Solar Panels, Photovelic? and a heat source pump.

Discussion on living for a better and more responsible future
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Cranford Steve
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Solar Panels, Photovelic? and a heat source pump.

Post by Cranford Steve »

Does anyone else have any of these as I would love to compare bills. Not being nosey just I don't know anyone else with them. My neighbour has solar panels but he has a bio-mass boiler so cant really compare. My bills are really low but would love to know if anyone else has these installed and if they are saving you money?

Also how much does everyone recycle there rubbish? I think I recycle about 80% of mine. Everything that can be composted is, ie cardboard, paper, veg peelings, old fruit etc. I save most of my plastic bottles to use in and around the garden and then put the rest in the council bins. Could we and will do more?

I think we could have some small home recycling centre, don't know how it would work but it would be cool! )t'
"thou shall not lay a hedge, when the birds are nesting"[center][/center]
Steve the Gas

Re: Solar Panels, Photovelic? and a heat source pump.

Post by Steve the Gas »

The photovolteic tubes/panels have just had a blow from the Govt. The payback in simple terms has been halved, when selling pwer back to the grid. Capital payback is said to be 10 years, praps 20 now. }hairout{
If you playback Mondays Jeremy Vine show - they debated at length.

Ground/air source heat pumps seem to work well, but I have yet to see a set up first hand.Cost is an issue though, these costs should start to come down, I think/hope.
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ChrisG
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Re: Solar Panels, Photovelic? and a heat source pump.

Post by ChrisG »

I have a small recycling cewntre at home - sort of (I dont dispose of the materials myself). I have five plastic boxes with lids and separate glass, tins, plastic, paper and cardboard. When the box is full, I stick it in the car and take it to the recycling centre.

Food waste goes into the composter - cooked into the Johanna and uncooked onto the compost heap.
Chris xx

34.If someone can’t accept you at your worst, they don’t deserve you at your best
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Stig
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Re: Solar Panels, Photovelic? and a heat source pump.

Post by Stig »

As Steve says, the solar PV boat has pretty much sailed, with the installation date needed to qualify for the old tariff has just passed this week.

Not only have the government reduced the tariff to the point where PV is no longer economic sense to individuals or businesses, they have also added criteria for the building that it is to be installed on. Unless your home is above a certain energy efficiency class already, it is not eligible for a feed-in tariff at all.

A great shame. Nobody denies the tariff was too high - the cost of PV has fallen dramatically in the last few years. It needed adjustment but instead has been decimated. A fledgling industry, in which the UK was a major player, employing 26,000 people, will struggle to survive next year. Rent-a-roof projects and installations on social housing could have lifted thousands of people out of fuel poverty. Just here in North Wales, in 2010 Sharp had plans to invest £30m and create hundreds of quality jobs in their PV factory at Wrexham. That's not happening now so hundreds of people stay unemployed.

When Cameron promised to be the "Greenest government ever" he was talking about the other kind of green, not the environmental meaning of the word!
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Cranford Steve
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Re: Solar Panels, Photovelic? and a heat source pump.

Post by Cranford Steve »

When Cameron promised to be the "Greenest government ever" he was talking about the other kind of green, not the environmental meaning of the word!
Too True
{mr.angry}
"thou shall not lay a hedge, when the birds are nesting"[center][/center]
Chris-W
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Re: Solar Panels, Photovelic? and a heat source pump.

Post by Chris-W »

HI
In terms of PV FEED IN PANEL TARIFFS(£0.43 Per KW) As was mentioned earlier, that has
gone!?
Although if you shop around: some pv install company's will give you the the 43p feed in rate for the next 2 years?
As we get so very little sunshine in this country! I have turned my attention to a warmer idea? In this 2012 the Homeowner will be entitled to a government grant? For switching to a
solid fuel carbon neutral Heating system: For more info visit here look at RHI (Renewable Heat Incentive) on free heating. If YOU ARE A GREEN WARRIOR Like me: look on you tube for plastic to diesel, Wood char rocket stoves & GASIFIERS.
Enjoy? envy}}
Pyrotech
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Re: Solar Panels, Photovelic? and a heat source pump.

Post by Pyrotech »

well, i used a fair portion of an insurance settlement for industrial injury to put 2.8kwp array on my roof, and a vertically mounted flat panel heater connected to a solar syphon.

Been running under the FIT scheme now for 21 months, the solar array produces just over 2.9 MW of energy and the heater means that our gas supply is off for most of 8 months of the year..

We are in the north part of bucks, almost south facing, because of local planning regs, the PV panels are not set to optimum inclination, but set at the same angle as roof.

down side, produces far too much in the summer and very little in the winter. some days out put hits 20kwh... So well over 1/2 is exported. Also if power goes down the inverter also goes off, so no power in a power cut. ( I do store a small amount in two leisure batteries , that i can then use with a small inverter)

In regards the feed in tariff, because my money is in a trust fund..my trustees made the investment purely on financial grounds... cost of PV just over £10,500 return tax free is actually 44.5p a unit ( as they pay 3p per unit exported and its assumed half is , which raises the sum by 1.5p per unit generated) This has worked out at having a bank interest rate of close on 14%. Those signing up now get 21p plus the 1.5p .

The real problem from a totally green perspective is storage ability, large battery banks cost a fortune.

I'd like to install a small 24 v turbine with it permanently connected to the hot water, using a 24 v immersion coil as a dump load, but local planning does not allow a turbine above roof height? so pointless until things change .
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