Sustainable Development

Renewables

Energy that is generated using power already present in such abundant and never-ending quantities is defined as being renewable, and is not going to run out. Examples being – wind, wave, hydro, thermal and solar.

Solar panels. There are 2 kinds of solar panels. Ones that heats water for the use in the home are the most common type (as shown in the photo below). The other type, photovoltaics panels (PVs), convert daylight into electricity using semi-conductor cells. See the photographs below of PV panels being installed and the finished installation at Braden Road in Troon.

South Ayrshire Council has several examples of solar energy projects:

• Bradan Road is a sheltered housing unit in Troon, South Ayrshire. Funding was received from the DTI (amounting to approximately 80% of the total cost) to install approximately 30KWp of photovoltaic (PV) panels onto the roofs of the housing, which consists of 32 flats, in eight blocks of four flats each. The contractor (www.sundog-energy.co.uk), completed the project in December 2002 and should result in a saving of around £50 per year for each tenant. At the time this was the biggest PV installation in Scotland and still is one of the biggest.
• Girvan Academy has a 450 watt, wall mounted PV system, which was installed in 2000 with DTI funding, is used as a teaching aid to educate and give pupils experience of working with a renewable technology.
• Barr Primary, Pinwherry Primary and Dailly Primary each had around 2.5KW of PV panels with display boards installed in 2008 with funding from Scottish and Southern Energy and the Government’s Low Carbon Building Programme Phase II.
• The Council also has solar thermal panels on a number of sheltered housing units like the one in the picture below.

 

In 2009 the Council installed its first 6KW wind turbine at Dundonald Primary School with funding from the Low Carbon Building Programme and the Co-operative Bank.

Wood fuel is also renewable, the wood being self replenishing if trees are planted to replace those cut down and used to fuel wood-burning stoves, or community heating schemes.

The Council has a policy to consider the feasibility of woodfuel heating systems when new or replacement systems are required but none have been installed yet.