Bexhill Rotary Discovers About Renewable Energy

With concerns about using up natural resources and climate changes Bexhill Rotary Club was pleased to welcome Richard Pilbeam of Complete Solar and Renewables to tell them a bit about how to achieve net zero by 2050 – the government target.

Richard started by outlining the current situation where the country is largely reliant on energy from abroad, most of which add to greenhouse gases. He went on to tell us about solar panels, battery storage and air to air heat pumps.

He said that solar panels allow houses to become partially energy independent, save money and increase the properties value. They are a fairly common sight now and their effectiveness is developing all the time. With added batteries to store electricity during peak production times (i.e.sunny days) they become even more effective.

Air to air heating systems, closely related to air conditioning units, improve heating but need to be used with good home insulation. For every 1Kw used in running them they should generate 5Kw of heat.

Home electric charging points for electric vehicles enhance the viability and cost of using electric cars.

Richard finished by saying that each home is individual and systems need to be tailored to every ones circumstances. There followed a lively question and answer session when such topics as the longevity of the solar panels and the warmth generated by the air to air systems were explored and debated. The club agreed that this was a very thought provoking and useful evening and joined in thanking Richard for giving such an insightful talk.