AM – Hartmust sammler (Solar Thermal Expert)
- Interesting introduction to the theory of Solar Thermal. Looked at two arrangements; first with a single cylinder and the second with two. A number of interesting facts emerged that I was previously aware of; the concept of a heat exchanger outside of the cylinder. Apparently something the size of a litre volume can have about 20msq surface area. This increased the efficiency and reliability of the system.
- Another simple but highly effective surprise was the intake and out pipe being at an angle causing the hot water to stay in the cylinder thus reducing the loss to external environment – simple but very effective, blooming great.
- We then had a look at some of the kit involved and two roof installations; the first was an older and now obsolete system on a slate roof, the second, a more modern one on manufactured (?) tiles.
- Another brief theory session spelt out (in long German words – the winner a 30 letter behemoth) of the steps carried out to drain and refill an installation.
- We then mainly watched and assisted in the most tenuous definition of the word in the above theory.
- I found this last part particularly useful as we saw the step enacted and some of the trick of the trade. The draining rig was particularly cute and effective.
PM – Lunch followed by Evaluation & Feedback.
- This was useful in summarising delegates’ feelings and views of what they got out of the week.
- Key points for me were;
- The diversity of the delegates (background, professions and experiences)
- The general co-operation and complementation of the delegates.
- The whole ‘German Experience’ and what the rest of Europe and indeed wider a field can learn from it.
- The whole week seemed too long before I arrived but all seem to agree, having experienced it, that the time was useful as it allowed delegates to reflex and discuss key points from each day. So recommend to stick to the 1 week format.
- The only minor, construction criticism was that one of the pr
Would I recommend it – yes most certainly. Mapping UK courses to equivalents to European one, especially when they are superior in breadth and/or depth and improving them where necessary can only be a good thing.
One little surprise – the German man or woman on the street is not too dissimilar that the Brit back home. They are not the eco-conscious warriors that some of us thought any more that their counterpart in the UK. The FiTs really is a driving and motivating factor as is peer pressure and the green status symbol. There’s hope for us in the UK after all.
Wahid Khan
The trip has been very worthwhile. I have gained a great deal from a really well put together programme that has taken in the whole range of issues associated with the development and deployment of renewable energy. For me, the real benefit has been to understand how the differences in the way in which the federal and regional government has tailored its policies to the area in which they are implemented. Adopting this approach might yield real benefits in the UK if the same degree of research is funded and applied. I would also like to thank all those involved in putting the trip together, the organisation, speakers and programme have been excellent.
Matt Dean
Well we have reached the end of our week. Our week has been enhanced by such a diverse group, this has led to extremely interesting discussions that have assisted me in my understanding of the opportunities and challenges that climate change offers. Presentations and trips have been professionally delivered and enjoyable. I would thank all concerned all Embrace and Pscher Institute. I look forward to keeping in contact with all concern to follow as they apply knowledge gain.
Steven Edwards
The end of a fantastic week! It was great to be part of such a diverse group of people. Each person’s contribution helped me to appreciate the issues facing the introduction of renewables in the UK. I came away with the knowledge that the public needs to have accurate and simple information on which to base their purchasing decisions. An excellent programme from Embrace!
Martin Abraham
A really good summing up and joint commitment to act on what we have learnt. This will be vital and I feel we have a real collective enthusiasm to make something real happen as a result of what we have learnt. The mix we have seems to create the opportunity to bring a broad range of perspectives which will offer the potential to find solutions that could take something back to the UK!
Nick Rousseau
Interesting final day, with the practical activity giving us a real insight into the role of the installation engineer and the technical competence required to install solar termal equipment. The review of the week identified that we all gained from meeting a wide of range of people with diverse roles and responsibilities. My personal thanks to the team who organised the trip and in particular to Dirk for his unstinting work as an interpreter and trip organiser. Thanks
David Pridmore
My thanks to all involved in organising and delivering the event and also to my co-delegates for being fun people to be with. I hope to keep in contact with both sets for a long time to come (apologies if treat this postscript with dread).
Last day today and to sum up the week we have all learnt and have many ideas to take back to the UK with. The renewable training facilities here are years ahead of the UK and many problems they encountered we are likely to encounter. By proper planning and policy we can mitigate some of these and come up with a working solution to them. We need to address the need for proper training or rather preparing the current workforce for the task of achieving the difficult UK co2 reduction targets. We need to have a closer look at funding issues, local policy that is needed to allow change and changing the public perception. Done properly this will lead to job creation, facilitate trades to retrain to new green technologies and help establish the UK as a major player in saving this fragile planet we share. Working together with our experienced neighbours we can learn and share this with developing countries. All in all this best exchange programme was exactly that.
Fergal McEntee
The week has come to an end and the strangers that came together at Heathrow Airport are strangers no more. The journey through Europe, Germany and the Vogtland – the land of the Vögte (barons/ land owners) has focused us on the use of our energy. What should we spend our energy on? How shall we use the resources we are given to contribute to a prosperous, safe, secure and clean future for ourselves and for those coming after us?
Well, the answers are not clear-cut and there is no one-size fit all solution. Especially when you look at the different starting positions that different countries are in with regards to their education system, general mix of energies currently used (dependencies on fossil fuel/ nuclear) and many other contributing factors. Its really puzzling. The more we saw and the more we talked to people the more we realised that all this development of renewables took a really long time to get to where we are now – almost 30 years really. If we are to replicate the success of the German renewable energy story in the UK then we have to take the specifics of the country into consideration and apply the lessons learned here and in other countries. This can only be done through a dialogue of scientists, investors, home-owners, communities (of interest/ place etc), teachers, trainers and people in the industry and finance. We started this journey a while ago but we are risking losing some of those who have less financial or economical power. If that was to happen the whole renewables movement will feel superimposed and people will start to lose interest or will not perform to their utmost, lowering the overall impact we can have.
Dirk Bischof
Today’s presentation followed by a practical demonstration was very informative in terms of the way a solar thermal collector and a conventional German heating system is integrated. Although I am not a heating engineer I have some knowledge of conventional hot water systems used in the UK. The interconnection of the system was quite different to what I expected. The practical demonstration of the commissioning was very helpful and introduced the use of a refractometer a tool that I had not seen before. This was used to determine the minimum working temperature of the Glycol water mixture. Also several good pointers for effective installation of these systems were given and the reasons for using different types of collector, surface mounted or integral roof systems.
Overall I have found the entire five day visit to be very inspiring. The information that we have been given certainly has informed me of the possibilities that exist. I feel very keen to explore ways that Lambeth College can engage with renewable energy technologies.
Martin Roach
Commissioning a Solar Thermal installation
How do you get a 5-pointed star from a 10-pointed star....
Who could forget the ginger biscuits calling all rabits!
Over and out!
