Low Luckens Organic Resource Centre
Composting Toilet Solar Panels Environmental Awards
What is Renewable Energy?
Put simply it is a form of energy that occurs, and is replenished, naturally. There are many renewable technologies, but at Low Luckens we have found wind and solar energy suit our requirements best.
Organic farming and renewable energy have a lot in common. Both shun intensive production systems in favour of sustainable alternatives. Both challenge the notion that such systems must be large scale, centralised and environmentally damaging.
Wind Power at Low Luckens
The wind turbine at Low Luckens acts as any other power station. Fossil fuel or nuclear power stations use gas, oil or nuclear reaction to generate steam, which is used to turn a generator. Here the generator is mounted on a mast and attached to a propeller, letting the wind turn the generator.
When the wind is blowing strongly the turbine can generate a maximum of 2.5 kilowatts. This is equivalent to running 25 x 100 watt light bulbs simultaneously. The mast is 11 metres high, and is bolted to a concrete foundation. The blades automatically adjust to strong winds by turning and flexing. The mast and turbine are built to withstand winds up to 150 miles per hour.
The turbine is connected to the mains electricity supply from the national grid, through an inverter which transforms the generated electricity from DC (direct current) to AC (alternating current), and constantly synchronises it with the voltage and frequency of the grid. The inverter also switches off the turbine supply as soon as the grid supply is cut, an important safety function. Inverters capable of connecting small scale turbines to the grid have only recently been developed. Low Luckens is only the third small scale turbine connected to the grid in Britain.
Electricity generated by the turbine is used within the building as required. Any surplus power is fed into the grid, and when there is a deficit in power is drawn back from the grid. In effect the grid is used as a power store. The turbine cannot supply all the electricity needs of the Centre. But it provides a significant contribution.
Water Conservation & Environmentally Friendly Waste Removal at Low Luckens
Materials and design
The Composting toilet at Low Luckens is a wooden structure made from Hemlock felled from a Woodland trust site in the UK. The collection pits are constructed from pre-cast concrete blocks on a concrete base. The roof slates are made from recycled rubber tyres which have a potential life expectancy of 100 years. The building was designed and built by Hill Holt Wood, a social enterprise based in Lincolnshire.
Flush toilets, water usage and pollution.
In conventional water-flushed toilet systems we are using cleaned and treated drinking water, an increasingly valuable resource, to flush away another potentially valuable resource, human waste. To this sewage we add industrial and household chemicals and transport it to a facility which attempts to separate the constituents and discharge them back into the environment, usually rivers, oceans and the ground.
Water saving benefit
Flush toilets account for nearly one third of all domestic water use (see diagram). Based on visitor numbers to the Centre, as well as the needs of Centre and Farm staff, we estimate that the composting toilets have the potential to save approximately 50,000 litres of water annually.
Solar Water Heating at Low Luckens
The solar water heating system at the Organic Resource Centre consists of three components:
1. Solar Collectors
Solar energy from the sun is absorbed by two identical flat plate collectors on the south facing roof above the entrance to the Centre. The collectors contain dark coloured copper pipes and plates behind special glass, which heats up even on cloudy days. The pipes contain heat transfer fluid, which does not freeze even in severe frosts.
2. Circulation of Heat Transfer Fluid
This circulation system is sealed and pressurised, with a safety valve. A pump is operated by a Solar Control Unit, which constantly checks the difference in temperature between the collector and the bottom of the hot water cylinder, and switches the pump on when useful heat can be gathered from the collector. The heated transfer fluid is pumped through a heat exchanger coil inside the hot water cylinder, allowing heat from the collectors to be transferred to the water in the cylinder.
3. The Hot Water Cylinder
The Cylinder is specially manufactured for use in solar systems. It is an indirect, non-vented, mains pressure type. The insulation round the cylinder is thick to minimise heat loss, and pockets built into the cylinder contain temperature sensors wired to the Solar Control Unit. Two electric immersion heaters are used when solar heating is inadequate for the Centre’s needs. Both immersion heaters are normally supplied by off-peak (night time) electricity.
Cumbria Business Environmental Network aims to promote environmental awareness and good practice within Cumbria and the surrounding area with the specific objective of facilitating environmental improvements. The Centre due to its commitment and high environmental standards has been fast tracked to the gold award and we can now use the CBEN logo on our website and stationery.
