West Kilbride Environmental Group
The original proposal was a renewable energy project and state-of-the-art recycling plant at the environmental centre located in a disused quarry. The completed project was confined to the renewable energy demonstration at the environmental centre and the grant of £10,000 paid was less than applied for.
The objectives of the Alternative Energy project were:
- to explore the possibilities of various sustainable methods of producing electricity and heat and using the resulting power in a thermally efficient fashion;
- to demonstrate other environmentally friendly methods of producing heat to heat the Polytunnel and Greenhouse, such as heat from vegetative decomposition;
- to source and test fuels such as eco-diesel.
This included the study of producing usable energy by biomass heat, wind power, solar power (photovoltaic and heat absorption), a heat pump, a Freon vapour engine, a Stirling cycle engine and alternative fuels. Practical experiments were carried out.
There was progress in developing a prototype Ecocabin, which was to be one of the users of green energy - this evolved into a very well insulated hut with a wind generator and a photovoltaic panel to produce electricity, and a solar panel for heating water fed to a well-insulated under-floor storage tank. The circulating water cools the cabin during the day and provides warmth at night. Some overseas aid agencies have shown interest in this concept.
Different mechanical methods of producing electricity using low-grade heat were studied. At first engines based on the Stirling Cycle seemed most attractive but while there are numerous models on the market which can demonstrate the theory and which operate in the temperature ranges obtainable from vegetative decomposition, a working generator based on this system would have been far too big to be practical. Another method based on the steam engine principle, using low boiling refrigerant in place of water as the working fluid, appeared a better solution, but needed more research.
In biomass temperatures rose to between 50 and 60 degrees C and were maintained for 3 weeks. With compost heaps, this was viable using portable bins which could be filled and run into the greenhouse.
A small wind turbine showed more wind available than expected, thought to be caused by the topography of the hill in which the quarry is situated. Wind seemed to be coming round the side of the hill and funnelling down the length of the quarry. Electricity produced is stored in rechargeable batteries. A second turbine was purchased to allow measurement and mapping of the wind resource.
Much information exists about Eco-diesel. The exhaust fumes from these units will not increase the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere since the plants which produce the oil absorb CO2 during their growing cycle. Oil can be sourced as used cooking oil from chip shops and subjected to clarification by settling. While a plant to do this was assembled, Eco-diesel was sourced in South Ayrshire. An old diesel van was acquired to use as a test bed.
The conclusion was that of all the eco-friendly methods of producing usable heat and power the most successful at the location were biomass heat, wind power, photovoltaic and a diesel generator using Eco-diesel. Wind power, however, required more study to be proved viable. The immediate need for power would be met using the diesel generator fuelled by Eco-diesel.
The lessons learned were:
- Define objectives for a project at an early stage and decide what and how much research needs to be done;
- Assess the likely cost of research;
- After completing research define the project fully including cost;
- Apply for funding to execute the project.
Contact
West Kilbride Community Initiative Ltd
86 Main Street
West Kilbride
KA23 9AP