Critics of renewable energy will sometimes point to the fact that solar panels and similar products are often made with energy derived from fossil fuel based electricity generation. A UK company has shown this doesn’t need to be the case.
UK solar cell maker G24 Innovations has announced it is the first manufacturer of renewable energy products to run entirely on renewables.
G24 Innovations (G24i) recently celebrated the official opening of a 120 metre tall, 2.3 MW wind turbine installation, marking what it says was “the realisation of a dream to produce renewable energy products using only renewable energy.”
The wind turbine, owned by Ecotricity, will generate enough electricity to power the entire 23 acre site and will avoid more than 2,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The turbine will create 5.9 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year for around 25 years, providing enough clean, renewables sourced electricity for the equivalent use of over 1,700 homes
According to Commercial Director of Ecotricity, Simon Crowfoot, “It’s not just a world first. it’s a small glimpse of the future and a very exciting one - the idea that we are able to harness renewable energy and use that to make devices that themselves harness more renewable energy. It completes the circle.”
The company also announced the launch of its on-site electric vehicle programme. Having installed two charging points, surplus electricity generated by the wind turbine will be used to to run two Peugeot iOn vehicles.
“Our goal is to be a true global pioneer – not just in the technology that we create, but also in the business practices we employ,” said G24i’s founder, Bob Hertzberg.
G24i is aslo the first company in the world to commercialise dye-sensitised solar cells, which they say have the potential to make disposable batteries obsolete. Dye-sensitised solar cells perform well in indoors, utilising ambient light, meaning they can be used to power equipment such as keyboards and remote controls.
