To get some idea of the problems of using solar and wind energy read these.

Germany Rethinks Path to Green Future
and also read the other articles from the link - German Energy Revolution

Germany's wind power chaos should be a warning to the UK

Wow!

What a good example of media articles showing that wind and solar do work, and sometimes too well, and yet making rabid sensationalism out of known problems from suffering too rapid a change-over and too slow adaptation to new practices.

The example for Germany shows that when giving similar subsidies to 'green' sources as given to the fossils, they are getting a 'gold rush' too hasty change-over! That does give an unfortunate and expensive mess of not being coordinated well. The whole system has to work right through to the consumer.

So, the old fossils need kicking into touch and old ideas throwing out so that you move to the renewables generating baseload and the fossils demoted to balancing fluctuation. The way that is paid for must also change to give a value to availability. Unfortunately, old ideas, old business practice, old bureaucracy, and the old ways of costs/charges is incompatible with that...

All workable. The problem is the change-over.


As for the Telegraph article... WARNING! WARNING! A beautiful example of denialist kicking the boot into a propaganda piece!


Such is the case and such is the surrounding FUD.

All just a question of politics and lobbying and corruption?


The technology is certainly workable. The transition to going clean has to be steady and balanced.

All on our only planet,
Martin

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

I have said a lot of things here and I would like to clarify some of them here.

First I think big power while necessary is bad for a lot of things.

Second small power fixes a lot of the problems with big power.

Third thinking out of the box is now necessary.


Too the first, big power concentrates too much in 1 place physically and

politically forcing a 1 size fits all solution on everybody.

It is also to vulnerable to attack, or acts of nature.


As to the second small power enough for say 1 to 6 houses, if a lot

of people do this then not just the utility's will be setting the rules for

how the power grid is built. And when bad things happen at least some people

will have power to start rebuilding afterwards. Also small power provides

peak power capacity for big power at no cost to the utility's.


AS to 3 thinking out side the box thinking, my first thought is that wind mill's are

lousy at making electricity but grate at pumping water so if you put a catchment

under a hydro power electric plant and put wind mills there they could pump

a vary predictable amount of water back up behind the dam per year for a second run

though this form of power storage is possibly the cheapest possible.

The second out side the box idea is, if the battery's in electric cars were

treated as as power grid resource then the excess capacity could be used

for off peak storage at home and used for peak power return while plugged in at

work. This could be done under the complete control of the car owner, need the

extra charge on Friday to get to the lake for the weekend pay a little extra

to charge at work, going strait home on Friday get paid a little extra for

making that capacity available.

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Good ideas there, thanks.

There are many ways to do things. The problems appear to be very much more political and that of industrial monopoly rather than anything intractably practical...

Where there is the willingness, there is a way forward...

All on our only one planet,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

And the costs for others already are piling up:

Farmers urge minister to provide extreme weather insurance

National Farmers Union estimates rains in 2012 cost the industry £1.3bn from poor harvests and higher food bills for cattle...


And for quite a mixed bag of positivity and wow:

Gratitude for Environmental Wins in 2012

... Here are just a few examples of environmental triumphs that we can all celebrate from 2012:

[...]

This year Australia -- the largest coke coal producer in the world -- brought into effect a carbon tax. And if they can do it, so too can every other nation on the globe. ...


Indeed, if the fossils pushing Australia can turn the tide, then there may be a glimmer of hope for politics yet... Canada next?!


All on our only one planet,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Good ideas there, thanks.

There are many ways to do things. The problems appear to be very much more political and that of industrial monopoly rather than anything intractably practical...

Where there is the willingness, there is a way forward...

All on our only one planet,
Martin

willingness is just that willingness.

it takes action to move forward, and means to convert willingness.

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This year Australia -- the largest coke coal producer in the world -- brought into effect a carbon tax. And if they can do it, so too can every other nation on the globe. ...

The Australian Carbon Tax is nothing more than a political stunt to keep The Greens (who hold the balance of power in the Senate) pacified. As a matter of fact, the first time the legislation was put to the Senate, the Greens knocked it back because it was so toothless. Even the final version was only grudgingly supported by them.

Power generation companies get most of what they pay back as a rebate (to keep the politically sensitive price of electricity down) and there is no tax payable on our coal and gas exports.

T.A.

The price of energy has always been politically sensitive, particularly for pensioners on fixed incomes, and legislation has now been introduced by an Energy Bill, to make energy companies put people on the cheapest tariff automatically. Also collective switching is being introduced where for e.g. a whole town or neighbourhood will join together and all buy their power from a single source in bulk, thus driving the price lower than for individuals. The first such schemes are due this Spring.

But the whole shebang is a vicious circle like petrol prices. People can only afford to spend so much on energy after they have paid the rent and bought food. Therefore they turn the heat down or use less. The energy companies see their income drop for their shareholders, so they put up prices to compensate, so again people use less, up goes the price again.

It's the same for petrol. In the UK people by petrol (gas) in multiples of £10 that they can afford. This gives them so many miles per fill up. If the price goes up, they get less petrol for their money, so they drive less miles. Petrol companies income stays flat, so up goes the price again, and people drive even fewer miles. People cant spend what they don't have, governments might do, but the man in the street can't.

There is a case for Energy companies to be Nationalised, so that they don't make profits for shareholders, but the government couldn't afford to buy them out.

you have it backwards the pressure on the power company means that they use

all available power generating capacity even the expensive ones.

small power builds out peak power that the utility's do not have to pay for.

allowing expensive plants to be idled dropping the cost to generate.

the same goes for gas there is currently a world wide glut on unleaded gas

putting grate pressure on opec to drop the price, if enough people use less

or move to electric cars opec's price will collapse to the actual market

value. But bare in mind China and Africa are industrializing so more gas will

be used soon. Collective bargaining will only work if there is more than 1 pie.

And nationalization would be even worse what you want is to encourage new power

company's so that you have more choice and there is more competition.

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As to the folks on fixed incomes, there are company's in the US that will

lease solar panels to you for 20 years and guarantee a fixed rate for that

period. Something like this could be done for the needy for a 1 time cost

until the battery's need replacing.

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As to the folks on fixed incomes, there are company's in the US that will

lease solar panels to you for 20 years and guarantee a fixed rate for that

period. Something like this could be done for the needy for a 1 time cost

until the battery's need replacing.

Grid connected solar panels do not require batteries. Possible exception might be in the control unit, something along the lines of a motherboard battery.

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Janice

Solar power is the "in thing" at the moment, but the up front prices just don't cost in at present. The original UK subsidy to feed in tariffs, to encourage take up, have already markedly dropped because solar panels are becoming substantially cheaper to manufacture in the Far East. Nevertheless it costs at present £6000 for a 4KW system. ...

That begs the question of why so costly in the UK when solar panels are priced at 50p per Watt(peak) or less... That £6000 should be £2000 + grid inverter + labour. And grid inverters are not that expensive, and the wiring is trivial.

Green profiteering somewhere along the line...?


All on our only planet,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Looking at my old list of suppliers of electronic parts, the best UK wholesale price of a solar panel I could find was £450 for 180W panel un-mounted.

Of the list of 10 makes of panels only 3 makers have current listings.

For kits of mounted panels, incl the securing kit, cableing and inverter the price looks to be about £6/watt. One thing struck me was that the life expectancy of the inverters was about 5 years. No suprise there if you consider that the technology is not that much different to PC PSU's.

(my a/c number still works, even if not used for 3 years.)

Looking at my old list of suppliers of electronic parts, the best UK wholesale price of a solar panel I could find was £450 for 180W panel un-mounted.

Of the list of 10 makes of panels only 3 makers have current listings.

For kits of mounted panels, incl the securing kit, cableing and inverter the price looks to be about £6/watt. One thing struck me was that the life expectancy of the inverters was about 5 years. No suprise there if you consider that the technology is not that much different to PC PSU's.

(my a/c number still works, even if not used for 3 years.)

http://www.affordable-solar.com/store/solar-panels/CSI-CS6P-245P-245W-Solar-Panel-STD-Frame It must be significantly less in North America

USD 220.50 for 245Watt I do not keep up on exchange rates but.. I am going to guess about 100 UK?

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Janice

Going further afield to Europe (ND), I found a price of 320 euros for a 200W framed panel, but min order is 100 and excludes shipping etc.

Exchange rate is ~$1.60 = £1, and $1.30 = 1 euro

Edit] cannot link requires registration and an account.

Edit2] Just seen this, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/9777016/Warren-Buffett-to-build-worlds-largest-solar-energy-project.html

OK... So first few hits on ebay:

245W Polycrystalline Mono Solar PV Panel: £154.95

250w All Black Ulica Monocrystalline Solar PV Panel: £161.05

36x A grade 6x6 monocrystalline solar cells PV - 135 watts for DIY: £19.01


And a grid inverter:

Fronius IG 20 PV Solar Panel Grid Inverter 2kw: £174.99



The bare cells are a lot less than 50p per Watt!

So, deduct 25% costs or whatever for trade bulk purchase and... Phew!


All on our only one planet,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

As to the folks on fixed incomes, there are company's in the US that will

lease solar panels to you for 20 years and guarantee a fixed rate for that

period. Something like this could be done for the needy for a 1 time cost

until the battery's need replacing.

Grid connected solar panels do not require batteries. Possible exception might be in the control unit, something along the lines of a motherboard battery.

that is quiet true but then when the grid is down so may be your solar cells.

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If someone is trying to reduce expenses via solar the LAST thing they want to do is incure expenses of battery strings. They are not trying to install backup power, they are trying to lower their consumption from the grid. And giving back to the grid is a GREAT way to do that.

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Janice

also with mylar mirrors you can double or triple the solar panel output

at the cost of longevity as long as the panels have adequate cooled.

And all these prices are for finished panels.

With a soldering iron a some basic knowledge of electricity and carpentry

you can build your own panels at sustancial savings.

the big point is for every 1630 kwh generated by solar England imports

1 less barrel of foreign oil, so even small installations add up if there are

enough of them.

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If someone is trying to reduce expenses via solar the LAST thing they want to do is incure expenses of battery strings. They are not trying to install backup power, they are trying to lower their consumption from the grid. And giving back to the grid is a GREAT way to do that.

this is vary true point taken.

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If someone is trying to reduce expenses via solar the LAST thing they want to do is incure expenses of battery strings. They are not trying to install backup power, they are trying to lower their consumption from the grid. And giving back to the grid is a GREAT way to do that.

For the individual and only as long as a small percentage of people make that choice. If everyone went to solar then there would be no need of any power on the grid when the sun is shining. Of course at night we would need lots of dirty fossil fuel plants as they are able to ramp up and down output on a dime.

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And that would be cleaner than what is currently being done.

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