Renewable Energy Tech

[Rockburner]

Solar hot water can get proper hot,

It can.
We have three garden hose pipes connected in our garden around the pool that are coiled up on the floor and if I use any of them to rinse off after swimming then I have to let them run a bit first otherwise they scald me.

yeah - that's a few litres worth (at most) , if you're trying to heat a > 1000lt tank for bathwater (for example) it will take a bit longer.

[Count Steer]

Solar hot water can get proper hot,

It can.
We have three garden hose pipes connected in our garden around the pool that are coiled up on the floor and if I use any of them to rinse off after swimming then I have to let them run a bit first otherwise they scald me.

yeah - that's a few litres worth (at most) , if you're trying to heat a > 1000lt tank for bathwater (for example) it will take a bit longer.

Yup. On the CAT site they point out that a key component is the insulated water storage and that for low usage it's better to use the roof space for PV. There's probably a middle way, especially if there are combi PV/water panels, where you heat a volume of water to a point then top up the heat in some of that with an immersion if you need a few more degrees.

You really are getting into Le Corbusier's 'a house is a machine for living in' if you went the whole 9 yards with some of these energy solutions!

[slowsider]

It can.
We have three garden hose pipes connected in our garden around the pool that are coiled up on the floor and if I use any of them to rinse off after swimming then I have to let them run a bit first otherwise they scald me.

yeah - that's a few litres worth (at most) , if you're trying to heat a > 1000lt tank for bathwater (for example) it will take a bit longer.

Yeah of course but it’s the same thing just on a larger scale and if you’re having 1000L baths every night then conservation of energy probably isn’t your thing.

You'll be needing an ass's milk heater in that case.

[Horse]

You'll be needing an ass's milk heater in that case.

Why not store it in the ass?

Might depend on whether he wants to wash his face or take a bath?

[slowsider]

You'll be needing an ass's milk heater in that case.

Why not store it in the ass?

1000L ass?
Now I like big butts, but I cannot lie...

[Couchy]

If you’re doing it to save money fair enough, to save the planet don’t bother as whatever we do in this little island is dwarfed by what the USA isn’t and won’t be doing lol

[Mussels]

With my cheap setup in the SE I could regularly heat 11,000 litres by 10 degrees each day so that not a big problem, as mentioned above storing it somewhere that keeps it hot is expensive and bulky.

[dayglo jim]

Another vote for CAT.
I was impressed with the premise of these https://filia.solar & [url] https://powerroll.solar/power-roll-part ... power//url] but I don't know anyone who can talk from experience.

[demographic]

I have a couple of friends who bought a property close to the Roman Wall thats offgrid.
Decent sized house on five or so acres of mature woodland, the main part is south facing hill (although they own the top of the hill above the house so theres a panoramic view from the hilltop) and they are slowly getting it sorted. Total developers wet dream and no doubt the developers would stick 20 little boxes up there.

They bought a load of solar panels and a load of scrap price truck batteries and seem to be managing just fine so far. The batteries aren't deep discharge but if they die off they just replace em with others and scrap em. As they were so cheap they haven't even lost money on the deal.

They could do with a proper road to the house and they're working on that bit. Decent people and I can't see them doing badly cos the propery is an absolute gem that they got for mebbe 3 VW campers worth of cash.

[Asian Boss]

Like Mr Dazzle, this isn't specifically my thing either.

I tend to turn up at a business unit, pick on someone doing some actual work and say in a booming Home Counties voice: "What toolgoonery is this?!?"

Whatever they say I reply that I'll need to see all their Risk Assessments, Safe Operating Procedures, permissions and authorisations to work, emergency response paperwork and all other necessary consents and qualifications.

Whatever they produce I tell them it's a disgrace and that I'll need to do a number of deep dive audits into the whole business unit.

I then spend two days asking needlessly obtuse questions, then fire ten percent of the workforce, issue a new logo, BOOM! Then I'm off in the FIve Series, playing bad 90s rap music too loud but still wearing a brown tweed jacked and wearing media glasses and talking all posh and Channel 4.


As for the energy thing, don't conflate the need to operate off grid with a wish to be green. I suspect solar (both types) and good batteries are about as good as it gets. And some sort of bottled gas. Kind of what's there at the moment. Although it might be worth updating the PVs and batteries when the time is right.

[Treadeager]

Any of you chaps seen this ?

https://solartogether.co.uk/landing

Caveat emptor and all that , but it's supposed to be a solar energy bulk buying initiative , endorsed by several local councils .

They are mooting savings of up to 40% on purchase of new panels . Now if the price of electrickery is to triple it may just change the economics of the investment ( typical payback times often quoted presently as 13 to 21 years ).

You can just " express an interest "with absolutely no commitment .

[Mussels]

My council is on there and I've looked at their goup buying initiatives before, they have been OK but no better than I can find after five minutes online.

[JaffH]

I see points here that the price of Elec trickery is to triple and people change to solar panels. I'd recommend considering
a gasoline generator. The biggest advantage of generators vs solar is that they are not dependent on good weather.
Photovoltaic (PV) cells turn sunlight into energy and are used in solar panels. When solar panels end up in landfills, they lose precious resources. Landfilling also generates additional environmental dangers since solar panels contain harmful compounds like lead that can seep out as they degrade.
Furthermore, they are harmful to the environment because to the hazardous chemicals employed in their production. Waste products from the fabrication operations can be detrimental to human health and the environment. Due to the high metal content of the solar cells and other impurities, old solar panels may become hazardous trash.
The biggest advantage of generators vs solar is that they are not dependent on good weather.