Table Of ContentDomestic Microgeneration
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.
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.
“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, UK; Former Chief Scientific Adviser
to the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change; and
author of Sustainable Energy — Without the Hot Air
“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, UK,
and author of Energy 2050: Making the Transition to a
Secure Low-Carbon Energy System
Domestic Microgeneration
Renewable and distributed energy technologies, policies
and economics
Edited by Iain Staffell, Daniel J. L. Brett, Nigel P. Brandon and Adam D.
Hawkes
First published 2015
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2015 Iain Staffell, Daniel J. L. Brett, Nigel P. Brandon and Adam D. Hawkes
The right of the editors to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for
their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by
any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying
and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are
used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Domestic microgeneration : renewable and distributed energy technologies,
policies, and economics / edited by Iain Staffell, Daniel J. L.
Brett, Nigel P. Brandon, and Adam D. Hawkes.
pages cm
1. Building-integrated photovoltaic systems. 2. Small power
production facilities. I. Staffell, Iain.
TK1087.D66 2015
621.31′213—dc23
2014046577
ISBN: 978-0-415-81041-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-69710-9 (ebk)
Typeset in Goudy
by Swales & Willis Ltd, Exeter, Devon, UK
Contents
List of figures
List of tables
List of contributors
PART I Setting the scene
1 An introduction to microgeneration
Daniel J. L. Brett and Iain Staffell
2 The residential energy sector
Iain Staffell, Ian G. Hamilton and Richard Green
3 Cross-cutting issues for microgeneration
Iain Staffell and Ian G. Hamilton
PART II Microgeneration technologies
4 Biomass heating
Richard Blanchard
5 Heat pumps
Iain Staffell, Nick Kelly, Romain Petinot, Paul Tuohy and Daniel J. L. Brett
6 Solar thermal panels and insulated windows
Tariq Muneer, Eulalia Jadraque Gago and Dominic Skeaping
7 Solar photovoltaic panels
Christian N. Jardine
8 Micro-wind turbines for domestic applications
David Infield and Iain Staffell
9 Micro-CHP engines
Iain Staffell and Evgueniy Entchev
10 Fuel cell micro-CHP
Iain Staffell, Mardit Matian, Daniel J. L. Brett, Nigel P. Brandon and Adam
D. Hawkes
PART III Wider technical, economic and environmental aspects
11 Integrating microgeneration into smart energy networks
Nick Kelly, Maurizio Sasso, Giovanni Angrisani and Carlo Roselli
12 Market and policy influences
Adam D. Hawkes and Richard Hanna
13 Life cycle assessment of four microgenerators: carbon footprints and
payback times
Stephen Allen, Marcelle McManus and Iain Staffell
14 Technical and economic modelling of microgeneration
Nick Kelly, Adam D. Hawkes, Paul E. Dodds, Iain Staffell and Stefan
Pfenninger
15 Conclusion: the future of microgeneration
Nigel P. Brandon
Index
Figures
1.1 End uses for energy consumption in ten major countries
1.2 Sankey diagram depicting the flow of energy through the UK in 2010
1.3 Schematic of different types of microgeneration in a house
1.4 A Sankey diagram showing the flow of energy required to heat and power
a typical house for a year using fuel cell-based micro-CHP
2.1 Average household electricity and heat consumption in selected countries
2.2 Typical heating and cooling requirements in London over the course of the
year
2.3 Distribution of monthly energy demands measured in British houses with
gas heating
2.4 A comparison of annual heating and cooling degree days in ten major
cities
2.5 Modelled space heat consumption for a 120 m² detached house built to
different standards
2.6 Climate-corrected annual residential primary energy consumption
2.7 Predicted and actual annual gas heating demand for English dwellings,
relative to houses built around 1970
2.8 An electricity demand profile from an individual household recorded on a
1-minute time base
2.9 Energy demand profiles with dwelling and household influences
2.10 The share of fuels used for domestic heating in ten countries
2.11 Forty years of progression in fuel for domestic heating in the UK
2.12 Sankey diagram of energy supply to an average British house using a
high-efficiency condensing gas boiler
2.13 The purchase price of condensing boilers in the UK
