Rural and Urban Micro-Sourcing of Renewable Energy

by

SelJones

With government policy such as the Energy Bill of 2012-2013, which calls for an increase to 30% of energy coming from renewable sources by year 2020, there is a big discussion of the need for renewable energy programs in the UK and around the globe. But what exactly is renewable energy and why is it so important to economic stability?

In short, renewable energy is anything that comes from a continually replenished source. Renewable energy falls into several large categories or sources: wind, solar and hydroelectric being the most well-known, the practicalities of biofuels, ocean power, geothermal and microgeneration are less known to those outside of the industry.

Each of these sources, or categories, comes with its own economics – the cost of building and maintaining the means to harness the energy, the overall energy output, and the availability of this source throughout time.

While there are several large scale renewable energy projects taking place in the UK and abroad, one application is routinely being skipped over – rural and urban micro-sourcing.

As funding for the larger scale projects has become more widely available – through tax incentives and public grants – there is also a need for similar funding sources for micro energy projects, those projects which take place in urban dwellings and the country-side.

To date, there has been a focus on reducing overall energy usage in homes and office, while the large-scale energy projects have utilized renewable sources. Going forward, there should also be a focus on homes, small farms and offices creating renewable energy of their own – utilizing solar, wind and hydro in smaller doses. These projects are happening all over as backyard crafts or experiments. It s time that they become recognized as a valuable part of the energy crisis solution. It s time that they are backed with the same financial incentives that the larger projects are receiving from the government. Time that grant monies were made available for even more folks to participate.

Ensuring that there is an opportunity for both businesses and residences to make the shift to renewable energy is an important factor in the nation s economy. While decreasing dependence on fossil fuels and carbon sources can create more independence on an international level, we need to ensure that citizens are not then dependent on companies which hold the only alternative energy options at home. Providing funding and tax incentives for rural and urban development of renewable energy will allow for a stronger economy both locally and abroad – less money spent outside of the UK for fossil fuels and money saved by home-owners and farmers means a larger pool of operating funds to circulate and generate taxed expenditures. A good thing for everyone.

With the cost of

energy suppliers

prices rising, Sam Jones the author regularly reviews the market place online to find the best deals available to save money.

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Rural and Urban Micro-Sourcing of Renewable Energy