Superstitious Idea About Trump

We have solar panels and they are brilliant. When we had them fitted we were told that we could only fit them to generate 4kw hours or we could not benefit under the FIT scheme. That seemed so shortsighted to me especially as we live in an area where we could generate far more. We have the panels on the back of our house where they get the afternoon sun but we would have had them fitted front and back if we'd been allowed.
One of my family members does a lot of the research about retrofit for renewable energy and conserving energy and it is always being hampered by a lack of funding, a lack of suitable tradesmen and a lack of proaction by the relevant Government departments.

Our SP’s don’t produce anything much on a dull day even though it’s claimed they do. They need bright sunlight. Last summer was fab as they were working at capacity and we have invested in a storage battery. Most of the summer, our electric bills consisted of the standing charge and a few pence here and there.

Winter, we’ve been paying almost full whack because it’s been so dull.

Did not know that GG13.
There is hope.

Jojo1950

You think??

Yes. GrannyGravy13 is correct.
‘Solar panels do not require direct, blazing sunlight to work; they only need daylight to generate electricity. While they are most efficient in direct sun, they still produce power on cloudy or overcast days by capturing diffuse sunlight. They work best in daylight but stop working at night.’
Celtic Green Energy
+2

‘How Solar Panels Work Without Direct Sun
Diffuse Light: Solar panels can absorb light that passes through clouds, producing around 10–25% of their peak capacity on cloudy days, says Eco Renewables Group.
Visible Light: Any daylight (not just direct UV rays) can stimulate the photovoltaic cells in the panels.
Temperature: Contrary to popular belief, colder, bright days can actually be more efficient for solar panels than hot, sunny days, as high heat can reduce electrical efficiency.’
Project Solar UK
+2

Do they work less efficiently on dull and overcast days? Gg13. Logic would suggest so?

Jojo1950 if you are doubting my post, put the question into your search engine…

Jojo1950

You think??

I know so!

You think??

ronib

The sun isn’t shining here today.. …

Solar panels do not need bright sunlight to generate power, they work in normal U.K. daylight

The sun isn’t shining here today.. …

MaizieD

If house roofs, warehouse and industrial buildings roofs are used, plus putting them over car parks (as they are at French supermarkets) I don't see why we have to have massive solar farms on green field sites. I think that if the government were a bit more proactive and initiated and financed, or contributed some finance to, the sort of installation which didn't use agricultural land, instead of leaving it 'to the market', we could possibly get this done more effectively.

On this I agree 100% 👏👏👏

It would also get more people onboard with solar power (I think)

Maizie: Apparently Lidl are going to be selling the "plug in" solar panels for a couple of hundred pounds. The reporting was a tad shambolic but I understood that they were already available in Germany. Might be quite wrong

As for 'pylons in the southeast'

How does your electricity get to you now, * Freya*?

If house roofs, warehouse and industrial buildings roofs are used, plus putting them over car parks (as they are at French supermarkets) I don't see why we have to have massive solar farms on green field sites. I think that if the government were a bit more proactive and initiated and financed, or contributed some finance to, the sort of installation which didn't use agricultural land, instead of leaving it 'to the market', we could possibly get this done more effectively.

Freya5

GrannyGravy13

I also agree, Labour has the opportunity to invest in renewables.

Will they though?

Are they willing to breakaway from RR’s economic model, and invest in the training of our young (and retraining of us oldies) along with the infrastructure, and new production centres (factories) needed?

In my area green energy has been the revitalisation, to a certain extent, of our towns. Nearly two decades of investment, training, dedicated college, training by Orsted and others. We are now one of the leading areas supplying and maintaining wind farms etc.
My worry is solar farms everywhere, to the detriment of farmland, and the countryside, next is massive pylons, to carry electricity to the south east. As a county we are being used to the detriment of our beautiful countryside, and told to put up with it. What do we do with all these highly processed panels when they only last 25 years, where do we dump them.?
Same with wind turbines 30 years max life, output falls, blades are not recyclable. So in Millibands overzealous rush to turn us all green, causing high costs, the environment for our descendants could still turn out to be non friendly.

One does worry about those side effects of power sources. Coal mines had a horrible effect on green valleys . The need for energy sources has been constant especially since the industrial revolution. one hopes that more trees and less concrete will be planted now people are generally more woke.

Calendargirl

^all new homes should have solar panels^

That’s all very well, but they have to be suitable for solar panels.

No use if the roof faces north, with not the right pitch, or overshadowed by trees, buildings, ….

My house is unsuitable in that way, Calendargirl. I wondered if solar panels can be set up in the south sloping back garden , and the captured energy relayed into the house. I have seen pictures of solar panel farms.

eazybee

Renewables need to go a long way before they can provide sufficient power for industry to flourish again.

I was thinking more of the industries needed to produce alternative energy equipment, rather than power for all industries.

Casdon

eazybee

Renewables need to go a long way before they can provide sufficient power for industry to flourish again.

That is true, but if renewable energy is increasingly used for homes and vehicles, it will make traditional energy sources more available, and cheaper hopefully, for industry in the interim.

That was my reasoning.

And I was thinking globally rather than of our own situation here in the UK. There are large numbers of countries where the sun shines more than it does in the UK which could exploit solar energy. Besides which, solar technology has developed panels which don't need sunlight to work, just light and, battery storage uses the excess generated during daylight to cover the hours of darkness.

There are initiatives such as district heating schemes which could be further developed and geothermal schemes which exploit the higher temperatures lower in the earth's crust.

I think we both underestimate human ingenuity and have been comfortably living on fossil fuels for so long that we can't see far beyond them.

The key is going to lie in constantly improving the technology, surely Freya5? It won’t be a case of purely investing in what is now available. There is plenty of innovation.

GrannyGravy13

I also agree, Labour has the opportunity to invest in renewables.

Will they though?

Are they willing to breakaway from RR’s economic model, and invest in the training of our young (and retraining of us oldies) along with the infrastructure, and new production centres (factories) needed?

In my area green energy has been the revitalisation, to a certain extent, of our towns. Nearly two decades of investment, training, dedicated college, training by Orsted and others. We are now one of the leading areas supplying and maintaining wind farms etc.
My worry is solar farms everywhere, to the detriment of farmland, and the countryside, next is massive pylons, to carry electricity to the south east. As a county we are being used to the detriment of our beautiful countryside, and told to put up with it. What do we do with all these highly processed panels when they only last 25 years, where do we dump them.?
Same with wind turbines 30 years max life, output falls, blades are not recyclable. So in Millibands overzealous rush to turn us all green, causing high costs, the environment for our descendants could still turn out to be non friendly.

Unfortunately the sun and wind are not going to shine and blow to order.
Wave power is also a good alternative source of energy. Green energy has not reached working efficiency without additional use of fossil fuels at the moment .

eazybee

Renewables need to go a long way before they can provide sufficient power for industry to flourish again.

That is true, but if renewable energy is increasingly used for homes and vehicles, it will make traditional energy sources more available, and cheaper hopefully, for industry in the interim.

I’ve be just read that within months “plug in solar panels” with be available for households within months.

I’m scratching my head at the description “plug in” haha, however, I will probably buy a couple.

all new homes should have solar panels

That’s all very well, but they have to be suitable for solar panels.

No use if the roof faces north, with not the right pitch, or overshadowed by trees, buildings, ….

eazybee

Renewables need to go a long way before they can provide sufficient power for industry to flourish again.

For industries to flourish again the U.K. needs a government (regardless of colour) to invest in them and to make investment attractive to others.