Resources
Renewable Energy Selector
Renewable & Low/Zero Carbon Energy Selector
The following flowcharts have been designed to help simplify the process of selecting the most applicable LZC (Low/Zero Carbon) energy options for a potential development.
The idea of the flowcharts is to help the user remove options which are not applicable to their particular development and thereby allowing them to focus on and investigate further those options which may have some potential.
The most common types of LZC energy technologies have been included and have been split into 2 different flow charts. The first chart shows those technologies which produce electricity and the second chart shows those technologies which produce heating and/or hot water.
The first question is therefore; does your development require electricity, heating/hot water or both? Once this has been established the next stage is to select the most appropriate flowchart(s).
LZC flowchart – Heating & Hot Water
Once you have identified the applicable options then it is recommended that a feasibility appraisal is undertaken in order to establish the option(s) which offers the most benefit to your development. Depending on the scale of the development, this can be anything from an informal review to a full feasibility report and assessment. Either way, it is recommended that the following issues are covered:
- The potential amount of energy which can be generated
- The life cycle cost/payback of the technology
- Any potential planning issues (including land use and noise)
- The feasibility of exporting heat/electricity from the system
- Any available grants