Windmills pay. On a breezy Saturday at the end of March, Aeolian Parks scattered across the hill-top ridges and off-shore sandbanks of Spain produced 40.8pc of the country's electricity needs - 9,862 megawatts to be precise.


	Milling around: the German power group E.On is committed to developing wind farms

The much-derided turbines produced enough wattage to power the great cities of Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Valencia, Toledo, Cordoba, Granada, Santander, Bilbao, and Zaragoza combined. The workday record on a Tuesday, March 5, was 28pc.

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Years of nurture by the Spanish government have paid off. Spain is a global superpower in the wind race, with 15,000 MW of capacity. The region of Navarra is 70pc green, shielded against gas-shocks, Russian politics and soaring oil prices.

Today's wind turbines are a far cry from the archaic mini-mills that scar the landscape for little return, and provoke such fury in the English shires. They are vast. Each mast can power a neighbourhood.

Here in the wet misty mountains of Asturias, the German power group E.On is erecting a battery of mills that tower 410ft into the sky. They are higher than the dome of St Paul's Cathedral or the US Congress on Capitol Hill. The rotors alone dwarf the wingspan of an Airbus A380 super jumbo.

"We are beyond the boutique phase," said Frank Mastiaux, the head of E.On's green operations. "When this began in the 1970s it was a niche play, a nice tax break for German dentists and doctors. Now it is turning into an industrial business. Productivity has grown by 150 times in 25 years."

Every mill costs €2.6m (£2m) to buy and erect, yet the Danish manufacturer Vestas is sold out until 2010.

E.On is coy about profit margins. The European operations are flirting with break-even cost, but the company's huge 10-mile wind farms in the Texas outback have reached the magical level of €50 per megawatt hour (with US government subsidies), far below natural gas at the current market price.

America is the new Mecca for wind power. The ranchers are fully signed up. They collect an annual royalty of $5,000 to $10,000 for each turbine, and cattle can still graze underneath.

The wind revolution has crept up on us. It is solar power that has seized the popular imagination.

"Everybody loves solar, but in fact solar and wind technology are miles apart," said Dr Mastiaux. "The cost of wind power is €50 to €100 a megawatt hour, while for solar it is still more than €450. The killer for solar is the cost of silicon."

As of 2007, renewable energies produced 242 GW (gigawatts), or 5pc of all global electricity. The mix is wind (93 GW), small hydro (77), biomass (48), geothermal (9.6), solar (8.5), biogas (5.2), and tide power (0.3).

E.On, Europe's biggest privately owned energy company, believes all these forms together will quadruple over the next 12 years to 970 GW, led by wind. Dr Mastiaux said: "Renewables will soon be a €200bn business. I can't think of any other industry with growth like that."

The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) predicts that wind power will provide almost 29pc of world electricity by 2030.

Yet the International Energy Agency says 3.5pc is more realistic. A report from the UK's Royal Academy of Engineering concluded that wind power still costs two to three times more than nuclear energy, even after decommissioning. The dispute centres on the back-up needs when the wind is not blowing.

E.On has done its own sums, based on the yield from its 1,100 MW network of wind parks across Europe and the US. It believes wind will reach durable "grid parity" with other fuels in just over a decade, if not before.

The group is taking the plunge, spending €6bn in three years to stake out its share of the renewable frontier. It lags Spain's Iberdrola, but aims to raise its wind power tenfold by 2015.

E.On's cluster of four parks in Asturias will generate 126 MW by the end of this year. The power is fed into the local grid. It is enough to supply 82,000 homes in the coastal cities of Oviedo, Aviles, and Giron.

Hardly anybody lives in these cool Celtic highlands, the only region of Spain never conquered by the Moors. The sight of huge white poplars across the ridges at 3,300ft seems to cause little offence, although Asturias hoteliers have called for a halt to new wind farms. Local branches of the socialist party (PSOE) have launched a campaign against the "massive proliferation" of turbines along the Galician coast.

Mr Mastiaux admits that it is becoming ever harder to erect turbines on land, especially in Britain and Germany. "We've hit tissue rejection. Nobody wants to look out of their window at a wind farm," he said.

The company is going off-shore. The wind yield is stronger, but the costs are higher. There is only one ship in the world fitted to install the 200-tonne masts.

E.On already has a £75m project on Scoby Sands off the coast of Norfolk, where 30 turbines are cranking out 60 MW for 30,000 homes.

It is developing one of the world's largest offshore sites with Shell on the outer Thames Estuary. Known as the London Array, it is eventually expected to provide 1,000 MW - or a quarter of London's power.

If the prices of oil and gas fall sharply - and stay low - as they did in the 1980s and again in the late 1990s, the huge gamble on renewables may prove a costly flop. But demand suggests that is unlikely to happen.

World oil output has been flat for four years, despite frantic efforts by BP, Shell, Exxon and peers to find new supplies. China's oil imports grew 14pc last year.

Goldman Sachs says crude may reach $175 a barrel within two years. "Markets are as tight as a drum and now the US has hit the stimulus button," says the bank's oil guru, Jeff Currie.

The switch to grain-based ethanol - or "dethanol", to critics - is nearing political limits as the United Nations warns of food rationing and possible starvation.

Wulf Bernotat, E.On's cigar-chomping chief, says global electricity demand will double by 2030 as the industrial revolutions of Asia gather pace.

Wind power ticks more good boxes than almost any other option. It is clean, nearly silent, emits no CO2, pays its way, and is "home made" - no small matter as Europe's reliance on imported gas jumps from 54pc to 80pc over the next 15 years.

"Those who don't like wind power have a duty to offer an alternative. So far they haven't really come up with anything," said Dr Bernotat.

Few working on the front line of the global energy crisis would disagree.

Green energy set to be compulsory in new homes across Britain

Green energy devices such as wind turbines and solar panels are to be made compulsory on millions of new homes and offices under government plans to boost green energy. Housing minister Yvette Cooper is determined to push ahead with moves to force developers to cut their carbon emissions by using renewable sources of power. New planning policy guidance will make clear that ministers stand by council planners who refuse permission for buildings which fail to generate their own energy.

The measures are part of Gordon Brown's aim to make all new homes "zero-carbon" by 2016 and to meet a target for Britain to obtain 20 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. According to The Evening Standard newspaper the guidance, to be published later this year, will impose an obligation on town halls to adopt targets for green energy. In some cases, new developments will have to obtain all their electricity from renewable sources, with others having a 50 per cent target. Contrary to fears expressed by some environmentalists, Ms Cooper will not be abolishing the Merton Rule, a policy that lets councils insist that all new commercial buildings must take at least 10 per cent of their energy from green sources. The rule, named after the London borough that pioneered it, has been adopted by more than 150 local authorities. Last year, Ms Cooper gave it her full backing, even suggesting all councils should take it up.

How many celebrities does it take to change the world?

Gone are the days of judging celebrity cool by the number of private jets, fast cars and Gucci handbags they own. Green credentials have now appeared on the list of ‘must-haves’ for the successful celebrity in the Noughties.

Like many celebrity phenomena before it, jumping on the green bandwagon seems to be a trend that began in LA. Hollywood stars Alicia Silverstone, Leonardo Di Caprio and Daryl Hannah were all early adopters of the green lifestyle, with an impressive array of solar panels gracing the roofs of their Californian homes.

But the celebrity stage is swiftly turning a darker shade of green in the UK too. British film stars, TV chefs, politicians and even the royals have realised that in today’s media arena, you’ve got to be green to be seen.

Earlier this year, Pirates of the Caribbean star Orlando Bloom announced plans to build his own eco-home in London, complete with rooftop solar panels and an electric car in the driveway. Fresh from the toils of tackling childhood obesity, Jamie Oliver has now applied to go green with plans to furnish the roof of his Cornish restaurant, Fifteen, with wind turbines. Controversial royal Prince Charles is rumoured to be building an eco-mansion for his son William and who could miss the ongoing battle of the eco-politicians as Tony and David slug it out to prove their party is the greenest.

Whether its greenwash, media hype or true environmental concern behind the actions of our eco-heroes, it appears to be working - they’re hitting the headlines and the green movement is no longer seen as a hippy fad but a long-term concern that we all need to embrace.

Joliet Technology products allow you to reduce your energy bills, cut your carbon emissions and join the coolest revolution in town. Whether you are looking to harness the power of the wind, go Californian with the range of solar and photovoltaic panels or tap into the heat below your feet with a ground-source heat pump, Joliet can bring you one step closer to your own celebrity-style eco pad, without upsetting your bank manager.

Less red tape for green technologies

On 4th April, Ruth Kelly MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, announced plans to cut red tape, making it easier for individuals to install their own alternative energy technologies at home.

The consultation on mirogeneration recommends removing the need to apply for planning permission for domestic green energy systems where it is clear there will be no impact on the neighbouring population. In Britain, there are currently around 100,000 microgeneration systems but the government wants to increase this to around 800,000.

Stressing her wish to make the Communities and Local Government department an environmental one, Mrs Kelly stressed the need for more leadership at a local level in tackling climate change. Her speech identified research which suggested that microgeneration could help to cut carbon emissions by 15% by 2050 but people needed the right incentives to consider installing systems in their homes, hence the recommendations for the removal of red tape.

This will come as welcome news to a growing number of people feeling helpless over climate change and keen to reduce their personal carbon footprint. At present, homeowners face a three month wait and several hundred pounds worth of costs as a result of the current planning processes.

Coinciding with this good news, is the timely launch of a new UK company offering homeowners the chance to be a part of the new microgeneration era. Joliet Technology is offering the very latest in alternative domestic energy solutions for the home, and at realistic prices.

Products on offer include wind turbines for both domestic and commercial use, solar water heating systems, photovoltaic panels, air source and ground source heat pumps.

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PHOTOVOLTAIC vs WIND POWER

Being a relatively new source of energy production, wind power is not as well documented as solar power. Solar panels as they are commonly referred to produce energy from sunlight. The latest generation of solar energy collectors, photovoltaic panels are highly efficient compared to older technologies but how do they rate against wind turbines?

The general promotion of PV energy systems across Europe is reaching ‘double glazing’ style proportions as more and more companies enter the market for renewable energy solutions. PV looks like a great solution, you put the panels on the roof and just ‘plug in’ but is it really that simple?

On average 10m2 of PV panels are needed to produce 1Kw of power (if it is a sunny day) and most small households require 2 to 4Kw each day. That is 30 or 40 square meters of PV panels, a larger surface area than most peoples total roof area.

Wind is of course a more plentiful commodity than sunlight in the UK, a 2 or 3Kw wind turbine will provide as much power as a 2 or 3Kw PV array for about a third of the cost without the space requirement of a PV array.

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WIND TURBINE MYTHS

Do the turbines affect animals? No many of our customers are farmers with a requirement for power in remote areas.

Are there any problems with low frequency noise? No

Do the turbines affect epilepsy sufferers? No

Are the turbines noisy? Downwind turbines rotate at a slow speed, not like a helicopter for example, our 3Kw wind turbine produces around 45db of noise at a 12 meter distance in 5m/s wind speed, including background wind noise. This is equivalent to a modern dishwasher running.

Do they kill birds? Because of the slow rotation speed of our turbines birds can see the obstacle in time to alter course. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) actively supports and promotes the use of wind turbines and does not object to them on principal.

Do turbines interfere with electrical equipment, telecoms, radio or TV equipment? No, we are in talks at the moment with a major telecoms company to power radio masts with wind turbines.

Do the turbines produce radiation / electromagnetic fields? No

ABOUT JOLIET TECHNOLOGY SL

The company was established in May 2005 by two British businessmen. The founders, both property developers, recognised the increasing pressure from European parliament to improve house building techniques and reduce their impact on the environment.

One solid year of research led the company to renewable energy products as the way forward. Despite the many possibilities in this field Joliet Technology decided to pursue wind power, solar energy and geothermal technology as the basis for a new product range.

Rapid product development followed and Joliet Technology introduced the ECOPAC and GEOPAC range of ground source and air source heat pump in early 2006. Working closely with component suppliers and manufacturers throughout the world Joliet continued to expand their product range with the introduction of the HELIOS solar water heating range in July 2006.

Anxious to complete the renewable energy range with the addition of wind power as an energy source Joliet introduced the CYCLONE wind turbine range at the beginning of this year and have since negotiated a distribution agreement with the world leaders WES to offer industrial capacity wind turbines.

Joliet Technology’s headquarters and distribution centre is based in the town of Figueres in Northern Spain. The company has developed a largely web based marketing strategy concentrating principally on the Western European markets. Over the course of the last six months regional sales offices have been opened in Southern Spain, France and the UK.

July 2007 saw the opening of a new showroom and distribution centre in Figueres and sales continue to increase at an unprecedented rate.

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Green homes

So you have decided to start from scratch and build a new house, a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the many renewable energy systems available, and make your new home truly GREEN.

Beware! It is very easy to go ‘over the top’ when considering how to best serve the environment whilst remaining realistic. Unless you focus on real achievable goals you are likely to end up living in a forest of organically grown carpet tiles supported by papier mache floor boards handmade, from recycled back copies of the Independent.

Stay focused on the principal results you require:

1.A home that contributes to helping the environment by reducing harmful emissions.

2.A home that is largely independent from commercially available forms of energy supply

3.A home that benefits from considerably reduced running costs.

Renewable energy products have seen a rapid development phase and most are now in the advanced stages, having gone from ‘new invention’ status to being commercially available at reasonable cost, some more reasonable than others so choose carefully.

Renewable energy generation utilises three natural and essentially free resources available in abundance. Solar energy, wind power and the warmth present in the earth and air around us.

The Spanish based renewable energy providers, Joliet Technology SA address these three natural energy sources with a broad range of products offering substantial savings to the consumer in household power generation, hot water supply and domestic heating.

Integrating renewable energy into a new home is very simple and represents, in most cases, a smaller investment than would be required by using conventional fossil fuel or electrical equipment.

For most small to medium sized family homes a mixture of renewable energy production provides the optimum solution.

Solar energy production using the latest photovoltaic technology is still a little restrictive in cost terms for domestic use but solar power can be easily captured to provide a free source of hot water for domestic use. Pressurised and non pressurised hot water systems use special glass vacuum tubes mounted on the roof to heat water in a tank fitted with a high performance heat exchanger. These systems are compact, inexpensive, easy to install and require minimal maintenance.

Our green home needs one pressurized solar hot water system with collector units mounted on the roof and a 300lt storage tank fitted inside. The system will need a pump, control unit, safety valve and an expansion vessel. The system will offer a hot water storage facility of 80hrs without sunlight. The complete system will cost around €2370ttc

The power of the wind offers a perfect opportunity to obtain free, clean energy in immediately useable form either as AC current to power household electrical equipment or as DC power which can be stored in batteries for days when there is no wind.

Domestic wind turbines offer varied levels of power output but our green home, a small to medium sized house of 120m2, has a general power requirement of around 3500/4000kwh per day so to supply all of this power requirement a 2kw or possibly a 3kw model would be required, together with a bank of storage batteries.

Perhaps the least obvious source of natural energy is that which is stored in the air and the earth in the form of warmth. This warmth can be captured and used to provide a heat source for homes and swimming pools by using air source or ground source heat pumps. Heat pumps increase the temperature of the ambient air or ground by compressing it and transferring the heat produced via a heat exchanger, in a conventional heating circuit. Typically a heat pump will return about 4 times the energy it consumes.

Our green home has under floor heating which is ideal for use in conjunction with a heat pump, unfortunately the garden is not really large enough to lay the capture pipes needed to use a ground source heat pump so a 13kw air source heat pump is the solution.

Our house also has a small swimming pool which can also benefit from an air source heat pump specifically designed to efficiently heat swimming pools and spas, this unit is a small version of the domestic heating heat pump and has an integral titanium heat exchanger.

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Wind turbines l Solar water heating l Ground source heat pumps l Air source heat pumps l Swimming pool heat pumps l Photovoltaic energy

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