Renewable Energy Innovations - Rain Fuel

Turn your roof into a power generator

When you consider the surface area of your roof, and how many solar tiles or panels you could fit up there, it becomes quite obvious that you could be missing out on a golden opportunity to harness energy from the sun.

What are the benefits of solar panels?

Solar panels do offer you a number of benefits, so let's look at a few of them.

Solar panels can give you lower energy bills. Producing your own electricity from solar panels to power your home and possibly your car, means you can reduce the amount you take from the grid. Who wouldn't want to kick their energy supplier to the kerb, particularly when you think how much they are charging you for your electricity?

To make the most out of the energy you generate, you'll probably need to invest in some solar batteries too. This is because you want the ability to harness that energy that you have generated during the day and use it later.

You can even get paid for any electricity you generate but don't use. You can get financial incentives from the Government under the smart export guarantee, which pays homeowners for excess electricity they generate and feed back to the grid. Now that's an appealing thought!

Solar power is considered to be a green power alternative. This is because you're producing electricity without emitting harmful greenhouse gases, helping to lower your carbon footprint. The more people that do this will have a knock on effect in helping to reduce the entire countries carbon footprint.

Solar panels have minimal moving parts so require very little maintenance. Routine cleaning and occasional checks are usually enough to keep your solar energy system running efficiently.

Solar panels could even increase your property value. Homes with solar panels can sell for more than those without, as potential buyers are attracted by the savings and eco-friendliness. However, when you consider the cost of installation, one shouldn't have them fitted just before a move, or the extra you could sell for won't recoup the cost of the solar panel installation, this takes time to claw back.

As you can see, there are a number of benefits to getting solar panels, but don't be in a mad rush to buy them just yet, as there is a new and very exciting development that is getting the energy industry buzzing at the moment. We are talking about rain fuel!

Rain fuel could be the future of energy production

Imagine a world where fossil fuels were no longer needed to power our homes and industry. Take this a little further and think what it would be like to no longer need fossil fuels to bridge the gap with the energy alternatives.

We've all heard the arguments from various television and radio presenters arguing that we will need fossil fuels as the alternatives are not as efficient or plentiful.

They argue that the sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow, and this is why we need fossil fuels still. However, with advances in solar technology, the units are increasingly able to harness mere daylight and convert it into energy, so even dull days will generate electricity. The wind turbines may run short of wind occasionally, but if they are built at sea and over flat fenland where there is nearly always enough wind to turn them, they will generate energy almost continuously.

Then we have hydro electric power. The rivers keep on flowing; the tides keep on rolling in and out, so a huge amount of energy could be generated here too.

Then, down comes the rain and with it, the ability to generate yet more energy, but how?

New research has found a method that could generate enough power from a single droplet of rain to light up one hundred LED bulbs. If one drop of rain can achieve that, imagine the potential for a sustained downpour.

Recent research has shown that a drop of 100 micro litres of water released from a height of fifteen centimetres can generate a voltage of over 140V, and the power generated can light up 100 small LED lights.

That sounds like a surprising amount of voltage, but the engineers used some ingenious tricks to make it happen.

Scientists have been looking into this type of power production for years, but the physics of converting the energy of raindrops into electricity are much harder to do than harvesting the energy from a rising tide or a flowing stream of water.

One of the improvements the team built into their droplet-based electricity generator was the use of a polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE film, the sort that most people have for plumbing uses, which is able to accumulate a surface charge as it's continuously hit by water droplets, until it gradually reaches saturation.

The team found that as water droplets hit the surface and spread out, the drops act as a 'bridge' that connects two electrodes: an aluminium electrode and an indium tin oxide electrode with the PTFE on top.

The droplet bridge in turn creates a closed-loop surface so that all of the collected energy can be released. The droplets act as resistors, and the surface coating acts as a capacitor.

This approach could eventually be applied anywhere that water hits a solid surface.

The significance of this technology is the enhanced electric power per falling rain droplet, which makes the device much more efficient to convert energy from a falling droplet to electricity.

There's plenty of work still to do to get this ready for practical use however, with the researchers hoping to have a prototype ready in the next five years.

Rain fuel is a truly green alternative

The ability to successfully harness electricity from rainwater is a very exciting prospect. As we contend with the issue of increasing energy demand, rising energy prices, and the need for a more sustainable energy solution, rainwater electricity could emerge as a very important asset in the very near future. Its ability to provide clean, renewable energy fits perfectly with efforts around the globe to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change.

Countries such as the United Kingdom that have sustained and high amounts of rainfall could really benefit from this emerging technology, turning a natural and frequent occurrence into a valuable asset. In fact, its application in remote or underdeveloped regions, where traditional energy infrastructure has not been developed or is in short supply, could be a genuine life saver, offering a new route for energy independence and development.

Looking forward, rainwater electricity generation is an extremely promising alternative to more established and traditional energy production methods. Enhanced funding, research and development are likely to produce more efficient and practical systems. As these technologies become more refined, we could see a genuine shift in how we view and make use of our rainwater. No longer will rainwater be something that is simply used to water our crops and top up our reservoirs, it will be a seriously efficient way of producing clean electricity in a world that craves energy for its daily survival.

The future is bright, the future could be rain fuel

The generation of electricity from rainwater is definitely blazing a trail in the way we can offer another alternative form of renewable and clean energy. This new technology holds an important and significant promise as a sustainable energy source for a greener future.

Recent technological advancements are at the heart of this potential revolution, with developments like micro generation turbines, piezoelectric materials, and triboelectric nanogenerators. These technologies capture the kinetic energy of raindrops, transforming them into a viable and abundant source of electricity. These technologies take things much further than a laboratory experiment with some silver foil and some PTFE plumbers tape. They are paving the way towards a viable alternative to energy production on a large scale.

As research and development continue, there is a strong prospect that rainwater electricity generation will evolve into a more efficient and widely adopted renewable energy source. This advancement could play a vital role in the shift towards sustainable energy solutions by governments around the world, redefining how we harness and use the natural resources around us.

The roof of your house, conservatory, lean to or even your garden shed could soon be the starting point for energy production. As time goes by, we will see new innovations come along that will refine the way in which we can harness the raw power from natural resources like the humble raindrop.

Bat Access Tile Accessories from Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd

Bats are a superb means of natural insect control. A single tiny little bat can eat literally thousands of mosquitoes and other bugs like moths, beetles and gnats every hour. Picture sitting in your garden, becoming more anaemic with every passing minute because of the swarms of blood sucking mosquitoes, the furry little bat is the night predator that will feast on these pests.

Create the Perfect Blend with Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd

When it comes to choosing the right clay roof tiles for your property you'll want to get it right first time. The last thing you want is a colour or shade of tile that clashes with the brickwork or is out of step with closely neighbouring properties. This is where Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd come in. We have an amazing range of high quality handmade and machine made clay roof tiles that will make your building project just that little bit special.

Why Choose the Heritage Range of Clay Roof Tiles

Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd are the leading supplier of high quality handmade clay roof tiles in the United Kingdom.

Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd have an enviable reputation for a high quality product range. Our clay roof tiles are manufactured using traditional skills coupled with modern kiln technology, the Heritage Tile range is second to none, offering old world character and charm, yet able to meet modern, contemporary requirements.

Why We Use Clay Roof Tiles in Favour of Other Materials

We are frequently asked why we concentrate on clay roof tiles and not a wide range of other roofing materials. Quite simply, clay roof tiles are by far a superior product for successful and durable roofing projects than any other material. Many times we have heard of projects being undertaken with concrete tiles as a means of saving some money. This practice is false economy in our opinion as concrete tiles will not last anywhere near as long as clay roof tiles. Concrete tiles do have some positive points in common with clay roof tiles, but why compromise on the quality and durability that our genuine clay roof tiles bring to your building project?.

Hand Made Clay Roof Tiles

At Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd, we make a range of high quality handmade clay roof tiles. Although some of the process has been automated, we still adhere to the basic rules of hand crafting our clay tiles in a time honoured way.

Machine Made Clay Roof Tiles

Here at Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd, we make wide range of machine made clay roof tiles of large and small format, so that we can offer our customers our quality performance products at very competitive prices.

The History of Clay Roof Tiles

Here at Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd, we pride ourselves in the quality of our outstanding clay products. We firmly believe that you could not buy a better clay roof tile anywhere else. We stand by our company strapline, 'Yesterdays Traditions, Todays Choices, Tomorrows Heritage'.

Further Information

If you would like to know more or are interested in a quote we would be happy to help. Phone us on 01634 471 344, email us at sales@heritagetiles.co.uk and we will be in touch as soon as possible.