Micro Renewables in New Developments
95. Most micro-renewable technologies have the potential to be integrated into new developments at the design stage. It is vital for the installation of micro-renewables to be considered early on the design process to minimise costs and take the greatest advantage of the renewable resources available. This will also allow developers to factor any added costs into their calculations. In general, more effort is required to add a micro-renewable system to an existing building than for a new build where it can be included at the development stage. In the latter case it can represent a small fraction of total development costs and be more easily absorbed.
96. Opportunities presented by a site's topography, aspect and landscape features should be taken into account when designing new developments. Such opportunities can include south facing aspects where solar technologies may be particularly suited or sites with a prevailing south-west wind where micro-wind systems would be particularly effective. It is also worth considering where existing planting could be used to screen wind turbines on towers.