ORKNEY RENEWABLE ENERGY FORUM

Almost half the UK’s CO2 emissions come from the energy we use every day in the home and for travel. To generate that energy we primarily burn fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) that produce ‘greenhouse gases’ in particular CO2 which are changing our climate and damaging our environment. In addition, fossil fuels come from a non-renewable source i.e. the supply is limited. In recent years efforts have been made to explore what we know call renewable energy sources, those like the power of the seas and wind, and heat from the sun and the earth. They are clean, free energy sources and will never run out!

Renewable energy is the term used to describe energy flows that occur naturally and continuously in the environment, such as energy from the wind, waves or tides. The origin of the majority of these sources can be traced back to either the sun (energy from the sun helps to drive the earth’s weather patterns) or the gravitational effects of the sun and the moon. This means that these sources are essentially inexhaustible.

The key issue is how to extract this energy as effectively as possible and convert it into more useful forms of energy. This can range from directly using the energy from the sun to heat water to using mechanical devices, such as wind turbines, to convert the kinetic energy in the wind into electrical energy.

This section is all about energy efficiency and energy generation. See the sub-section links below.

Orkney Marine Renewables