Low Carbon

The Braddon houses have been recently inspected and given Energy Certificates with ratings over 90% energy efficiency. All windows are double glazed and attics insulated. They are all heated from a central wood chip boiler situated in the North Ride area of Braddon. The energy wood is either purchased from the surrounding local forestry plantations or harvested from the Braddon forest. The computerized Austrian Froehling 110kw boiler, commissioned in December 2007, has proved very reliable. When there is any problem, the system immediately signals, day or night to the mobile phone of the manager, who can then deal with the problem promptly. The boiler house has two large insulated tanks which store the hot water at 70 to 90C so that during periods of peak demand hot water is ready to deliver. The district heating system, which is a network of flow and return insulated underground pipes of various sizes, has a pump which circulates the hot water continuously so it is always there at each house on demand. The system has proved reliable and trouble free, providing comfortable heating and domestic hot water. The capital cost of the installation after grants was £120.000. Like most renewable energy systems initial costs are high compared to fossil fuel systems, but the only carbon being emitted into the atmosphere is the carbon sequestered in wood growing less than fifty years ago, whereas the carbon of fossil fuels oil, gas, and coal is carbon sequestered millions of years ago, alien to and destabilizing our planet's climate. A hard fact of earth science is that a direct relationship exists between % of C02 in the atmosphere, average global temperature, and sea level: all of which at present are rising.

For the future it is our intention (with planning approval) to site one or two wind turbines in Braddon west field which will stand fifteen meters high. This site is well away from the Braddon houses, behind a mature thirty meter deep shelter belt of forestry planted in 1991 on the eastern edge of West Field. The turbines will not be visible from the houses, which all face south, and at the distance no sound from the turbines will be audible. The electricity generated will be connected to the Grid via an electricity substation and the 11.000 volt Braddon spur. Off peak electricity from wind generation, which is normally wasted, will be wired underground to the (extended) farm building in the North Ride area in which will be installed an innovative facility for generating hydrogen by water electrolysis. The hydrogen will be compressed and stored in a large tank which will be sited in the forested area distant from the houses. This hydrogen will be sold locally by the Braddon Estate as road fuel for petrol engine vehicles which have been adapted to dual fuel by a simple conversion, plus a hydrogen tank. This hydrogen generation and storage system will provide a solution to the intermittency of wind energy, and most importantly an indigenous non-carbon source of road fuel at Braddon.