amber2 stories

Here in the UK, some are warning of a return to the 'dark ages' following a recent report on energy supplies by the energy regulator Ofgem. There could be a 'generation gap' - a shortfall in supply as a result of old power stations being closed down without sufficient generating capacity taking their place. Whatever happens, consumers are likely to experience hefty gas and electricity price hikes. So those who have gone down the route of solar power - such as heating their water with a solar thermal system - will find their choice seems more and more cost-effective. An efficient solar thermal system, notably the LaZer2, designed by the UK's leading solar thermal designer and manufacturer SolarUK, will provide virtually all a family's domestic hot water requirements during the warmer months.

With renewable products, you're effectively buying many years of energy in one go.

Here's something else in green energy's favour: it poses less of a risk to workers than the more established fossil fuel industries. The New Scientist reported last week on the findings of Steve Sumner, physician at Duke University Medical Center, North Carolina, whose research suggests that green energy is unlikely to take the same toll on workers as oil or gas extraction. A 2005 EU assessment backs this up, though it's still early days in terms of evidence.

Something for everyone at SolarUK, designers and installers of solar hot water systems, to feel cheerful about then. Though you can never take anything for granted, especially not when fitting a solar panel to a wind-buffeted roof.