Green Building Forum - Renewable Energy

PV, is MCS worth it?

PeterStarck — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 08:42:38 +0100

I have an area of single storey roof at 30Âº which faces SSE. It is 5.3m by 3.7m and is unshaded. If I installed PV myself rather than through MCS could I
a) claim FITs, I guess not!
b) export electricity and be paid for it?
c) have it signed off under Part P?
d) is DIY PV worth it?

Best use of our solar heat?

Phil.Chaddah-Duke — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 10:03:43 +0100

Hi guys, well I have at last completed our solar system including the 2nd hand Riomay tubes I got from James on the forum (canâ€™t believe that was a year ago), see pic. As we have a 250l DHW and 1000l UFH TS, I am wondering the best way to configure it.

During the summer I have just been heating DHW before it swaps over to TS as a heat dump really but now heating switched on I need to decide what to heat first and to what temperature. The gas boiler tops up both tanks to required temperature when required. The UFH heating only needs 40 degrees so in terms of energy use, is it better to heat the TS with the freely available lower grade heat first or try and get the DHW tank up to temp but that means solar is waiting to pump longer trying to reach the higher DHW temp or does it make no difference as energy is energy whether itâ€™s the solar or gas and whether its low or higher temps?

Ikea's online PV panel calculator

Chris P Bacon — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 08:58:07 +0100

There was a piece in the papers here in Sweden during the week about how IKEA are now selling PV panels in the UK. According to IKEA's figures the average payback period in the UK is now 8 years.

So I just had a look at the ikea.co.uk website and they are selling in partnership with another company Hanergy, "Ikea family" members get a 15% discount. I clicked through to their online calculator and the results it gave were utter rubbish. It reckoned that a south facing 3.84kWp array at 45deg pitch in central Edinburgh would produce over 7000kWhrs a year. PVGIS reckons on 3400kWhrs which is much more believable.

It would be interesting if others tried this also for their actual locations to see if it was just a single bad result or a calculated attempt to suck people in.

N.B. The online calculator won't let you see the result until you input Name, telephone and email address. I just used nonsense values for all, Fred Bloggs will be getting a lot of sales calls later today!

Ikea's start page for solar panels can be found here.

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/campaigns/solar-panels.html

feedback on solar thermal

Jeremy S — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 08:37:10 +0000

Hi,

we've had some trouble finding a heating engineer locally with sufficient experience of solar thermal, so I'm hoping for some feedback on our proposed circuit (attached as PDF).

We've overspecified the collectors and the store in order to a) gain a greater winter contribution, and b) to offset the lower contribution on frequent cloudy days in western Perthshire.

We've been heating our well-insulated and air-tight 57sq.m 2-bedroom cabin with the occasional use of a 2kW electric radiator on the cold (sub-zero) nights - installing a 4kW solid fuel stove (c/w 1kW back-boiler) will a) reduce reliance on electricity, b) contribute to DHW, c) improve air-flow (via window trickle-vents), and d) be cosy!

Due to roof pitch and topography, we're intending to install the collectors on a shed some 25m from the store (see below); 12vDC thermal differential control, pump, expansion vesel, and pressure relief will be in the shed, with solar PV alongside the collectors. Thermal store, other valves, and heat exchanger for stagnation-preventing heat dump will be in the cabin.

Any comments are welcome, bur specific questions are:
1) can anyone recommend a H.E. in 50-mile radius of Crieff?
2) are there any safety concerns with the proposed schematic?
3) how does a 'filling loop' work? what's the procedure and hence, required plumbing?
4) for the 25m run, we thought to not use std s/s corrugated due to pressure loss; should we go for copper and just deal with thermal expansion somehow, or instead use s/s tube at extra expense?
5) suggestions for valves?

Links to kit:
Thermal store: http://jouleuk.co.uk/Cyclone_Thermal_Stores/299
Collectors: http://www.kingspansolar.co.uk/products/16/df100.aspx
Stove: http://shop.salamanderstoves.com/small-stoves/hobbit-stove
Pump: http://www.solarproject.co.uk/page2.html
Thermal differential controller: http://www.reuk.co.uk/buy-SOLAR-PUMP-CONTROLLER-CIRCUIT.htm or http://www.solarproject.co.uk/controller%20detail.html
Plate heat exchanger: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stainless-Steel-Heat-Exchanger-Plate-Heat-Exchanger-20-Plates-44-kW-/330867777183?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Hearing_Cooling_Air&hash=item4d09419e9f

In the longer term, I'm looking to investigate programming a dedicated 12v Linux 'intelligent' controller using Raspberry Pi (http://www.raspberrypi.org/) - see: http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=31455&p=272911

best wishes - Jeremy

kerosene from concentrated sunlight

Triassic — Sun, 24 Aug 2014 13:57:30 +0100

SOLAR-JET aims to ascertain the potential for producing kerosene from concentrated sunlight, CO2 captured from air, and water.

http://www.solar-jet.aero/

Sounds like an interesting EU funded project !?

Anaerobic digestion and CHP

owlman — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 14:36:46 +0100

Anybody familiar with this technology, what does it entail?

Your views welcomed! Planning application would shade our solar panels

RobinB — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 07:31:52 +0100

Objecting to planning application for a building that would shade our solar panels - any precedent?

Has anyone come across this before?

I don't want to stop them from building - I just don't want a building so tall and close to our southern boundary that will cut out all the sun from our largely south facing windows, garden and solar panels.

CO2 from burning wood

SteamyTea — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 08:35:34 +0100

Bit on radio this morning about how burning wood in power stations can be as bad as burning coal.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/18350b14-1273-11e4-a581-00144feabdc0.html

If anyone knows where the real report is please post the link up as it may make interesting reading.

Though I know we covered all this a few years back and it caused a fair bit of upset in some quarters :wink:
http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/forum114/comments.php?DiscussionID=6241

Solar PV-T , whats the lastest ?

jamesingram — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 18:42:44 +0100

So only a couple of options out there , anyone got some installed experience or thoughts, advice

thanks

Solar lighting for shed.

Chris P Bacon — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 18:16:22 +0100

I'm just in the process of building a new shed (15m2) and am looking for suggestions for lighting it.

It will be used for storage rather than a work space so the lights will only be required for short periods whilst rummaging around or parking bikes etc.

I see two led lamps with rechargeable batteries, small solar panel and proper switch for by the doorway rather than pull cords all for Â£20 on fleabay.

Has anyone any experience of this type of kit? I don't want to wire in something that is not going to last but also don't want to spend more just for the sake of it.

Any suggestions?

If we cut water consumption, could we generate more hydroelectricity?

GarethC — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 10:37:40 +0100

Possibly a stupid question here!

Many (most?) people (and businesses really) havenâ€™t considered cutting water use (at least in Scotland). With incentives (metering?) we could probably cut usage greatly and cheaply via rainwater harvesting, grey-water re-use, more sensible usage etc.

If we did, would that â€˜free upâ€™ water in reservoirs to generate meaningfully more hydroelectricity? I suspect probably not, but anyone here have a definitive answer?

If it did work, would it be nicely complementary with solar (when raining, solar doesnâ€™t work, but weâ€™d be topping up hydro)?

Up to 50% extra PV power - if the clouds are right?

rhamdu — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 17:35:28 +0100

I have noticed that our best days for generating solar electricity are those when thin, high cloud develops in the late afternoon. At that time our panels are shaded from direct solar rays, and thin cloud can increase the indirect illumination.
The perfect generation conditions would not be a clear sky, but a layer of thin, bright cloud, with one small hole allowing direct sunlight to fall on the panels. Obviously these conditions will occur only rarely, and then, only very locally. But a quick estimate suggests that in these admittedly unusual conditions, a PV installation could generate up to 50% more power than under a perfectly clear sky.
You need to assume that the ideal thin cloud layer scatters sunlight equally in all downward or upward directions. (Thick cloud will absorb some radiation and scatter most of the rest upwards.) You also need to assume that the panels convert oblique rays efficiently.
Even patches of thin cloud - the kind of weather we are getting right now (in East Sussex) -could result in higher peak generation, though the average output would be reduced because, in reality, the clouds are sometimes going to get between the sun and the panels.
Has anyone investigated this phenomenon? Does it have any practical consequences for PV system design or operation? Am I right in thinking solar panels are rated strictly according to their 'clear sky' peak generation, or do manufacturers allow themselves a little extra for the possible concentrating effects of off-axis clouds?

PV - transparent instead of rooflights

archess200 — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 17:57:47 +0000

Any comments on availability and usefulness of transparent PV panels over a porch and toilet area instead of using rooflights? I have seen these somewhere and they are clear no translucent or bronzed. Any information out there?

Solar Cell Conversion Efficiency

Triassic — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 11:27:13 +0100

""Panasonic has reportedly achieved a record 25.6% conversion efficiency for its HIT (Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin layer) solar cell.

The company say this beats their previous best of 24.7% efficiency for crystalline silicon-based solar cells of a "practical size", achieved in February 2013.""

Made me wonder if I should be using conversion efficiency as a buying criteria, rather than cheapest price?

Economy 7

Triassic — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 09:08:44 +0100

I was wondering in this age of smart meters do I still need a separate economy 7 meter in my new build electrical distribution design?

thought I knew it all because I'd read all the books and surfed the net, but it's not the same as actually doing it!

RHI and qualification details.

gustyturbine — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 14:28:10 +0100

Hi,
Could anyone that is better informed than I am clear this up for me please as the people I have asked have not got a clue.

I am running a GSHP that was installed in 2011. I have a SAP calculation that was used for planning but the actual property is more efficient than the SAP calculation. I fitted the HP, better U value windows and also more insulation than it specified.
My technology qualifies and the installer was MCS registered.
So what do I need now to claim?
EPC or final as built SAP calculation or even a GDA? The air test is costing Â£200 plus VAT but do I need it to qualify?

Thanks All.

Energy from waste food

tony — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 18:33:13 +0100

It might seem like a good thing to use wasted food as a feedstock for making energy.

I disagree -- we shouldn't be wasting it in the first place!

Pumped Heat Electricity Storage

Doubting_Thomas — Sun, 25 May 2014 11:27:30 +0100

Spotted this the other day.
Interesting take on the storage problem with variable output from renewables.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2014/03/electricity-storage?fsrc=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Energy Prices

SteamyTea — Mon, 19 May 2014 07:45:59 +0100

We have touched on this every now and again and after reading this article about pellet prices:
http://www.renewablesinternational.net/rising-pellet-prices/150/515/61533/
I was wondering if people where willing to post up what they currently pay for energy.
Ideally it would be as Â£/kWh, but may be easier to just post up how much you get and the unit price (excluding delivery and taxes).
Would give us all an idea of what is best value for money and we can track seasonal/yearly changes.

What size conduit for 10 PV panels?

PeterStarck — Wed, 14 May 2014 15:47:30 +0100

I am planning to fit two rows of five 250W PV panels, sometime in the future, and need to know what diameter conduit to fit for all the cabling from the roof. Any ideas?

Evance Wind in Administration

windymiller — Wed, 07 May 2014 09:56:31 +0100

Has anyone with an Evance wind turbine had an update form the company or installer regarding this?

Our installer doesnt seem to have a clue what has going on, however I have heard this news from a couple of other people in the wind industry now.

I have tried to ring Evance and apparently someone is going to call me back, but Im still waiting

Do companies have a legal requirment to keep people they have an obligation too informed about these things? Im assuming that the warranty is now out of the window, and what about spare parts? Does the REAL assurance scheme offer any protection?

Luckily everything is currently running fine, but after what happened to Proven Im pretty concrned about the future. And the evance machine is a good turbine, if they have gone bust then it doesnt bode well for others in the industry!

PV roof slates

owlman — Mon, 05 May 2014 21:01:20 +0100

Interesting.
http://www.archiportale.com/newsletter/dossier/194349

Dunno if the totty is included. :bigsmile:

Petition for more PV on schools, INVEST IN SOLAR SCHOOLS

jamesingram — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 16:18:56 +0100

I like this idea a lot.
add to that gov. buildings , hospitals etc. etc. any building that's got demand to use all generation as it happens is got to be a winner.
4kWp coming in around Â£6-7k at the domestic level. kits about Â£3.5K
4kWp will give approx. 4000kWh pa x 0.15p = Â£600 pa money back< 10 year without FITs
Stick FITs in and make < 5 years
Come on Michael Gove sort it out. Got to be a better earner than parents having to trawling through ads in the local weekly primary school news letter !

http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/climate/press_for_change/help_schools_go_solar_41960.html#.Uz__tPWd8Nh.twitter
"Dear Michael Gove,
Making it easy for schools to put up solar panels is common sense.
It could save each school up to Â£8,000 per year on its energy bills. And it would help make the most of the clean energy all around us.
But government financial rules currently leave many schools struggling to meet the upfront cost of the panels.
Please change the rules to make it easy for our schools to go solar."

Don't be a decliner , be a signer :bigsmile:

Interesting video from Lockheed on Fusion

CWatters — Sat, 03 May 2014 20:51:59 +0100

Not exactly "renewable" but it discusses a "brand new concept" fusion plant. Towards the end he suggests this new approach won't take decades to get working.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAsRFVbcyUY&feature=player_embedded

Ground mounted PV

neelpeel — Mon, 28 Apr 2014 12:20:36 +0100

I've not long moved into a new house with a bit of land. Part of the land beside the house is a long steep (about 45 degree) banking facing South South West.
I wouldn't consider fitting PV to the house as it is a lovely old farm cottage and I feel it would ruin the character, but I am keen to investigate ground mounting PV along the banking.

I am thinking that since it is ground mounted I could do a lot of the work myself. E.g. sourcing parts, ground work, fitting. Can I then pay a nominal fee to an MCS approved installer to come in and connect up for me??

Any specific considerations for ground mounting that I should be looking into?

Any pending changes to the FITs?

I'm just starting on this journey, but I'm guessing it will get fairly in-depth over the next couple of months!
I've had a browse through the Navitron forums, but I thought I'd try here first for some general advice.

All thoughts and ideas welcome!

CCS

tony — Fri, 18 Apr 2014 12:56:44 +0100

Why not leave the wood as wood? It has already captured the carbon!

If we need energy then we could use tidal which has no downsides

300m could be used to much better effect elsewhere.

Recessed PV panels

Triassic — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 17:13:57 +0000

The National Park guy would like to see our new build have inset PV panels, rather than those which sit above the slate roof.

Anyone got any suggestions or recommendations on how to achieve this particular request?

Methane hydrate: Dirty fuel or energy saviour?

jamesingram — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 09:31:42 +0100

This weeks flavour of the month ?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27021610
New to me
"Otherwise known as fire ice, methane hydrate presents as ice crystals with natural methane gas locked inside. They are formed through a combination of low temperatures and high pressure, and are found primarily on the edge of continental shelves where the seabed drops sharply away into the deep ocean floor"
"One cubic metre of the compound releases about 160 cubic metres of gas, making it a highly energy-intensive fuel. This, together with abundant reserves and the relatively simple process of releasing the methane, means a number of governments are getting increasingly excited about this massive potential source of energy"

Researchers claim breakthrough to mass produce Graphene

Chris P Bacon — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 07:19:54 +0100

Researchers at Trinity College Dublin claim to have made a breakthrough in the ability to mass produce the "wonder product" Graphene and have signed a deal with the UK company Thomas Swan Ltd. to scale up production.

http://www.thejournal.ie/graphene-irish-researchers-major-breakdown-mass-production-1424843-Apr2014/

Exciting news which could open up a whole new world of products.

I might just hold off on buying those PV panels and wait for the PV paint instead.

Ground Source Heat Pump Case Studies

arvysingh — Fri, 18 Apr 2014 23:34:27 +0100

Hi All,

I was wondering if anyone could direct me to a recent Ground Source Heat Pump Commercial case study.

I am doing a Dissertation on Ground Source Heat Pumps and am struggling to find a recent European and UK case study with good comparison figures such as capital cost and Co2 savings etc..

Solar Panel Brise Soleil

ferdinand2000 — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:48:33 +0100

Good morning everyone.

I'm looking for thoughts on mounting solar panels directly on a house wall, or building a supporting "porch".We don't have any *really* suitable roofs for PV in our new house, so I'm wondering about a solar brise soleil made of PV solar panels along across our garage and front door - about 8-9m run.

The only one I have seen was in the episode of Grand Designs called Stealth House, here:
http://tinyurl.com/brisesoleil

This is our southern facade. It is a reasonably well specified recent (2009) conversion of a 1940s bungalow, reduced to 3 outside walls and rebuilt inside. Unfortunately that row of lime trees along our eastern boundary are TPO'd.
http://tinyurl.com/ferdinandfacade

I quite like the idea of having it 12 feet off the ground rather than 25, for installation, maintenance and for the convenient jet washing of pigeon poo. The electric meters are in the garage, so cabling etc will be simple.

Does anyone have any experience of doing anything similar, or thoughts on the idea?

Thanks in advance.

Ferdinand

How long does it take to build a hydro scheme?

tony — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 20:11:28 +0100

How long does it take to build a hydro scheme from start to finish on an easy site on a river in the south of England (nb EA involved)

Swivel Log Saw

Triassic — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 18:20:09 +0100

I have access to loads of wood, mainly small stuff and am considering buying an electric swivel log saw. Can anyone suggest a good model at a reasonable price.

Domestic RHI ... anyone reckon it's spring yet?

scrimper — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 08:17:13 +0100

I keep thinking:

Daffodils are up. Days are longer. Feels a tiny bit warmer. Could it be it is 'Spring 2014' yet?

If so ....

... where/when is our grand announcement?!? Anyone got ANY clue?

Getting DISTINCTLY nervous about this whole charade ...

Heat Pump Questionnaire

arvysingh — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 23:55:56 +0100

Hi All,

As part of my final year dissertation on in the UK, I have set up an

I would be grateful if anyone could spare a few moments of their time to assist me in m.

Please note this is for my dissertation and not for general release and not for any commercial interests.

All responses are anonymous.

Your participation is greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks.

How many homes could a river heat?

tony — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 18:17:17 +0000

The idea of millions of us all pumping heat out of rivers and lakes leaves me cold. It would leave the rivers and lakes colder too and more prone to freeze. Yes it is very efficient even 600% efficient but if too many of us did it the river or lake would freeze or freeze too easily.

That is IF you could get it past the environment agency (no hope).

Joined up thinking ........

Reducing use, draught proofing, insulating and building better would all be far more aprocriate goals.

Fish passes

tony — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 19:49:01 +0000

Fish passes are required whenever a hydro turbine is installed.

My problem with this is how do fish and eels get up the river now?

The biodiversity of fish and aquatic species on English rivers would seem to be good and in general identical above and below the vast majority of weirs and locks.

The cost of fish passes is high and will run into many millions of pounds for in my view no perceivable gain.

Makes me wanna leave Europe.

what next for us in renewable's?

candlemaker — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 15:12:05 +0000

Hi Guys I have not contributed for a while as often feel out of my depth and so content to read along!

Anyway at long last we are about to build an extension to the factory/workshop. We have a 10 kW Turbine and a 10 kW Solar PV installation. When we paid for line upgrade to Western Power we requested they leave provision for 30 kW however they said not possible and gave us 25 kW max. Having spoken to Western Power they are now saying 20 kW is now our maximum export they will allow (without silly money going their way). Our installers are saying if we stick another 10 kW of PV on the new roof the odds are that most of the time we would not be able to go over the 20 kW limit as Sun and wind in perfect harmony a rare event, and if we get close there are gizmos that can be fitted to prevent us going over. We use electricity for light, office, machinery etc. and Kerosene for the boiler. Cost wise we spend not far off Â£10k a year on kerosene but electricity is down to around Â£2k so my questions are:

Would, Western Power would allow this?

Is this the best way for us to reduce our energy import? (we did undertake quite a big insulation exercise a year or so back, thanks for the help ST!) but running the kerosene boiler that melts the wax (we make candles) is still our biggest energy user by a mile. I have been advised that Solar would not be hot enough for our needs (boiler runs at around 75C ) but PV could power heating elements to help heat the water system that the kerosene boiler heats.

Are we missing a trick here should we be looking at heat pumps, a new pellet boiler etc?

Any thoughts gratefully received

Solar options for a new project

danpipe — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 15:38:10 +0000

Hi all, we are planning a major refurbishment & extension to our house, and we're keen to add renewables to it. The house is south facing (almost exactly) in the south of England, and the finished build will have a main roof with an area of approximately 40m2, and a side exension (stepped back) with a 10m2 roof. Both roofs at a 35 degree angle.

What are your thoughts on how best to use this roof space? Our original plan was to put solar PV on the main roof - covering as big an area as possible - and put a solar thermal panel on the side extension roof, coupled with a megaflo system and thermostatic showers to make best use of the hot water.

It's been suggested that it's better to use solar PV for hot water, as there's less wasted potential solar energy in the summer, so now I'm considering putting solar PV on both roofs. Whatever system we end up with, we want it to run itself with minimal tinkering - e.g. no manual switching on of immersion heaters - so the system would need to heat up the water with automatic backup from the gas boiler to provide sufficient hot water for morning showers.

question regarding PV

joe90 — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 11:43:28 +0000

I am planning a new build this year and would like PV (if only to help the SAP) as we have no mains gas. SWMBO and I dont want panels on the roof as we are designing a sweet looking cottage (hopefully). I could mount them on the workshop roof (due South) but the angle will be low. Alternatively I could mount them on the ground in the field we have next to the build. The advantage here is I could construct adjustable frames as the optimum angle for PV panels over the year changes from 16 to 64 degrees (from the vertical) this would allow me to optimise the lecky generated. I have found that the FIT payment is nearly half for "stand alone", would panels mounted in the field be classed as stand alone?

Ta

50kW turbine installation costs.

gustyturbine — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:33:57 +0100

Hi,
A friend has been approached by a company wanting to install a 50kW turbine on his farm. Planning should be fine as the farm next to him has fitted one already. Thjey have told him that all costs (Â£350,000) would be paid for by the company. The grid connection would go over his land for around .5 miles. Does the installation cost seem high at all? If the cost was lower he may try and fund it himself.
I am used to the larger scale turbine operation and the MW price installed is much cheaper then than Â£350,000 for 50kw quoted although I can understand why to a degree.
What is the opinion of the wind turbine operators we have on the forum? Does Â£350,000 seem high to them. The turbine is Endurance.
Many thanks.

PV panels - wind resistance.

Chris P Bacon — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 13:18:41 +0000

I have been considering fitting PV panels on our roof, metal roofing at 45Âº pitch.

One concern however is how they will stand up to the wind. We are almost on the sea shore but really not that exposed, the last two winters we have had storms where wind speeds have reached 38-42m/s (about 85-90mph in old money).

I am just wondering how panels will stand up to this sort of treatment over the long term?

I must admit that I haven't taken a close look at the panels and mounting systems so don't know how secure they are and whether anything is likely to break or work loose over time.

Can anyone with first hand experience put my mind at rest?

PV Quote Questions

Triassic — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 12:03:25 +0000

I'm in the design stage of a new build and have been looking at the installation of PV. Basically the proposed house is L shaped (to fit the plot), so I have a roof facing South East and one facing South West.

One PV company has come back and suggested a 4.0kWp system consisting of 16 Innotech EcoPlus 250wp panels, with 8 facing SE and 8 facing SW and a single SolarMax 4000p inverter. The price installed is Â£6,301 ex vat.

From what I've read here I thought each set of panels should have its own inverter? Thoughts or any pointers?

I love tidal lagoons

tony — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 13:19:40 +0000

Let's have lots of them

Solar bridge 1.1MW

jamesingram — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 20:19:16 +0000

With over 6,000mÂ² of PV panels, Blackfriars is now the worldâ€™s largest solar-powered bridge, providing 50% of the stationâ€™s energy and saving over 500,000 kg of CO2.
http://www.solarcentury.com/uk/case-studies/blackfriars-taking-it-to-the-bridge/

Renewable Energy Targets

SteamyTea — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 07:58:10 +0000

So we are going to drop our national targets and hope that some other EU country takes up the baton. How does that work then?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25828181

Should I buy thermodynamic solar panels now without RHI?

peterpanel22 — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 10:35:23 +0000

Hello I have been contacted by a company called SKS Thermodynamics and are calling their system revolutionary but is it revolutionary like the salesmen said??

Is it making solar thermal look like yesterday's technology? as this works all year round therefore you do not rely on secondary source.

Their website looks professional but not sure to go ahead with them http://www.sks-thermo.co.uk" >. Does anyone have any experience with this company?? I found a few positive reviews of them.

Also they said this system qualifies for the RHI but it does not come into action until summer 2012, but I do not know how much I would get.

The price they quoted was just above Â£6000 for this for my needs, how long will it take to get an ROI?

Sorry for multiple questions, me and my partner are in this dilema and I could not find any information to this as this is a new thing, and having free hot water heating really would help us out.

:neutral:

Solar panel planning nightmare!

EmmaG — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:08:38 +0100

Hi, I have installed solar panels to my roof, operational for only 1 day before being asked to remove them/apply for retrospective planning by friendly local council! I pointed out the legislation under which they are a permitted development - they agreed, but said I didnt meet the conditions thereof as "they affected the amenity of area & appearance of building". I pointed out the term "as far as is practicable" & that there was no other practicable option. HOWEVER, they say:

"You are interpreting the phrase "so far as practicable" in relation to the efficiency of the installation however this term refers to whether or not the panels can be installed in such a way as to minimise the effect on the building/amenity of the area. For example to comply with these conditions we would usually expect the installation of solar panels on a mid-terraced property to be on the rear rather than the principal elevation. Whilst most properties benefit from permitted development rights not all householders are able to utilise them."

Does anyone have any ideas where I go with this next?? I did (& do) truly believe I am in the right here!
I have already copied in her boss, so presumably he agrees with her (shes an enforcement officer)

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
:cry:

Storing wood pellets can be lethal

simeon — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 20:45:53 +0000

This is true.

Lethal levels of carbon monoxide are given off from wood pellet stores - even domestic ones. People have even died!

http://annhyg.oxfordjournals.org/content/56/7/755.abstract?etoc

b.torics big glass spheres

palebluedot — Sun, 29 Dec 2013 14:31:52 +0000

I've seen a couple of articles about a designer called AndrÃ© Broessel with an idea for a large glass ball that focusses sunlight (or even moonlight) onto PV cells to improve their efficiency by 35%.

It strikes me that his idea might use an enormous amount of energy in the manufacture of the glass spheres, and that, as a 1.5 metre diameter sphere seems to focus down to an area of about 300 x 300 mm, the efficiency gains might be not worth the energy used in the manufacture.

But I'm no engineer, and I know a lot of you folks are. Would anyone care to have a look and tell me what they think?

The link to an article is here: http://www.designboom.com/technology/spherical-glass-solar-energy-generator-by-rawlemon/