Bertram Geoffrey Chillipepper is a GreenWizard full of energy. With a name likeChillipepper you can bet he’s hot stuff.

He lives in a magical castle, near the top of amystical mountain. His castle is warm, his water ishot and it is always bright and colourful... for theGreen Wizard’s castle is heated by the rays of thesun.

Bertram Geoffrey Chillipepper, known to hisfriends as BGC, keeps an eye on the planet Earththrough his magic telescope. He loves tohelp people, and when anyoneneeds his magical services,the telescope flashes redand yellow.

“It’s such a beautiful place... earth,“ sighed thewizard, “But why, oh why do they keep burningcoal and oil to make their electricity. Smokepollutes the air... they’re running out of oil... theplanet is slowly dying.

“But there is another way– there’s an energy thatcan be used again, and

again and again. I’ve gota plan... I can helpfamilies clean up theplanet by making their

own energy from the lightof the sun and the heat in

the air around them. I’m reallyquite excited!”

Meanwhile, inanother castlenot so far away

in the gloomy land ofCarbonous slouched

Carlos Hemlock, the wicked wartywarlock who wastes everyone’s time

and energy. “It’s just a fairy tale,” hehissed, as dirty black smoke curled from

his lips with every word.

“Creating your power from sunlight is a joke –what’s the point. I want to burn oil and coal... bigclouds of thick smoke... what’s the harm in that?”

The warlock cackled as choking smog filled hiscastle. His rasping cough echoed round its stonywalls. “I hate sunshine... I hate earth... particularlythose horrid children!”

One morning, as the sun’s rays filled theGreen Wizard’s comfy castle, the flashingtelescope caught his eye.

He peeped through the lens and saw brother andsister, Billy and Bethan Cole, sitting at home on awintery day.

All the lights were on, the TV was blaring withno-one watching, the toaster was smoking and heatwas escaping all through the house. Billy andBethan’s dad, Brian, was going nuts.

“The bill’s come this morning... energy’scosting us a fortune,” he exclaimed.

The Green Wizard knew Billyand Bethan’s electricitycame from a powerstation which burnedcoal and belched outsmoke and fumes intothe air.

“That’s not theway it has tobe,” murmeredthe wizard, ashe snapped hisfingers anddisappeared.

Billy and Bethan rubbed their eyes and staredin amazement as the Green Wizard appearedin their kitchen.

“All this electricity,” BGC whispered to himself.“Coal-fired power stations, enormous bills and acarbon footprint as big as a giant’s boot.”

“What are you on about?” asked Billy, “Who areyou... what are you doing in our kitchen?”

“So sorry,” said the wizard with a smile. “BertramGeoffrey Chillipepper, the Green Wizard at yourservice. My friends call me BGC, and I’m here tohelp.”

“But what can you do – can you cast a spell tocheer up dad?” said Bethan.

“I can do more than that,” said BGC and with aflick of his magic wand he said:

Abracadabra, one two threeThat’s not the way it has to beThe sun can power your house, you see

Four large solar panels appeared on the roof of thehouse – pointing towards the sun. “They’resuncatchers,” said the wizard. “You know when thesun shines it makes you feel warm, but you cannothold on to those rays.

“These panels catch the rays anda special box in your loft changesthem into electricity you can useall around the house. And becauseit’s light everyday this is freeenergy you can use again, andagain and again – that’s whyit’s called renewable energy. It’snot magic – everyone can haveit. It will keep your heating andpower bills low – and even stopyour dad blowing a gasket!”

“Super cool,” said Billy. “Superhot!” said Bethan. Then, with acrack and flash, the GreenWizard was gone – back to hiscastle.

BGC settleddown toenjoy a

nice cup of tea and slice ofhis favourite tadpole cheesecake with a scoop offrogspawn ice cream. He was thinking he had towash his socks – for there are some things evenwizards cannot do by magic – when the telescopebegan smoking and flashing green and black.“Oh no,” exclaimed BGC. “Hemlock’s back!”

Sure enough a peep through the lens confirmed hisfears. There was the drab, dreary warlock tellingsister and brother Bushra and Rafiq Houssein tocrank up the heating from their old gas boiler.

“Forget solar panels – they don’t work,” sneeredthe warlock. “They don’t save you money andcarbon pollution never did anyone any harm.”

Suddenly the Housseins’ living room was lit up bya green flash and a loud crack which made thewarlock quiver – and BGC appeared.

“Not you again,” moaned Hemlock. “Clear off andmind your own business – otherwise you’ll go upin smoke.” And he raised his clawed hand as if tocast a spell.

BGC winked at the children and said:“I’m here to help – but firstfor some pestcontrol.”

Then a beam of laser-sharp light shot fromthe end of the wizard’s wand and straightfor the warlock’s rear end.

“Who says solar power doesn’t work now,”laughed BGC as Hemlock sped from the roomwith sparks flying from his bottom. “We won’t behearing from him for a while... well I hope not.”

The children were still chuckling as the GreenWizard turned, flicked his wand and declared:

Abracadabra, one two threeThat’s not the way it has to beThe air can heat your house, you see

The Housseins’ old boiler disappeared and wasreplaced with a shiny, new heat pump whichsucked warmth out of thin air and blew warm airinto the house.

“It’s like your fridge in reverse,” explained BGC,“I call it a heatgrabber. It will run all day andnight, keeping your home toasty warm. Your mumand dad’s heating bills will be reduced to the sizeof a warlock’s brain – and I’m talking reallysmall.”

“It’s amazing,” cried Bushra and Rafiq. “Pullingheat out of the air – I didn’t know you could,” saidthe little girl.

“Yes – but it’s not magic,” said BGC. “The warmthin the air is there all the time... you can use itagain, and again and again. It’s renewable energy...everyone can have it... it’s as easy as calling BGC.”

One hour later, Bertram Geoffrey Chillipepperwas snug in the armchair he bought in thesales at Wizard Furniture R Us. He had

enjoyed his tea of Toad in the Hole – with a real toad,of course – and began to drift asleep.

He dreamed of a time when everyone would havesolar panels and heat pumps at their homes andschools. And the environment of the Green Wizard’sbeloved planet Earth would be safe forever.

How does solar power work?Special panels on the roofcollect daylight. I call themsuncatchers. A box in your loftchanges the sun’s rays toelectricity. You can use it inyour house or give it to otherpeople to use.

What happens when it’scloudy?Suncatchers still collect thelight. Even in cloudy Britain theweather is perfect to usesunlight to make up to half ahome’s electricity.

What else can solar powerdo?A different kind ofsuncatcher can heatwater for baths,washing orheating.

What does a heatpump do?It pulls warmth fromthe air, even on a coldday, and uses it toheat a house. Heatcan be pulled fromunder the groundtoo.

How does renewable energysave money?Sunlight and the heat in the airand ground are free and arethere all the time. You can usethem again, and again, andagain, so they won’t run out.That means if you userenewable energy you don’thave to buy as much energy.The government pays peoplewho produce their own energy,and pays them again for anyenergy they give up for otherpeople to use.

Is there enough solarpower for us all?

Enough sunlight fallson the earth in just one

hour to power the wholeworld for a year! It’samazing.

How does it protect theplanet if we use solarpower again, andagain, and again?

Solar power producesno smoke and

fumes, so everyonewho usesrenewable is

helping to clean upthe environment.

‘We put suncatchers and heatgrabbersin homes, schools and offices to save

our energy again, again and again’Visit the BGC Renewable Training and Education Centre at:

Etruscan Street, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 5PQTel: 0800 043 0345 or email: bgcrenewables@bgcltd.com

was created, written and illustrated by Smith Davis Press

Visit the BGC Renewable Training and Education Centre at:Etruscan Street, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 5PQ

Tel: 0800 043 0345 or email: bgcrenewables@bgcltd.com

was created, written and illustrated by Smith Davis Press