Join for free
Page 3 of 4 < 1 2 3 4 >
OldGreyFox's Avatar
OldGreyFox
Chatterbox
OldGreyFox is offline
South Yorkshire
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 21,202
OldGreyFox is male  OldGreyFox has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
25-07-2017, 10:38 AM
21

Re: Generate Your Own Power...

Originally Posted by Realist ->
Now OGF, I know you're not this naïve !

The powers that be will never allow the populous to go "off grid" en-masse and provide their own energy. Not in a thousand years will they do that. Their profits come before all else so they will continue to foist expensive fossil fuels on us for a long time to come.

Just look at solar panels and how stupidly expensive they are.

You can build your own solar panel really quite easily by buying cheap individual solar cells that didn't quite come up to quality standards during manufacturing but which are nevertheless quite effective enough.

There are YouTube clips a-plenty showing how to build a panel from them, just a bit of soldering really.

But can you do it?

Nope because those same powers that be have invented all manner of laws and regulations to prevent you from doing this. Regs around having to have any such panel professionally checked and certified before you can hook it up to your house system and so on. Anything really to make it not cost effective for the average Joe Bloggs.

Meanwhile I note that farmers fields all over the country are springing up with masses of solar panels. Almost as if they are anticipating some national energy disaster and need solar as a backup.
I might be a little bit naive Realist, because as we progress through time the old ideas no longer are the saviour they once were; Ideas like the national grid and the NHS. Neither bargained for the population explosion that seems to have overtaken us (especially here in the UK)and consequently large public companies are under pressure to supply the extra demand. The worlds resources will not last forever so it is imperative that we find other ways to produce energy.

Solar Panels and Wind Turbines are not perfect, but seem to take the pressure off conventional methods of producing electricity to some degree, and whereas nobody would consider having a giant Coal or Gas driven Steam turbine, or a small nuclear reactor in their garden, they certainly would, and do, install Solar Panels and Wind Turbines. So for the first time since the use of electricity it has become possible to be self sufficient. There is still a lot of work to do, but generating your own electricity just thirty years ago would have been out of the question.....

You are always telling us to be prepared for the day when water, electricity and other services cease so I would have thought you would be the first to proclaim the virtues of producing your own power....

PS:- I don't think farmers are preparing for the big switch off by installing fields full of solar panels, I suspect that, like wind turbines and mobile phone masts, they have found a good way to turn a profit while sat at home watching re runs of 'Game of Thrones' instead of grafting on the land...
Realist
Chatterbox
Realist is offline
UK
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 9,184
Realist is male  Realist has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
25-07-2017, 05:38 PM
22

Re: Generate Your Own Power...

Originally Posted by OldGreyFox ->
You are always telling us to be prepared for the day when water, electricity and other services cease so I would have thought you would be the first to proclaim the virtues of producing your own power
Yes well I did indeed look into solar panels because my house has a perfect sun facing aspect.

I got no end of "rent-a-roof" companies knocking on my door and ringing me to try and get me to let them put free panels on my roof. Companies like "A Shade Greener" and so on.

I said to each one, yep I'd be more than willing to have your free panels on the proviso that you install gel batteries in my garage which would be charged up by the panels so that at night, when there is no sun, I'd be able to still have free electricity. I mean that would seem the most obviously sensible application of any wind or solar panel would it not? To store the power in batteries for when the sun/wind isn't available.

Guess how many companies were willing to install batteries . . .

None, zip, nada

All they are interested in is using YOUR roof as a platform to make lots of money for themselves and all they give you is a bit of free electricity during the time of the day when you least need/use it, i.e. when people are at work.

Take a look around the various solar panel companies and try and find one that offers a complete solution with battery storage. Not many to be found unless YOU are prepared to pay for ALL the kit which runs into £000s.
Bruce's Avatar
Bruce
Chatterbox
Bruce is offline
Wollongong, Australia
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 15,218
Bruce is male  Bruce has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
26-07-2017, 12:02 AM
23

Re: Generate Your Own Power...

Originally Posted by Realist ->
Guess how many companies were willing to install batteries . . .

None, zip, nada
Come on, get real.

As mentioned before batteries for power storage are not yet economic at all (unless you are the SA Government) The only economic way to subsidise your usage during the night is to sell solar to the grid during the day to offset the need to import power at night.

Having said that there are a lot of people installing Tesla batteries in their home, a 14kwh battery system costs about $9000 less the government subsidy.

Personally I would be tempted to charge it during the night using off peak electricity (6c/kwh) then using it during the day (23c/kwh) and bugger installing the solar.
Bruce's Avatar
Bruce
Chatterbox
Bruce is offline
Wollongong, Australia
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 15,218
Bruce is male  Bruce has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
26-07-2017, 03:27 AM
24

Re: Generate Your Own Power...

I suppose I should say that I do generate my own power. I used to get power cuts a few times a year so I bought a 2.7kW petrol generator - 2.5kW continuous 50hz invertor. It has proved very useful in the past.

I have a UPS which supports my fibre connection, modem, Router, WiFi and VOIP phone system. I am not fussed about my desktop computer so that is not in the circuit. The UPS lasts about 2 to 3 hours (if you can put up with it's beeping) driving the pieces of equipment mentioned above. For very short outages I can use my laptop which has a battery life about the same as the UPS.

For longer outages I fire up my generator which I use to run my freezer, fridge, microwave oven, some lighting and the UPS. With judicious use it can also power a TV. It has a 5 litre fuel tank which is supposed to run it for about 5hrs (a limit untested by me - The most I have run it is about 3.5hours). It cost about $450 so was well worth the outlay.

Notice not a solar panel in sight




Attached Thumbnails (Click to enlarge)
Click image for larger version

Name:	170726 001 Fuji 2.7 kW Generator.jpg
Views:	99
Size:	43.0 KB
ID:	3468  
Realist
Chatterbox
Realist is offline
UK
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 9,184
Realist is male  Realist has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
26-07-2017, 12:56 PM
25

Re: Generate Your Own Power...

Originally Posted by Bruce ->
a 14kwh battery system costs about $9000 less the government subsidy.
Yep and add on the price of the solar panels and all the other bits required for a dull solution and we are still talking many £000s. All of which serves to underpin my assertion that a proper solar panel solution is being deliberately kept stupidly high in order to prevent the masses from getting off-grid.

We should all be able to get off-grid given the technologies available but the powers that be just are not going to let us unless we are prepared to spend £000s. They will continue to foist dirty and expensive fossil fuels on us for years to come.
OldGreyFox's Avatar
OldGreyFox
Chatterbox
OldGreyFox is offline
South Yorkshire
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 21,202
OldGreyFox is male  OldGreyFox has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
26-07-2017, 03:16 PM
26

Re: Generate Your Own Power...

Originally Posted by Realist ->
Yep and add on the price of the solar panels and all the other bits required for a dull solution and we are still talking many £000s. All of which serves to underpin my assertion that a proper solar panel solution is being deliberately kept stupidly high in order to prevent the masses from getting off-grid.

We should all be able to get off-grid given the technologies available but the powers that be just are not going to let us unless we are prepared to spend £000s. They will continue to foist dirty and expensive fossil fuels on us for years to come.
Problem is Realist, we may not have fossil fuels for many years to come....
Realist
Chatterbox
Realist is offline
UK
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 9,184
Realist is male  Realist has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
26-07-2017, 04:35 PM
27

Re: Generate Your Own Power...

Originally Posted by OldGreyFox ->
Problem is Realist, we may not have fossil fuels for many years to come....
Nah there's tons of oil under the ground in the Middle East and elsewhere. Lots of gas too.

The whole climate change scam is really there so that the powers that be can eventually charge a tariff for anyone who still wants to bring fossil fuels out of the ground. In other words, a way to stop the rich oil arabs from exploiting the world. That's why the Middle East is trying to get as much out of the ground as quickly as possible before that time arrives.
OldGreyFox's Avatar
OldGreyFox
Chatterbox
OldGreyFox is offline
South Yorkshire
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 21,202
OldGreyFox is male  OldGreyFox has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
26-07-2017, 09:05 PM
28

Re: Generate Your Own Power...

Originally Posted by Realist ->
Nah there's tons of oil under the ground in the Middle East and elsewhere. Lots of gas too.

The whole climate change scam is really there so that the powers that be can eventually charge a tariff for anyone who still wants to bring fossil fuels out of the ground. In other words, a way to stop the rich oil arabs from exploiting the world. That's why the Middle East is trying to get as much out of the ground as quickly as possible before that time arrives.
I sometimes think that this whole green scam thing is because, we are in fact, running out of resources. What panic would it cause if it became known that petrol and oil were in short supply? Interruptions in supply previously has resulted in people hoarding petrol and diesel, and even dangerously storing it at home in garages in large amounts.

So how would you stop people wasting dwindling stocks without causing panic? Tell them to find other means of power because by burning fossil fuels you are damaging the environment. And who would not want to prevent suffering to our children and grandchildren in the future. In other words, make you feel guilty about burning fossil fuels. People would police it themselves (just like they did with smokers) and even assemble political parties to put pressure on the government.....
Dobra's Avatar
Dobra
Senior Member
Dobra is offline
Isle of Wight GB
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,301
Dobra is male  Dobra has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
26-07-2017, 09:24 PM
29

Re: Generate Your Own Power...

Source of supply?

May be prudent to look at building a kit of parts from companies in Germany or Denmark - cheapness and choice of technologies. Once you have all the necessary components stacked in your garage, employ a qualified solar heating engineer and his mated to install and test. And electricity is yours to keep?
Bruce's Avatar
Bruce
Chatterbox
Bruce is offline
Wollongong, Australia
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 15,218
Bruce is male  Bruce has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
29-07-2017, 05:06 AM
30

Re: Generate Your Own Power...

Originally Posted by Realist ->
Yep and add on the price of the solar panels and all the other bits required for a dull solution and we are still talking many £000s. All of which serves to underpin my assertion that a proper solar panel solution is being deliberately kept stupidly high in order to prevent the masses from getting off-grid.

We should all be able to get off-grid given the technologies available but the powers that be just are not going to let us unless we are prepared to spend £000s. They will continue to foist dirty and expensive fossil fuels on us for years to come.
Did you actually read what I wrote other than the snippet you quoted?

It is nothing to do with "the powers that be" or "them" it is purely to do with economics at the moment. Solar panels are now economic to fit and will pay for themselves within their lifetime, batteries do not as yet but their price is coming down.

Yes, it costs $thousands to install solar but so does buying a new car, however if you invest in solar, over the long term, unlike your car, it will save you money and give you a return on your investment. If you build a new house and don't include solar then you need your bumps felt - retro fitting always costs more

Anyway about 20% of UK power is produced by nuclear fuel which is not fossil fuel and we have plenty of uranium if you want to buy more, failing that we have steaming coal and gas in plentiful supply too if you prefer.
 
Page 3 of 4 < 1 2 3 4 >

Thread Tools


© Copyright 2009, Over50sForum   Contact Us | Over 50s Forum! | Archive | Privacy Statement | Terms of Use | Top

Powered by vBulletin Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.