This Unit has been designed to develop candidates’ knowledge and understanding of small power renewable energy generation systems suitable for domestic or small community development The Unit deals with all aspects of generating energy for the home or small business from planning, installation and running such systems. Candidates will have opportunities to develop a report on the energy conservation issues associated with using microgeneration on small scale ventures which can be their own home, business or community. Various technologies that can be used for this type of energy generation will be investigated mainly through using existing products available on the market but self designed systems can also be used. The financial and environmental impact of using microgeneration systems against using energy from the national grid will also be investigated.

On completion of the Unit the candidate should be able to:

1. Analyse the results from an energy audit.
2. Select a microgeneration system for a particular project.
3. Evaluate the effects and benefits of microgeneration from a financial and environmental point of view.