Surface Power breaks RHI commercial tariff record in UK with meter reading at 566 kWhrs/m2/yr. (OFGEM meter as per RHI)

Surface Power DTES Thermal technology, is really changing the face of how building energy can be produced. The output of Surface Power’s DTES is so far ahead of old style solar hot water panels, that it is capable of producing between 300% and 2000% more metered (delivered) energy per sqm. This is according to the official UK study’s that the Energy Savings Trust & others have been documenting about the poor performance of old style solar hot water vacuum and flat plates systems in the same location.

In fact, in a recent study by Sheffield University, this Surface Power commercial RHI system is producing 2300% more RHI metered units versus a building studied for a year in a comprehensive performance study completed end 2012. All these systems are located in Northern England.

To put that into context how important that Surface Power advantage is; it would make payback 23 times quicker.

This is why Surface Power’s DTES thermal can not only replace old style solar hot water but also heat pumps. In fact, instead of installing a heat pump and solar hot water, a DTES system will replace both in just one installation and ONLY gets it’s energy from “daylight”. DTES is the only technology designed for direct central heating integration and it is now well proven how powerful and successful it is.

Word of Warning: In 2008, a UK solar installer was prosecuted by Trading Standards for conning people into thinking that you could use old style standard solar hot water panels for central heating use, they were subsequently closed down, featured in newspapers and on BBC Rogue Traders and fined heavily in court for deception. Installers can sometimes get carried away with performance claims BUT other times they can be acting fraudulent on purpose to con you out of your money; ALWAYS, ALWAYS, MAKE SURE the stated manufacturer of any product or system is STANDING OVER “all” information an installer tells you. This is the quickest way to find out if you are being conned.

This performance result above from Northern England for a DTES thermal system for a commercial RHI project, to put some numbers on it; a 250 sqm metre installation at 566 kWhrs/m2 receives a payment this year of £13,159 rising each year for the next 20 years plus added inflation increases achieving an outstanding payback of 6-7 years.

This commercial system performance result is a TSE (Total System Efficiency) yield of 54%, a long way ahead of heat pumps and old style solar hot water panels. Surface Power domestic systems typically yield more than 60% TSE with 68% being measured in a 18 month study.

Have a look at this customer system in Northern England this very morning (this house has NO boiler): the DTES thermal array is already at boiler temperatures, and all this is just using DAYLIGHT, that’s what DTES thermal can do which regular solar hot water can’t.

Explanation of TSE: This measures the available energy from the sky divided into the metered energy received into the storage. In the example above, 1044 kWhrs/m2 of energy is available from “GOD”, and metered output was 566 kWhrs/m2, that is 566/1044 = 54% TSE. (this method of calculation is technology agnostic), it is all about PROOF, NOT PROMISES.

Read more about Surface Power DTES here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22031871

Here is a benchmark of a Surface Power solar system.

Weather is sunny but temperature is cold 5C (41F). 2nd April. Time: 13:20.

Instead of publishing the long awaited proposals for the UK’s Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) last week, HM Government outlined the next steps in the implementation of the UK’s national heating strategy, first published last year.

The proposals make grim reading for the UK’s oil heating industry. Heating oil is effectively set to disappear from the UK’s energy mix by 2025. Around 900,000 homes in England, 430,000 homes in Northern Ireland, an estimated 120,000 homes in Scotland and 113,000 homes in Wales currently depend on heating oil in the UK. Most of these homes are in rural areas, beyond the reach of the gas network. A smaller number of homes in rural areas are dependent depend upon other fuels for space and water heating, including LPG and solid fuel. And if the government is to be believed, all those homes are going to have to find something else to replace their existing heating systems with over the next decade or so.

Underlining the extent of the crisis now facing the UK oil heating industry, DECC’s proposals didn’t even mention B30K Bioheating Oil. Developed by OFTEC and championed by its Director General, Jeremy Hawksley, B30K was at one point described as a ‘drop in’ replacement for traditional kerosene fuelled heating oil systems. Its omission, serves to add weight to the concerns expressed by some, over the ability of OFTEC to lobby effectively on behalf of the industry it purports to represent.

Speaking at the publication of the proposals, Energy & Climate Change Secretary, Ed Davey said, “If we can increase the use of low carbon heating in our homes, businesses and across our economy, we can help reduce our dependence on costly carbon intense fossil fuels. Last year we launched the UK’s first ever heat strategy, to get us on the right pathway to decarbonisation and today we have published an update on the progress we have made so far, alongside a new set of actions specifically targeted at industrial heat, urban heat networks and heat in buildings.

“Many homes and businesses across the UK have already switched away from fossil fuels and are using kit like biomass boilers, heat pumps and solar thermal panels to provide heat, thanks to Government support, and I want to ensure even more householders and organisations get on board.”

At rural installations, ground source and air source heat pumps appear to the technology of choice for future heating systems – displacing existing oil fired central systems in the process. By 2017, it is projected that ground and air source heat pumps will have overtaken heating oil. Oil fired central heating systems are set to all but disappear by 2025.

Ironically, the proposals come just weeks after OFTEC claimed many renewable technologies were ill-suited to replace existing oil fired systems. Noting the already high levels of fuel poverty in rural areas, ‘independent’ research commissioned by OFTEC allegedly showed that air source heat pumps would typically cost more than £300 a year more to run than a modern, condensing oil fired boiler. The same research also revealed that whilst ground source heat pumps could save heating oil users over £100pa, the payback period for homeowners and householders switching from an oil fired system was almost 123 years.

OFTEC did not offer an immediate, formal response to DECC’s proposals. However, on Twitter, OFTEC did say it hoped a recent presentation made to the House of Common’s Energy Select Committee would change DECC’s thinking. But as one experienced oil boiler technician readily admitted, ‘…it doesn’t matter what the Select Committee decide or don’t decide… knowing what you know, would you opt for an oil fired boiler today?’

The giant tanker, called Zarga, is due to dock in Milford Haven, Wales, carrying 266,000 cubic metres of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The arrival follows the weekend docking of the Mekaines tanker – also from Qatar – at the Isle of Grain in Kent.

Together the vessels carry enough gas to power Britain for 12 hours.

A third Qatari tanker is due to arrive on Friday, while a vessel from Trinidad also set sail for Britain on Saturday.

The unseasonal cold snap has increased demand for heating and electricity and gas stocks are down to 10% of capacity.

“We get our supplies from a diverse range of sources and the market is proving to be highly responsive to the UK’s needs,” Energy Minister John Hayes said.

He reassured Britons there would be no danger of shortages, and that the energy regulator and the National Grid were closely monitoring the situation.

“The UK’s gas needs continue to be met,” he said.

Concerns were raised on Thursday when it emerged that Britain had only enough stored gas to meet two days’ demand.

Things got worse on Friday when one of the key European supply pipelines – from Belgium – was suddenly shut down after a component failed.

The pipeline was back in operation later on Friday afternoon, but gas doubled in price on the UK’s energy markets.

The price fell back again but the incident highlighted Britain’s dependence on imported gas.

National Grid has not been forced to use any of its emergency powers to cut gas to industry and redirect it to domestic consumers.

The energy consumer Ofgem said: “While gas supplies are tight at the moment and there is no room for complacency, Britain does benefit from a diverse range of gas supplies and National Grid has many tools to manage the system and to prevent householders’ supplies from being disrupted.”

The fuel crisis comes as it emerged that gas imported from the US will heat as many as 1.8 million UK homes from 2018.

British Gas owner Centrica said the 20-year contract, worth £10bn, would play an important role in ensuring the UK’s energy security.

The first shipments, from the Sabine Pass liquefaction plant in Louisiana, are not due until September 2018.

The deal with Cheniere Energy Partners for 89 billion cubic feet of annual liquefied natural gas (LNG) volumes is the first time that the UK has entered into a formal gas import agreement with the US.

Gas Stockpile Drain Prompts Price Rise Fears

Households have been forced to increase their heating usage as the freezing weather continues, pushing the demand for gas to 20% higher than normal in March.

Gas stocks were reportedly just 10% full at Britain’s largest storage facility on Thursday night, compared to 49% this time last year.

Energy prices will soar if Britain is forced to make up the shortfall by importing more liquefied natural gas from elsewhere, an energy expert has warned.

Andrew Horstead of the energy consultancy Utilyx told the Times: “There is immense pressure on the existing infrastructure.

“We are almost maxed out from imports through pipelines. The big concern is that there is very little flexibility left in the system.”

He added that Britain would struggle to cope if a technical problem caused an unscheduled North Sea gas field to shut down.

Matt Osborne, risk manager at energy consultancy and brokerage firm Inenco, told Sky News that wholesale prices had spiked about 20% overnight, prompting the industry to respond quickly.

On Friday morning gas prices for within-day delivery then jumped more than 50% above Thursday’s close following the closure of the pipeline linking Belgium to Britain after a pump failed at Bacton, Norfolk.

Downing Street said Prime Minister David Cameron is “confident” that the UK’s gas needs will continue to be met.

A spokesman said:  “The absolute key thing on this is that supplies are not running out.

“The gas market is how we source our supplies and that market continues to function well.

“The Prime Minister’s key concern is that gas supplies continue. It is absolutely clear that supplies are not running out.”

Asked if the Prime Minister was confident that this would remain the case, the spokesman replied: “Absolutely confident.”

Britain is more vulnerable than other countries to gas shortages because of its limited storage capacity, which holds just 15 days’ worth of energy supplies.

But a Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) spokesperson insisted that “gas supplies are not running out”.

The spokesperson said: “Storage levels are low at the moment – as you’d expect towards the end of winter – and the UK gas market is tight.

“But the market is responding as it is designed to do – gas prices are rising and supply is being maintained accordingly.

“Gas storage would never be the sole source of gas meeting our needs, so it is misleading to talk purely about how many days’ supply is in storage.”

However, the gas fears come as the head of the energy giant SSE warned of the “very real risk” of the lights going out in Britain.

Ian Marchant said the Government was underestimating the problem, as he announced plans to cut back on power generation at five sites because the stations are either uneconomic or coming to the end of their lives.

He said: “It appears the Government is significantly underestimating the scale of the capacity crunch facing the UK in the next three years and there is a very real risk of the lights going out as a result.”

He said the energy watchdog Ofgem had recently expressed real concern about the reduction of the UK’s generation capacity margin that would follow expected plant closures in the next few years, predicting a 1-in-12 chance of the lights going out.

Mr Marchant added: “It is unlikely that the majority of the reductions in generation capacity and the delays to new investment we have announced today will have been included in this analysis.

“(This) highlights that the situation is likely to be even more critical than even they have predicted.”

The DECC spokesperson added: “We are in close contact with National Grid, who are able to step into the market to source gas and increase incentives on gas suppliers if they think there is a risk of a supply shortfall.”