Press Releases 2008

17 June 2008

Royal Show Reveals a Greener Future

Most of us are aware by now that the need to make an effort to reduce our own carbon footprints has never been more timely and important – which is why the Royal Show 2008 is unveiling an ‘Energy & Sustainability Park’ for the first time.

There are a variety of things we can all do to make a difference, and the Royal Show (which runs from 3 – 6 July) has introduced the new park to inspire us all towards living a greener existence! From wind power to biodiesel, the Energy & Sustainability Park will showcase a number of companies which have developed innovative solutions using renewable energy to power our homes and cars.

There are already things we can all do to reduce our domestic carbon emissions, such as using energy saving light bulbs and switching off the TV rather than leaving it on standby. And further developments in technology are unveiling a raft of new solutions which we could all be implementing in the future to minimise the carbon emissions our homes give off.

Wind power offers an increasingly viable way for homeowners to generate their own power, providing there is space to site a small turbine and planning permission can be obtained. It is estimated by the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (formerly Department for Trade & Industry) that by 2050, up to 6% of the UK’s power requirements should be provided from small wind energy generation.

Exhibitors at the show, Gaia Wind and Aeolus Power both provide small wind power systems which can be used for domestic purposes, as well as schools, community centres, farms and businesses. As well as being good for the environment, this saves paying for your electricity from a provider, and some providers will even contract to buy your surplus electricity. Another option is solar power, and Bosch Thermotechnology will be displaying its revolutionary solar panels suitable for domestic use. Solar panels convert the sun’s rays into useable electricity.

Boilers powered by biomass are an environmentally-friendly way to heat our homes and water. Biomass is renewable organic matter, such as wood, straw or animal waste, which can be burned to produce energy. Also exhibiting in the Energy & Sustainability Park are Manco Energy and Dragon Waste, which supply a wide range of biomass-derived fuels and boilers for both domestic and industrial uses.

Of course, most of us still obtain our electricity from the national grid, and a number of power companies are now exploring ways of using renewables to produce the electricity they supply. Another exhibitor, Drax Power, is the owner and operator of Drax Power Station. It is already using 300,000 tonnes per year of biomass alongside coal, and is aiming to produce ten per cent of its output from renewables by the end of 2009 – which would save over two million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.

The majority of us will have been hit in the pocket in recent months thanks to the huge rises in the cost of petrol and diesel. However, it is possible to produce your own biodiesel, as exhibitor Green Dynamics will demonstrate at the show. Green Dynamics offers a wide range of biodiesel processors for use at home, which produce a fuel which is not only cheaper, but more environmentally-friendly.

Production costs at a domestic level work out at approximately 10p per litre plus the cost of your oil, which you can get from local chip shops or restaurants, or you can buy it in from other sources. The production cost should still not exceed 60 pence per litre – almost half the price you would pay at the pump.

All these companies and more will be on show in the new Energy & Sustainability Park at the Royal Show, which will demonstrate how renewable energy is developing and is likely to affect our lives in the future. Please visit www.royalshow.org.uk or call 02476 696969 to book tickets or simply to find out more about what the show has to offer.

- Ends -

For further media information contact:

Naomi Barry
The Ceres Partnership
T: 01189 475956
M: 07920 098498
E: naomi.barry@ceres-pr.co.uk

Simon Frere-Cook
Director, Royal Show & Technical Events
T: 02476 858282
E: simonf@rase.org.uk

Notes for editor

The Royal Show is organised by the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE). RASE is an independent charity with over 6,000 members including the general public and the farming community. RASE works towards a sustainable, vibrant future for British Agriculture and the rural community.
For more information about RASE, please contact: 02476 696969 or visit the website www.rase.org.uk.
Climate change is caused by greenhouse gases. As the energy we use emits more greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, less of the sun’s heat is able to escape through it. This causes the Earth’s temperature to rise, and experts believe that this is resulting in problems such as rising sea levels.
More than a quarter (27%) of the UK’s total carbon emissions come from things we use in our day-to-day lives – the light and power we use to run our homes. And a further 23%2 comes from the domestic transport sector. Our daily routines are therefore accounting for around half of the UK’s carbon emissions.
There are a number of websites (such as www.carboncalculator.co.uk and www.carbonneutral.com) in which you can input your own home’s energy consumption, to calculate its total emissions.