We cover all aspects of renewable energy - wind power, solar power, solar water heating, hydro, biofuels, wave power and much more. http://www.reuk.co.uk In our article Wind Turbine Alternator Basics we looked at how electricity is generated in a wind turbine as magnets rotate past fixed coils of copper wire. The basic concepts behind axial flux alternator design are very simple, and it is well within the capabilities of any DIY enthusiast to put to... http://www.reuk.co.uk/Wind-Turbine-Axial-Flux-Alternators.htm http://www.reuk.co.uk/Wind-Turbine-Axial-Flux-Alternators.htm Wed, 07 May 2008 09:27:30 BST Aztec Ltd supply complete DIY Solar Water Heating systems across the UK as well as installing in the South East. Aztec have put together a unique system which they call the Pumping Station which collects all major control and maintenance components together centrally. The Pumping Station The... http://www.reuk.co.uk/Solar-Water-Heating-Pumping-Station.htm http://www.reuk.co.uk/Solar-Water-Heating-Pumping-Station.htm Tue, 06 May 2008 11:53:04 BST We often receive emails from people asking for our recommendations of energy efficient night lights - primarily for their child's bedroom, or to light up a dark corridor or hallway. Unfortunately most night lights are very inefficient (considering the minimal amount of light they produce) and also h... http://www.reuk.co.uk/Moonlight-Night-Light-Product-Review.htm http://www.reuk.co.uk/Moonlight-Night-Light-Product-Review.htm Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:00:51 BST In our article Kill-a-Watt we looked at the plug-in electricity usage monitor of that name. Still not available for the UK market, we also introduced a UK Power Meter which does the same job - displaying how much power any appliance plugged into it is using. New from P3 International is the Ki... http://www.reuk.co.uk/P3-Kill-a-Watt-PS-P4320.htm http://www.reuk.co.uk/P3-Kill-a-Watt-PS-P4320.htm Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:20:58 BST There are many complicated calculations and equations involved in understanding and constructing wind turbine generators however the layman need not worry about most of these and should instead ensure they remember the following vital information: 1) The power output of a wind generator is propor... http://www.reuk.co.uk/Calculation-of-Wind-Power.htm http://www.reuk.co.uk/Calculation-of-Wind-Power.htm Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:06:25 BST Renewable Obligation Certificates (or ROCs) store details of how electricity was generated, who generated it, and who eventually used it. Since April 2002 all UK licensed electricity suppliers have been obliged to obtain a proportion of the electricity they sell from a selection of eligible renewabl... http://www.reuk.co.uk/Renewable-Obligation-Certificates.htm http://www.reuk.co.uk/Renewable-Obligation-Certificates.htm Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:37:36 BST As renewable energy becomes more popular with large scale investment from Government and Industry, more and more employment opportunities are opening up daily. At the same time, dedicated RE job agencies are starting up giving those with the necessary experience, interest, and qualifications *, a me... http://www.reuk.co.uk/Jobs-in-Renewable-Energy.htm http://www.reuk.co.uk/Jobs-in-Renewable-Energy.htm Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:16:21 BST Since toilet flushing uses so much water, and since the water used certainly does not need to be expensively treated drinking water, a toilet flushing system using collected rainwater is a great idea. In our article Flush Toilet With Rain Water we looked at a very simple system in which rainwa... http://www.reuk.co.uk/Rainwater-Toilet-Flush-System.htm http://www.reuk.co.uk/Rainwater-Toilet-Flush-System.htm Sat, 05 Apr 2008 10:50:29 BST A sump pit is sometimes found in the basement of homes here in the UK and around the world. It is quite simply a hole in which water collects - either from the drains of a basement waterproofing system, from ground water (if the basement is below the level of the water table), or from rain. Th... http://www.reuk.co.uk/Sump-Pump-Control-System.htm http://www.reuk.co.uk/Sump-Pump-Control-System.htm Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:59:26 BST The Freeplay Companion (pictured above) is a new wind-up radio, torch, and mobile phone charger from Freeplay. We recently reviewed the excellent EyeMax Freeplay Radio on the REUK website, so we were looking forward to reviewing the Companion which has the added benefit of mobile phone chargin... http://www.reuk.co.uk/Freeplay-Companion-Radio.htm http://www.reuk.co.uk/Freeplay-Companion-Radio.htm Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:15:50 BST There are now many solar chargers on the market which can be used to provide power on the move for mobile phones, iPods, PDAs, GPS units, and other electronic devices. The Freeloader is the best selling solar charger in the UK, and also one of the cheapest commercially available units. Free... http://www.reuk.co.uk/Freeloader-Solar-Charger.htm http://www.reuk.co.uk/Freeloader-Solar-Charger.htm Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:21:29 BST Eco-Eye is the latest realtime wireless electricity monitor to come onto the UK market designed to help people to reduce their carbon footprint by saving electricity. Eco-Eye joins the Owl (Owl review), Efergy (Efergy review), and Wattson wireless electricity meters, all of which do the same th... http://www.reuk.co.uk/Eco-Eye-Energy-Monitor.htm http://www.reuk.co.uk/Eco-Eye-Energy-Monitor.htm Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:26:13 GMT In our article Eco-Eye Energy Monitor we introduced the latest realtime wireless electricity monitor under development. Now (mid-Feb 2008), Eco-Eye is now on sale here in the UK. We trialled Eco-Eye Elite and Eco-Eye Mini (corporate version) for one month, and so what follows are the results of... http://www.reuk.co.uk/Eco-Eye-Review.htm http://www.reuk.co.uk/Eco-Eye-Review.htm Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:26:13 GMT Battery sulfation takes place when a Lead Acid Battery discharges. The lead from the plates combines with the electrolyte (dilute sulphuric acid) to make lead sulfate. When the battery is recharged this process is reversed however, some of the lead sulphate will crystalise on the lead plates. The de... http://www.reuk.co.uk/Battery-Desulfation.htm http://www.reuk.co.uk/Battery-Desulfation.htm Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:25:36 GMT Currently one of the commonest uses of Solar power is to provide lighting for domestic sheds and garages which are not connected to the mains electricity. It is usually not economically viable to extend a ring main from a house to an out-building, particularly when most sheds and garages are used in... http://www.reuk.co.uk/Shed-and-Garage-Solar-Lighting.htm http://www.reuk.co.uk/Shed-and-Garage-Solar-Lighting.htm Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:19:58 GMT The lifetime of LED bulbs (now available in the REUK Shop) is strongly influenced by the amount of current passing through them. Though typically rated for 100,000 hours of use, if the current used is double that recommended the LED bulb lifetime can fall to 100 hours or less. It is therefore e... http://www.reuk.co.uk/Using-The-LM317T-With-LED-Lighting.htm http://www.reuk.co.uk/Using-The-LM317T-With-LED-Lighting.htm Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:47:47 GMT The LM317 (LM317T), and high current LM338 (LM338T) are voltage regulators which can take an input voltage of 3-40 Volts DC, and output a fixed output voltage from 1.2 to 37 Volts DC. The output voltage from the LM317 and LM338 is set using two resistors (R1 and R2) with their values chosen ac... http://www.reuk.co.uk/LM317-Voltage-Calculator.htm http://www.reuk.co.uk/LM317-Voltage-Calculator.htm Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:47:46 GMT In our article Using the LM317 with LED Lighting we looked at how the LM317T (and high current equivalent LM338T) can be used to supply a fixed current to a load - in the case of the article to LED bulbs. The output current from the circuit shown above is set using a single resistor according... http://www.reuk.co.uk/LM317-Current-Calculator.htm http://www.reuk.co.uk/LM317-Current-Calculator.htm Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:47:45 GMT In our article Shed and Garage Solar Lighting we looked at how an efficient DIY solar lighting system can be put together using a PV solar panel, LED lighting, and a battery. We receive many enquiries from people wanting to know what size of solar panel and battery they should use for a DIY solar l... http://www.reuk.co.uk/Solar-Shed-Lighting-Calculator.htm http://www.reuk.co.uk/Solar-Shed-Lighting-Calculator.htm Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:52:05 GMT If you plan to make your own three-phase alternator (generator) for a wind turbine or hydro-powered waterwheel then one of the key decisions to make is whether to connect the wires in Star or Delta configuration. Star With star the start of each of the three phases is connected together. Connectio... http://www.reuk.co.uk/Star-Delta-Wiring-for-Alternators.htm http://www.reuk.co.uk/Star-Delta-Wiring-for-Alternators.htm Mon, 10 Mar 2008 13:39:56 GMT