At SCW we try to provide examples of, and encourage DIY solutions to alternative appropriate technologies such as renewable energy solutions using recycled parts as this enables people to provide their own services for a low cost to both the environment and financially.

Not everyone however has the time or expertise to provide these solutions for themselves and therefore we decided to look into demonstrations using ready made parts.

Last year (2001) we made and application to the Ecopower Trust for funding towards renewable energy demonstrations using some manufactured items such as solar panels and wind turbines.

Below is a list of the items we intend to demonstrate using this funding:

• Photovoltaic Solar panels
• Wind turbine
• Pelton Wheel
• Wood gasifier
• Batteries & related control equipment

Watch this space for developments of the project

Solar Panels (phase 1)

Not something you can easily knock up in the home workshop! They involve a large industrial, chemical manufacturing process, usually by a multinational oil company or worse and they are expensive. If your thinking of installing photovoltaic solar panels to save the pennies on your electricity bill don't bother. They will cost far more to purchase than the amount of electricity they will produce in their lifespan In fact it takes about 10 years for them to produce the amount of power it takes to manufacture them! They are useful however if other sources of power are not available in the area and they are marginally better than nuclear or fossil fuel power.

We have decided to purchase three different brands and types of panels in order to compare them in different conditions. A Kiacira 80w Polycrystalline costing £350, a BP 75w monocrystalline and an amorphous panel.

Watch this space to see the results of our comparison.

Wind Turbine (phase 2)

A wind turbine is something you can make yourself in the home workshop and there is nothing more satisfying than doing this and watching the power flood in on a windy day. The more work put into a generator the more efficient it will be. It is possible to make something very crude which will produce power but may only work in high wind speeds. You also however have to be careful that it doesn't fall apart in high wind as this could be dangerous. If you are interested in building your own see Hugh Piggotts Home page

Manufactured wind turbines do tend to be efficient. One reason for this is due to the shaped blades, which are difficult to perfect when made by hand. We have purchased a Furlmatic 1803 producing 340w at 10m/s wind speed.

Pelton wheel (phase 3)

Hydro power is possible to do yourself as we have done but again efficiency is a factor. Our home built hydro systems have never topped 15% efficiency which is fine if you don't use a lot of power and considering we didn't pay anything for any of the recycled parts. If however you need to get the most out of your stream, for a high head, low flow system a pelton wheel is the way to go. We intend to install such a system which could potentially provide up to a kilowatt of power at certain times of the year.

Woodgasifier (phase 3)

Details about wood gasification can be found on our DIY page. We plan to implement the system as a power source for both electricity with the use of a small generator and to fuel a sawmill for forestry work.

Batteries and related control equipment (all phases)

In order for these systems to operate it is necessary to store the power for later use. This process involves using regulators and control equipment to safely put the charge into a battery. We will be purchasing the appropriate regulators for each phase of the project when required. Because we feel that batteries are not an environmentally responsible solution and because new batteries are expensive we have chosen to purchase second hand. A lot of commercial enterprises replace batteries well before their life expectancy is up which provides the perfect opportunity for us to reuse them.