Global warming is caused by the build up of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s), nitrous oxide, ozone and water vapour in the earth’s atmosphere which trap energy on the earth’s surface. Carbon dioxide, methane and CFC’s all contain the element Carbon which in most cases was previously ’stored’ in other forms on the earth.

As individuals, almost everything we do leads to the release of carbon into the atmosphere whether that’s watching TV, heating our homes, taking a bath or traveling by car.

The amount of carbon you personally produce in a year can be determined and measured with what is termed a “carbon calculator.” This measure of the carbon you are personally responsible for releasing into the atmosphere is known as your Carbon Footprint.

Your carbon footprint gives an indication of your impact on the environment and is measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted per year. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and as such increases global warming.

How can I improve my carbon footprint?

If you burn fossil fuels such as coal, oil or gas to heat your home, carbon emissions will be given out as a by-product of the combustion process required to produce this energy. Thus when these fuels are burned to provide the energy we use in our homes, carbon dioxide (C02), a “greenhouse gas”, is released to the Earth’s  atmosphere.

If small life style/housekeeping changes were made by everyone, like not leaving electrical appliances on standby or reducing the heating temperature in our homes by 1-2°C, then this would make a big contribution to reducing our global Carbon Footprint. Bigger, more disruptive changes like deciding not to use a car or travel by air ever again woyuld make an even larger contribution however a significant contribution can be made through small changes.

Consider using sources of energy that do not release carbon, such as wind energy or solar heating in addition to technologies that use renewable sources of energy such as wood pellets. Renewable sources do emit carbon when used, but are derived from products in a cycle that also removes carbon from the atmosphere.

What are carbon Credits?

Carbon Credits are a key component of national and international emissions trading schemes that have been implemented to mitigate global warming. They provide a way to reduce greenhouse effect emissions on an industrial scale by capping total annual ernissions and letting the market assign a monetary value to any shortfall through trading. Credits can be exchanged between businesses or bought and sold in international markets at the prevailing market price. Credits can be used to finance carbon reduction schemes between trading partners and around the world.

Carbon credits create a market for reducing greenhouse emissions by giving a monetary value to the cost of polluting the air. Emissions become an internal cost of doing business and are visible on the balance sheet alongside raw materials and other Iiabilities or assets.

By way of example, consider a business that owns a factory putting out 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in a year. Its government is an Annex I country, meaning that this country has signed up to an agreement which enacts a law to limit the emissions that the business within that country can produce. This agreement has been signed by more than 170 countries. So the factory is given a quota of say 80,000 tonnes per year. The factory either reduces its emissions to 80,000 tonnes or is required to purchase carbon credits to offset the excess.

Energy use and hence emission levels are predicted to keep rising over time. Thus the number of companies needing to buy credits will increase, and the rules of supply and demand will push up the market price. The increased cost of credits will encourage more groups to undertake environmentally friendly activities that create carbon credits to sell while Governments will levy carbon taxes to offset the cost of carbon credits and to reduce wasted carbon credits.

Today according to RTE News its risen to over $70 back slightly from a recent high of $75.
“Oil price rose this evening, supported by better than expected economic data and a weaker US dollar. US crude rose $2.03 to $71.60 a barrel, while London Brent climbed $2.21 to $69.41.” - read the article in full

Power generation solutions such as those provided by Kedco are the way to tomorrow.

So why wait until you are forced to find ways of reducing your consumption of fossil fuels and contact us today to discuss getting your solar system installed and let us help you to reduce the amount of carbon tax you will have to pay.

Buy Solar Panels Now or call 021 4670427

The impact this would have, on households most specifically, would be quiet significant. The cost of heating the home and the cost of running a car would rise substantially especially for those households where oil is the primary fuel source.

Under the Kyoto Agreement, Ireland is legally bound to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide it emits from 70.3 million tonnes in 2005 to 56.3 million tonnes or lower in 2020. It is suggested that a carbon tax is one of the key ways to reduce our emissions.

The following table outlines the potential tax applied at 3 different levels;

* This is how we feel the carbon tax may be implemented.

Some examples of how the above table would apply to your household:

• If the Government introduces carbon tax at the rate of €20/ton of CO², then a householder burning 2,000 litres of Fuel oil will pay 2,000 x 5.32cents = €106.40 in carbon tax alone – this is added to the purchase price of the diesel oil.
• Likewise, if it’s coal, and the tax is decided to be €30/tonne of CO², then the householder will pay 1000 x 9.12 cents = €91.20 per tonne of coal burned.

You can see the enormous effect this will have on all fossil fuel prices, once it goes ahead.
What is now being debated is the level of tax/tonne of CO²

Calculate your carbon footprint today or learn about Kedco’s renewable energy solutions and how they will reduce your carbon taxes.

Kedco will be on stand number 436 in row N at the upcoming 2009 National Ploughing Championships in Athy Co Kildare.

Our expert sales and technical staff will be at the stand to talk about the various technologies which we supply for our commercial, agriculture and residential customers.

Here is a brief overview of our enery technologies:

Kedco Biogas Solutions

This technology involves the process of wet anaerobic digestion converting agriculture materials into heat, electricity and fertilizers. The technology is extremely reliable and proven with over 1,000 plants built or equipped.
Kedco offers customers a complete turnkey solution.

Kedco CHP Biopower System

This technology utilises the highly efficient downdraft gasifier which converts low cost biomass residues into a clean, fuel gas stream which is greenhouse gas neutral. We offer our customers the complete turnkey solution including obtaining planning permission, grid connection right through to the operational stage. Come talk to us at our stand for more information.

Also on the stand will be our roadshow truck which has working demonstration models of our residential wood pellet boilers, wood pellet stoves and solar heating systems .
You will be able to experience firsthand the amazing heat that these products produce.

Make sure and call in as we would be delighted to meet you.

The road show will provide you with the opportunity to come and see what the turbine will look like when erected. Our experienced technical staff who all have turbine installation experience will be on hand to answer any queries you may have in relation to the turbines.

Additionally, for the week that the road show will be at the showroom, Kedco will be offering interested customers who attend the showroom a wind survey at their premises for only €295, which will include an owl energy meter and a free sample of either our straw briquettes or wood briquettes.

Don’t miss this amazing opportunity – put the dates in your diary and call to see us at our store in Little Island.

While the flat panel option can be explained in a very simplistic way, the vacuum tube solar panels are a little more complicated and require a more technical explanation. I’m not going to attempt to cover all the technicalities here but I will try to outline a basic explanation:

The vacuum tube solar panels contain evacuated glass tubes which act individually to heat up solar absorbers which subsequently heats the fluid system in the manifold that in turn is circulated through the domestic hot water tank where the transfer of heat takes place from the fluid to the domestic water. The system of transfering the heat from the solar panels to the domestic hot water system is the same for both types of panel, it is themethod by which the heat is harvested from the sun that differs.

Each individual tube consists of two glass tubes made from strong borosilicate glass. The outer tube is transparent, allowing sunlight rays to pass through with minimal reflection. The inner tube is coated with anabsorbant AL-N/AL coating layer that is greyish in colour and features excellent solar radiation absorption and minimal reflection properties. The space between the two glass layers is evacuated and this vacuum creates a perfect thermal insulation minimises the heat loss of the collector.

There is a copper pipe inside the coated glass tube with a small amount of a heat conducting fluid. When heated, this fluid is converted from liquid to gas and naturally moves to the top of the tube where it transfers the heat to the solar fluid in the manifold. The gas then condenses back into a liquid, and flows down the inside of the tube. This process continuously repeats itself  within each vacuum tube.

There is huge potential for the “green” economy to help Ireland meet its current economic and environmental challenges and this action group will advise the government on how it will go about investing in Green Enterprise.
The Global energy market is expected to be worth US$1.3 Trillion (€1Trillion) in 2010 and the group will be tasked with mobilising our talents across both the public and private sector to position Ireland at the forefront of the new global green economy, according to Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan TD

The group will report to the Government in four months time, advising it on how state agencies and departments should work together to exploit our huge potential in the area.
Kedco plc, is a bio-science energy group operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland that also comprises a number of businesses serving industrial and residential customers all with a renewable energy focus including the sale of biomass boilers and the production of wood and biomass products. Kedco floated on the Alternative Investment Market(AIM) of the London Stock Exchange on Monday October 20th 2008. Kedco was admitted to the AIM with a market capitalisation of €35.0million

Kedco is a leading bio-science energy group operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Kedco provides companies with platforms to convert waste into clean energy. Kedco are experts in technologies such as dry fermentation , gasification , biomass heating , power generation through the installation of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) units , domestic wood pellet boilers and solar panels .

The Windsor is a uniquely different pellet stove. Fashioned in intricate detail from durable cast iron and featuring opening doors, it’s unlike any other pellet stove produced. Traditional in style, it’s available in an assortment of beautiful colour finishes to match any decor.

The Windsor is a powerful heater. It has one of the most effective methods for creating heat for your home, easy to use controls with multiple settings and a generous sized hopper. Basked in warmth, you’ll love to relax in front of the large viewing window and watch as the adjustable flames reflect off the cast brick liner.
more info on the Windsor Space Heater Pellet Stove