PV panels are not feasible viable in terms of RESCO, due to the current tariffs, however it is still viable for owners of dwellings. The maximum benefit per year is blocked in a 6% for current conditions.
In the case of the wind turbines, the energy output seems to cover the waste of installation and provides high profits. The main inconvenient of this technology is the social refusal to installation of small turbines in residentia areas.
Biomass boilers used for domestic heating are economical and importantly it uses a renewable fuel source which is currently incentivised by the UK government. The disadvantages include the difficulty of installing them on a site given the large size required for a reasonable number of houses. Also the social aspect of homeowners reluctance to have a boiler located near their home given the visible emissions from the boilers chimney. The large amount of fuel required also has implications as it increases the physical size of the boiler building.
Biomass cropping is really only viable on large areas of land that have good access to machinery and also a local market for the produced biomass is a must due to the cost of transporting being high.
GSHP provide an efficient way to heat and cool buildings.The electrical energy input to a well designed GSHP system can produce a heat delivery of 3 to 4 times the input,
GSHP have proven to be robust with a life of 20 years and a ground exchanger life of 50 years. Typically, they cost more to install than conventional heating systems but are safe, reliable and local emission-free solutions to heating. GSHP work best with heating systems which are optimised to run at a lower water delivery temperature than is commonly used in radiator systems. As such, they are ideal for underfloor heating systems and consequently new builds. Communal space available and the dispersion of the cost across a district heating network with a common pump and a hot water storage mechanism may prove effective in reducing initial costs. Vertical ground systems may be easier to implement due to lower real estate demands and are more efficient due to constant earth temperatures available but tend to be more expensive than horizontal closed loop systems. As using GSHP favourably affect base load, they are preferred by utilities and if supplied by renewable sources of electricity can provide completely free energy with no carbon emissions overall.
The project team wishes to thanks our project supervisor who guided us through a challenging project.
As a team we wish to also thank Alex Middleton who gave us a valuable insight into the financial side of the RESCO business model and who provided us with case study material.
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