoterre clay blocks.
How will man benefit from it? According to CAT, it will generate enough power for around 50 houses.
How eco-friendly is it? The woodchip is forestry waste from trees four miles up the road, so there are very few emissions caused by transporting the fuel. The blocks are the perfect choice because not only do they use less energy, because they are dried using waste heat from a brick kiln rather than being fired like normal cement block but also block the sound from the noisy generator as well.
Next year the £6.2 million Wales Institute for Sustainable Education (WISE) will open at the center to provide more facilities for education.
Via: Smart Planet
