Integrated Energy - Our Vision

Thumbnail

This is how we see the energy supply evolving over the next 2 to 5 years, serving many residential properties, business premises and community buildings. Significantly increasing the local generation and storage of electricity. The electric vehicles (EV) also acting as 'batteries of wheels' to help store excess renewable energy when available.

DSG Vision (A Call to Action)

Dorking Solar Group (DSG)’s vision is that many householders, businesses and public sector organisations whether locally, nationally or globally, have or actively strive for:

Electricity

Self-generation of sustainable energy (solar, wind, hydro, etc* )
And store energy to use when needed (eg. battery storage)
Locally generated renewable electricity is used locally where possible
Any extra electricity needed is imported via the grid from 100% renewable supplier (who owns or has long term contracts with renewable* generators)
Most consumer devices and lighting are high efficiency A++ or better
An energy monitoring system to better control the energy use

Heating

Electric heating powered by 100% renewable electricity supplier
Solar thermal panels for hot water (where viable)
High levels of thermal insulation (cavity wall, loft, A+ windows, underfloor, vents)
Minimal use of natural gas combi-boilers (where possible)
Air source heat pumps or in some cases ground source heat pumps (where viable)

Transport (a major consumer of energy)

100% Electric Vehicle (no local air pollution; charged with 100% renewable energy and where possible locally generated electricity)
Home or business or shared access electric EV charge point
Remote EV charging is done using 100% renewable supplier
For those who do many long journeys then a plug-in hybrid vehicle with greater than 90mile battery range
Greater use of sharing (EV car/van, EV charge points, drive way parking, and public transport that is sustainably powered)
Greater use of bikes, electric scooters and walking
Fly less and where possible eliminate flying
Any air flights are offset by planting trees (approximately 1 tree per each hour of air flight! ** ); not using offset schemes.
Increased use of remote working technology to avoid commuting (where viable) especially for air travel.

Water (a precious resource and needs lots of energy)

Low flow devices (toilet cisterns, taps, shower aerator heads)
Fix any leaks
No garden sprinklers
Rainwater butt
Shower timer
Water meter (if you can't measure it; you can't control it)

Waste

Organic food waste collection to AD (where available)
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle as much as possible
Avoid unnecessary packaging and plastics
If plastics are used, careful select ones that can actually be recycled

Food (a major contributor to climate change issues; with choices to be made)

Eat more local/seasonal food. Consider food-miles
Consider a vegetarian diet or at least part vegetarian diet (this is the most impactful way to reduce your impact) - see *** below.
Avoid air freighted food
Avoid produce shipped across the world when local equivalents exist (eg. wine, beer, etc)
Eat less red meat - see *** below.
Select produce with less or no packaging

General

For small, medium and large business to see sustainability as a core essential objective and a great opportunity for their future.
Building Standards and Regulations to be significantly enhanced.
To try hard to move to a more sustainable way of living. And not to just give up in despair because we already seem too close to 2degC global temperature rise.
Recognition that much of above needs upfront capital investment for medium & long term benefit to all - and this issue needs working upon.
Consider if consumer items are really needed or will just be thrown away after limited use!

BE INCONVIENT

Speak Truth to Power: Support climate change solutions at council meetings and other open forums with elected leaders. Support and vote for elected officials who will act on climate issues. Work to defeat those who will not.
Talk about Climate Change: Watch the Al Gore film ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ and the sequel ‘Truth to Power’. Use the 10 minute primer on the video as a great conversation starter. See: www.climaterealityproject.org
Write about Climate issues: Write a letter to the editor, opinion piece or post on social media about the urgency of the climate crisis and climate solutions. Engage with those who do not see the problem. #BEINCONVIENT
Switch your Community to Renewables: Tell community leaders you want clean energy for your village, town or city.
Make your Business and Employer more Sustainable: Your business can save money while it saves the planet.
Run for Office: There are thousands of opportunities to run for office; join a clean energy or sustainability company; or join a campaigning group; and make a difference at local, district, county, regional, national or even global level.
Walk the Walk at Home: Purchase energy efficient appliances and consider switching to solar PV and/or switching to a 100% renewable electricity provider and Electric Vehicles. Think to reduce waste (energy, water, plastic, packaging, food)
Eat with the Planet in Mind: Eating less meat; choosing local foods; and buying organic products helps reduce your environmental impact.
Vote with your Money: Invest in or buy from companies with responsible environmental policies.

Conclusion

This viable list of actions is available to implement right now across all walks of life and geographies; and shows that there is a real undeniable alternative to the current unsustainable direction of travel that is inflicting our planet.

If you need help, support or guidance in order to move in this direction, please contact us.

Notes:

* means: Renewable energy is: Solar PV, Onshore Wind, Offshore Wind, Anaerobic Digestion (AD) of organic waste, subsea Tidal Streaming turbines, Tidal Barrage, Wave energy capture, geothermal, Solar thermal, Air Source heat pump, Ground Source heat pump, Waste heat recovery, or Biomass (only from locally sourced & managed forestry waste; not large scale imported pellets from the other side of the world).

Strong preference is to avoid solar PV farms on prime agricultural land. Strong preference is to avoid large scale biomass combustion as a renewable energy.

Notice that every one of these sources is derived from the sun and/or the planet, and generally avoids combustion.

means: One tree captures** approximately 2kg CO₂ per annum. One hour of say a Boing 737 flight emits around 90kg of CO₂. Source: forestry commission and carbonindependent.org (aviation).

* means: some statistics, calculations and conclusions about Beef consumption in UK** -->

79kg beef is consumed per person per annum in 2016 in UK. Source: Fullfact.org

UK population in 2016 was: 65.6 million. So 5.2million tonnes of beef eaten in UK pa.

A 1200 lb steer, half inch fat, average muscling, yields 750 lb carcass, which yields 490 lb boneless trimmed beef. That is 222kg beef per animal. Source: Igrow.org So 5200000 divided by 0.222 is 23million animals eaten per year in UK

One cow releases around 70 to 120 kg of methane pa. Methane has 23 times global warming potential (GWP) than CO₂. So release 2.2tonne of CO₂ equivalent on average per annum. (Based on average point which depends upon quality of feedback and agricultural management). Source: Timeforchange.org. Cows effectively convert grass, feedstocks, sunlight and nutrients into methane.

That is 23m x 2.2t = 50million tonnes of CO₂ per annum in the UK.

By comparison:

An average house consumes 4,200 kWh electricity and 12,000 kWh of heating pa (assume natural gas combi boiler). Electricity average 2017 grid carbon is 0.35 kgCO₂/kWh and gas is 0.19kgCO₂/kWh. That means the average house CO₂ emissions per annum from electricity and heating are 3.8 tonnes CO₂ per annum.

So beef consumption in the UK is emitting roughly the same amount of CO₂ emissions as the energy consumed by 13 million residential properties.

There are 27.3 million homes in UK in 2016. Source: ons

So beef consumption in the UK is emitting roughly the same amount of CO₂ (equivalent) as 48% of all UK’s residential properties energy (electricity and heating) emissions. And this is without considering land use impacts or feedstock production impacts or water consumption impacts. The water use to produce 1kg of beef is an amazing 15,000 litres of freshwater. And is not considering cows for milk production nor lamb consumption.

Integrated Energy - Our Vision

DSG Vision (A Call to Action)

Dorking Solar Group (DSG)’s vision is that many householders, businesses and public sector organisations whether locally, nationally or globally, have or actively strive for:

Electricity

Self-generation of sustainable energy (solar, wind, hydro, etc* )

And store energy to use when needed (eg. battery storage)

Locally generated renewable electricity is used locally where possible

Any extra electricity needed is imported via the grid from 100% renewable supplier (who owns or has long term contracts with renewable* generators)

Most consumer devices and lighting are high efficiency A++ or better

An energy monitoring system to better control the energy use

Heating

Electric heating powered by 100% renewable electricity supplier

Solar thermal panels for hot water (where viable)

High levels of thermal insulation (cavity wall, loft, A+ windows, underfloor, vents)

Minimal use of natural gas combi-boilers (where possible)

Air source heat pumps or in some cases ground source heat pumps (where viable)

Transport (a major consumer of energy)

100% Electric Vehicle (no local air pollution; charged with 100% renewable energy and where possible locally generated electricity)

Home or business or shared access electric EV charge point

Remote EV charging is done using 100% renewable supplier

For those who do many long journeys then a plug-in hybrid vehicle with greater than 90mile battery range

Greater use of sharing (EV car/van, EV charge points, drive way parking, and public transport that is sustainably powered)

Greater use of bikes, electric scooters and walking

Fly less and where possible eliminate flying

Any air flights are offset by planting trees (approximately 1 tree per each hour of air flight! ** ); not using offset schemes.

Increased use of remote working technology to avoid commuting (where viable) especially for air travel.

Water (a precious resource and needs lots of energy)

Low flow devices (toilet cisterns, taps, shower aerator heads)

Fix any leaks

No garden sprinklers

Rainwater butt

Shower timer

Water meter (if you can't measure it; you can't control it)

Waste

Organic food waste collection to AD (where available)

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle as much as possible

Avoid unnecessary packaging and plastics

If plastics are used, careful select ones that can actually be recycled

Food (a major contributor to climate change issues; with choices to be made)

Eat more local/seasonal food. Consider food-miles

Consider a vegetarian diet or at least part vegetarian diet (this is the most impactful way to reduce your impact) - see *** below.

Avoid air freighted food

Avoid produce shipped across the world when local equivalents exist (eg. wine, beer, etc)

Eat less red meat - see *** below.

Select produce with less or no packaging

General

For small, medium and large business to see sustainability as a core essential objective and a great opportunity for their future.

Building Standards and Regulations to be significantly enhanced.

To try hard to move to a more sustainable way of living. And not to just give up in despair because we already seem too close to 2degC global temperature rise.

Recognition that much of above needs upfront capital investment for medium & long term benefit to all - and this issue needs working upon.

Consider if consumer items are really needed or will just be thrown away after limited use!

BE INCONVIENT

Speak Truth to Power: Support climate change solutions at council meetings and other open forums with elected leaders. Support and vote for elected officials who will act on climate issues. Work to defeat those who will not.

Talk about Climate Change: Watch the Al Gore film ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ and the sequel ‘Truth to Power’. Use the 10 minute primer on the video as a great conversation starter. See: www.climaterealityproject.org

Write about Climate issues: Write a letter to the editor, opinion piece or post on social media about the urgency of the climate crisis and climate solutions. Engage with those who do not see the problem. #BEINCONVIENT

Switch your Community to Renewables: Tell community leaders you want clean energy for your village, town or city.

Make your Business and Employer more Sustainable: Your business can save money while it saves the planet.

Run for Office: There are thousands of opportunities to run for office; join a clean energy or sustainability company; or join a campaigning group; and make a difference at local, district, county, regional, national or even global level.

Walk the Walk at Home: Purchase energy efficient appliances and consider switching to solar PV and/or switching to a 100% renewable electricity provider and Electric Vehicles. Think to reduce waste (energy, water, plastic, packaging, food)

Eat with the Planet in Mind: Eating less meat; choosing local foods; and buying organic products helps reduce your environmental impact.

Vote with your Money: Invest in or buy from companies with responsible environmental policies.

Conclusion

This viable list of actions is available to implement right now across all walks of life and geographies; and shows that there is a real undeniable alternative to the current unsustainable direction of travel that is inflicting our planet.

If you need help, support or guidance in order to move in this direction, please contact us.

Notes:

Strong preference is to avoid solar PV farms on prime agricultural land. Strong preference is to avoid large scale biomass combustion as a renewable energy.

Notice that every one of these sources is derived from the sun and/or the planet, and generally avoids combustion.

** means: One tree captures approximately 2kg CO2 per annum. One hour of say a Boing 737 flight emits around 90kg of CO2. Source: forestry commission and carbonindependent.org (aviation).

*** means: some statistics, calculations and conclusions about Beef consumption in UK -->

79kg beef is consumed per person per annum in 2016 in UK. Source: Fullfact.org

UK population in 2016 was: 65.6 million. So 5.2million tonnes of beef eaten in UK pa.

A 1200 lb steer, half inch fat, average muscling, yields 750 lb carcass, which yields 490 lb boneless trimmed beef. That is 222kg beef per animal. Source: Igrow.org So 5200000 divided by 0.222 is 23million animals eaten per year in UK

That is 23m x 2.2t = 50million tonnes of CO2 per annum in the UK.

By comparison:

So beef consumption in the UK is emitting roughly the same amount of CO2 emissions as the energy consumed by 13 million residential properties.

There are 27.3 million homes in UK in 2016. Source: ons

Navigation

Focus Areas

Contact

means: One tree captures** approximately 2kg CO₂ per annum. One hour of say a Boing 737 flight emits around 90kg of CO₂. Source: forestry commission and carbonindependent.org (aviation).

* means: some statistics, calculations and conclusions about Beef consumption in UK** -->

That is 23m x 2.2t = 50million tonnes of CO₂ per annum in the UK.

So beef consumption in the UK is emitting roughly the same amount of CO₂ emissions as the energy consumed by 13 million residential properties.