Over winter my home has used no electricity from the grid overall. I have been a net exporter due to a new solar and battery install.
I'm in the fortunate position to invest in this, so I don't have to worry about incompetent elected members shafting me sideways.
I no longer care how much or how long the TV is on. Fantastic investment.
I just read that gas turbine power stations have to pay a carbon tax for creating electricity. Let's think about this a little.
In the middle of the night I make no electricity, my battery provides power and then exports to the grid where my neighbours use the power I provide. A mini power station basically.
Others don't have this. In the dark still night we need the gas power station. They fire up, provide the power or equalise the grid, at the request of the grid operator.
They are heavily taxed for this. Who pays for this? You and I (although less so me now).
Secondly I am charged peak rate of 25pence for power, I export at flat rate of 15pence. My generated electric is the same as the imported. But it seems worth less, as the supplier can make 10p on my power.
I have ways to solve the imbalance above. But the principle remains. The power system is designed to.make large profits for shite companies. The tax system is a con.
Just think if there were mini power stations on all available homes and they could share that electric at a local price to neighbours
Do you live in an igloo @fenlandaddick ? Even during midsummer our battery doesn't last all night. This winter has produced almost nil from our panels. How do you do it ?
Heating is still Gas. I have oversized my array (east west facing house) we have 22 440 watt panels. I should admit for those weeks we had the northern blocking system that kept us grey I did draw from the grid overnight at 7p into my battery.
I also have an electric car so that takes alot of electric overnight but I have ignored that for my argument, as I would be paying more if using petrol motor. Electric is free if I'm in the office for work.
I designed my system so that even in winter on average the array and battery would cover our usage. Only Xmas day we need more than the powerwall can provide. This year there was enough sun so even then didn't need to worry.
But over the winter overall I am a net exporter.
I have a Tesla powerwall3 that can hold 13.5 kWh. A brilliant bit of kit (Shame about Musk). I can also add up to 3 more of them, so that when and if we go heat pump I can use them and the cheap electric overnight to keep the house warm. I'm waiting for the costs to make more sense before jumping to a heat pump
Our house is very energy efficient. Only 8 years old and extremely well insulated.
My advice to anyone who can invest is to fit as many panels as you can on the roof. The most expensive thing is the scaffolding and installer costs. The panels are really cheap. A battery is a must and I would 100% recommend a powerwall 3. The more I can export at 15p the sooner I can break even.
Usually between 4 to 6kwh per day in winter. Xmas around 13kwh.
Smart meter was a huge help to plan my install
So how many years will it take for you to recover your outlay? I'm assuming it could be something like 10 years?
It really depends the amount of sun and how high electricity prices go. The company estimate was 10 years. But that doesn't factor in I can charge overnight at 7p and then export at 15p. I can go with an intelligent export tarrif where I can export at a higher rate but for a shorter period of time. I think I can do it in 6 years with some intelligent import/export routines.
I am also shielded from most stupid decisions the governments make on electricity, and this was my main driver, I've lost all faith in their ability to run critical infrastructure in our favour, it is just another way of creaming money off us. What I really need is lower standing charge, as I am paying around 60 odd pence a day for nothing. Will be interesting what they come up with.
It cost me less than many spend on a new kitchen, and at least this investment can pay me back.
You mentioning that the cost of panels is actually pretty small and the cost is installation, expertise, scaffolding etc. Reminded me of something I had seen from Germany I think where small panels aimed at balconies that can be plugged direct into a mains socket are becoming more common. Not gonna power a whole house but may be a cheap way to scale things a bit without the installation costs.
It really depends the amount of sun and how high electricity prices go. The company estimate was 10 years. But that doesn't factor in I can charge overnight at 7p and then export at 15p. I can go with an intelligent export tarrif where I can export at a higher rate but for a shorter period of time. I think I can do it in 6 years with some intelligent import/export routines.
I am also shielded from most stupid decisions the governments make on electricity, and this was my main driver, I've lost all faith in their ability to run critical infrastructure in our favour, it is just another way of creaming money off us. What I really need is lower standing charge, as I am paying around 60 odd pence a day for nothing. Will be interesting what they come up with.
It cost me less than many spend on a new kitchen, and at least this investment can pay me back.
Curious - will you have any maintenance costs for this ‘kit’ within that 10 year or face any likely costs for upkeep / replacement soon after the 10 years? I’m just unaware of life expectancy and perhaps the less obvious costs.
Battery has no requirement for service. And a 10 year warranty with guarantee on capacity from Tesla
Solar panels have 5 year warranty.
3 year warranty on workmanship for the install with an insurance backed guarantee from HEIS.
Only reason to spend more would be damage or to upgrade the panels.
If there was a problem with cabling would need an electrician out after 3 years. But that would be true of cables already in house.
Panels over time will start to produce less, but my sister has a solar install that is 11 years old and she has not noticed any significant drop in output.
Battery has no requirement for service. And a 10 year warranty with guarantee on capacity from Tesla
Solar panels have 5 year warranty.
3 year warranty on workmanship for the install with an insurance backed guarantee from HEIS.
Only reason to spend more would be damage or to upgrade the panels.
If there was a problem with cabling would need an electrician out after 3 years. But that would be true of cables already in house.
Panels over time will start to produce less, but my sister has a solar install that is 11 years old and she has not noticed any significant drop in output.
Interested in understanding how cheap 'really cheap' is for solar panels?
Battery has no requirement for service. And a 10 year warranty with guarantee on capacity from Tesla
Solar panels have 5 year warranty.
3 year warranty on workmanship for the install with an insurance backed guarantee from HEIS.
Only reason to spend more would be damage or to upgrade the panels.
If there was a problem with cabling would need an electrician out after 3 years. But that would be true of cables already in house.
Panels over time will start to produce less, but my sister has a solar install that is 11 years old and she has not noticed any significant drop in output.
Interested in understanding how cheap 'really cheap' is for solar panels?
We put in Solar about 18 months ago. Cost was around £8k. based on reduced use (currently using around 1/3 of the electricity from the grid we were using) and export of excess to the grid we will have covered the cost in about 5 years.
We have 14 panels and the relevant electrical stuff that goes alongside it. We are in a townhouse so the scaffold cost was a little higher than on standard size houses, we also have panels on both sides of the roof so needed more scaffolding as well.
We didn’t get a battery at the time as it would have meant less panels and we wanted to maximise the generation capacity. I reckon that with a battery of the right capacity we would likely use nothing off the grid for about 8 months of the year.
Battery has no requirement for service. And a 10 year warranty with guarantee on capacity from Tesla
Solar panels have 5 year warranty.
3 year warranty on workmanship for the install with an insurance backed guarantee from HEIS.
Only reason to spend more would be damage or to upgrade the panels.
If there was a problem with cabling would need an electrician out after 3 years. But that would be true of cables already in house.
Panels over time will start to produce less, but my sister has a solar install that is 11 years old and she has not noticed any significant drop in output.
Interested in understanding how cheap 'really cheap' is for solar panels?
Anywhere from 50-60 quid each from suppliers +VAT. If you jump on the major electric suppliers sites they also have online tools to let you build out your system to get an idea of installation cost.
You could get contractors in to do the work. Make sure the system is MCS registered. Just need scaffolding, roofers and electricians.
Battery has no requirement for service. And a 10 year warranty with guarantee on capacity from Tesla
Solar panels have 5 year warranty.
3 year warranty on workmanship for the install with an insurance backed guarantee from HEIS.
Only reason to spend more would be damage or to upgrade the panels.
If there was a problem with cabling would need an electrician out after 3 years. But that would be true of cables already in house.
Panels over time will start to produce less, but my sister has a solar install that is 11 years old and she has not noticed any significant drop in output.
Interested in understanding how cheap 'really cheap' is for solar panels?
Anywhere from 50-60 quid each from suppliers +VAT. If you jump on the major electric suppliers sites they also have online tools to let you build out your system to get an idea of installation cost.
You could get contractors in to do the work. Make sure the system is MCS registered. Just need scaffolding, roofers and electricians.
Check if your local authority is running a scheme as you get a sizeable discount and all of the arranging is done for you.
Battery has no requirement for service. And a 10 year warranty with guarantee on capacity from Tesla
Solar panels have 5 year warranty.
3 year warranty on workmanship for the install with an insurance backed guarantee from HEIS.
Only reason to spend more would be damage or to upgrade the panels.
If there was a problem with cabling would need an electrician out after 3 years. But that would be true of cables already in house.
Panels over time will start to produce less, but my sister has a solar install that is 11 years old and she has not noticed any significant drop in output.
Interested in understanding how cheap 'really cheap' is for solar panels?
Anywhere from 50-60 quid each from suppliers +VAT. If you jump on the major electric suppliers sites they also have online tools to let you build out your system to get an idea of installation cost.
You could get contractors in to do the work. Make sure the system is MCS registered. Just need scaffolding, roofers and electricians.
Check if your local authority is running a scheme as you get a sizeable discount and all of the arranging is done for you.
Scary feedback loops happening all over the place.
Seem similar saying the oceans are absorbing less too as they are reaching capacity. These are the sort of thing that are meaning we are 10-20 years ahead of what was predicted even a few years ago.
I think the oil giants feel they've weathered the green storm now, that they have the green light to persist with fossil fuel extraction. Worldwide systemic change and overarching co-ordination is required meet this challenge, but as not enough people in the world care enough about the planet to make it a priority, it'll soon be too late, if it isn't already.
It is sad to think that the children of today are going to be living in a very different world, if they can live at all. History will judge those who have chosen the pursuit of money over the health and welfare of all who live on the planet.
The global air passenger volume for 2024 was around 9.5bn. That is expected to grow to 17.7bn by 2043 and 22.3bn by 2053.
Nothing we do now will significantly reduce the number of global air passengers. So our efforts need to be in (1) reducing the carbon cost of travel (eg by harnessing greener Sustainable Aviation Fuels; (2) by ensuring all flight-associated travel (eg getting to and from the airport) are, at worst, carbon zero; (3) by offsetting more greenhouse gas emissions than every flight causes; and (4) by serving the demand for the increased passenger volumes by larger-capacity aircraft (therefore more efficient on a per-passenger basis) first, rather than increasing the numbers of flights.
I think by 2053 (the end-date of that projection) global air travel will be less harmful than it is today, despite a huge growth in numbers of passengers.
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I'm assuming it could be something like 10 years?
Gatwick second runway backed by government
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqjdz9q170yoWe have 14 panels and the relevant electrical stuff that goes alongside it. We are in a townhouse so the scaffold cost was a little higher than on standard size houses, we also have panels on both sides of the roof so needed more scaffolding as well.
Had some organisation in at work the other day offering help. I think linked to this scheme https://www.gov.uk/green-deal-energy-saving-measures . Covers insulation , glazing as well as solar etc.
Seem similar saying the oceans are absorbing less too as they are reaching capacity. These are the sort of thing that are meaning we are 10-20 years ahead of what was predicted even a few years ago.
Nothing we do now will significantly reduce the number of global air passengers. So our efforts need to be in (1) reducing the carbon cost of travel (eg by harnessing greener Sustainable Aviation Fuels; (2) by ensuring all flight-associated travel (eg getting to and from the airport) are, at worst, carbon zero; (3) by offsetting more greenhouse gas emissions than every flight causes; and (4) by serving the demand for the increased passenger volumes by larger-capacity aircraft (therefore more efficient on a per-passenger basis) first, rather than increasing the numbers of flights.
I think by 2053 (the end-date of that projection) global air travel will be less harmful than it is today, despite a huge growth in numbers of passengers.
https://stopoffshoredrilling.org.uk/map/?twclid=27b8czp51c5mfzy9qxlzzuylt9
The world's largest iceberg has run aground in shallow waters off the remote British island of South Georgia, home to millions of penguins and seals.
The iceberg, which is about twice the size of Greater London, appears to be stuck and should start breaking up on the island's south-west shores.
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