Microgeneration – producing energy for the home, in the home – is a substantial improvement over the current centralised and detached energy model employed the world over.
Domestic Microgeneration is the first in-depth reference work for this exciting and emerging field of energy generation. It provides detailed reviews of ten state-of-the-art technologies: including solar PV and thermal, micro-CHP and heat pumps; and considers them within the wider context of the home in which they are installed and the way that they are operated. Alongside the many successes, this book highlights the common pitfalls that beset the industry. It offers best-practice guidance on how they can be avoided by considering the complex linkages between technology, user, installer and government.
This interdisciplinary work draws together the social, economic, political and environmental aspects of this very diverse energy ‘genre’ into a single must-have reference for academics and students of sustainability and energy related subjects, industry professionals, policy makers and the growing number of energy-literate householders who are looking for ways to minimise their environmental footprint and their energy bills with microgeneration.
Table of Contents:
Part 1: Setting the Scene 1. An Introduction to Microgeneration 2. The Residential Energy Sector 3. Cross-Cutting Issues for Domestic Microgeneration Part 2: Microgeneration Technologies 4. Biomass Heating 5. Heat Pumps 6. Solar Thermal Panels and Insulated Windows 7. Solar Photovoltaic Panels 8. Micro-Wind Turbines 9. Micro-CHP Engines 10. Fuel Cell Micro-CHP Part 3: Wider Technical, Economic and Environmental Aspects 11. Integrating Microgeneration into Smart Energy Networks 12. Market and Policy Influences 13. Life Cycle Assessment of Four Microgenerators: Carbon Footprints and Payback Times 14. Technical and Economic Modelling of Microgeneration 15. The Future of Microgeneration
About the Author :
Iain Staffell, Imperial College Business School, Imperial College London, UK.
Daniel J. L. Brett, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, UK.
Nigel. P. Brandon, Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, UK.
Adam D. Hawkes, Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, UK.
Review :
"Is the widespread belief that microgeneration is "a good thing" well founded, or is it wishful thinking? How well does each microgeneration technology perform in practice? How cost effective is each technology, taking into account its embodied materials? This book does a great job of assembling the evidence and sorting the wheat from the chaff."–David J.C. MacKay FRS, Regius Professor of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Former Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change
"Microgeneration could play a significant role in the mosaic of solutions to the problem of low-carbon heat. Its role in empowering energy consumers can also be overlooked. This book separates fact from prejudice and provides an evidence base that policymakers and anyone with an interest in the area can rely on." –Jim Skea CBE, RCUK Energy Strategy Fellow and Professor of Sustainable Energy, Imperial College London
