Numerous homes and community buildings incorporate solar
panels for hot water heating. A community company supplies
panels to residential and commercial customers throughout
the UK, both for new buildings and to retrofit existing
buildings. Most new community buildings incorporate design
features that invite passive solar radiation to reduce building
heating needs, such as south-facing windows and conservatories
and minimal wall openings on north walls. Sustainably harvested
wood provides space heating for both new and older homes.
 |
 |
Our four community-owned
wind turbines, which have a total capacity of 750kW, supply
more than 100% of the community's electricity needs. Our
system is unusual in that the community owns its own private
electricity grid, the main campus having originally been
a private caravan park.The electricity produced by the turbines
is sent to a substation that meters the flows, alters the
transmission voltages and acts as a switching station. When
the wind blows the electricity is used on-site. If production
exceeds demand the surplus is exported to the grid. If the
wind does not blow the site imports from the grid. Overall
we are net exporters of electricity. Green electricity generation
is one of our successful community businesses.
The
guidelines for new buildings in the ecovillage encourage
very high levels of insulation, and double- or triple-glazed
windows with low-emission window coatings. Architects are
encouraged to incorporate energy efficiency considerations
into every building design. Energy efficient compact fluorescent
light bulbs are installed in many residences, businesses
and community buildings. The ecovillage is a test case for
a research project on the feasibility of using load management
technology, which is equipment that helps match the electricity
output of the wind turbines with the electricity requirements
of community homes and businesses Energy running costs for
newer houses are many times less than the running costs
for the original old caravans.
Using solar, wind and wood, combined with highly energy-efficient
features in our new buildings, the Findhorn ecovillage now
receives 28% of its total non-transportation energy from
renewable sources. We expect to increase this percentage
as caravans are gradually replaced with energy-efficient
new houses.
For more information on Wind Energy, click
here
