FORUMula1.com

[What's Burning?]

Sails aren't good enough for you as a use of renewable energy resource?

So, when there's no wind, you do great blow job on your sail?

You do the same thing as when there's no sunlight.

I'd store the solar energy and keep on going when there's no sunlight, at least for a while

They would have cut three weeks off of the trip had they put a damned sail on that thing. Just sayin'.

[darwin dali]

Sails aren't good enough for you as a use of renewable energy resource?

So, when there's no wind, you do great blow job on your sail?

You do the same thing as when there's no sunlight.

I'd store the solar energy and keep on going when there's no sunlight, at least for a while

They would have cut three weeks off of the trip had they put a damned sail on that thing. Just sayin'.

Yup, combined with solar, a sail would be cool

[racechick]

I think wave power and solar power are the two renewable energy sources that we havent properly tapped into yet. Just look at the power of the sun and waves.

I live in the midlands-often grey and not that hot. But in the summer the gas boiler that heats the hot water is turnrd off from May to end of October. All hot water for that peroid comes from solar(wet solar not electric). One small step

Our government offered quite good grants to fit electric solar and to sell back excess to the grid, and a lot of people took them up on it. So what do they do...they pull the plug. There reason..We didnt think so many people would do it . Isnt this what they wanted?? Stupid shortsighted governments!!

[stonemonkey]

.......

Our government offered quite good grants to fit electric solar and to sell back excess to the grid, and a lot of people took them up on it. So what do they do...they pull the plug. There reason..We didnt think so many people would do it . Isnt this what they wanted?? Stupid shortsighted governments!!

To add to that reason is the cost of installation, particularly for the electricity generating systems. To pay for that yourself it would take years (think I read about 15 somewhere) for you to get that initial cost back and that that's more than half the lifespan of the system.
The government put a fixed amout of money available for grants and IMO quite rightly didn't increase that with demand.
The systems will become cheaper and more efficient and fuel prices will rise so there will be a time when it becomes more economic but that's still a long way off.
I think that's also the case with the solar farms as well as the problem of storing energy.

[andrew]

Stupid shortsighted governments!!

The last lot were definately stupid and shortsighted but to be fair the current bunch they inherited a total and utter mess. There is no money to pay out grants so it's perfectly reasonable that schemes like this are put on hold until such time that the country is better placed financially. Funding hospitals and schools is far more important that encouraging people to waste their time installing solar panels. Reinsulating your loft, better use of heating systems (if you cold, don't turn up the radiators, put more clothes on) and even upgrading to a more efficienct boiler if far better than putting up solar panels.

Wave and wind power has potential but solar to me is largely pointless in the UK. This'll give you a chuckle though. Donald Trump has somehow bought a bit of land which was a designated SSSI just north of Balmedie (about 8 miles up the road from me) so he can turn it into an exclusive golf club with a few plush houses for rich Texans to stay in for 2 weeks a year and leave empty for the other 50. Him and his little lap dog have spent ages telling everyone that there will be no negative environmental impact, which is total and utter crap - of course there will be an environmental impact if you dump a golf course and a heap of houses on an SSSI! There are now plans to build an offshore wind farm off the stretch of beach between Aberdeen and Balmedie which is an excellent idea. The local authorities (shire and city) are for it, the Aberdeen Harbour Board are for it despite the wind farm being situated in an area which is used for anchorage at the moment, environmental groups are for it but Trump isn't. His reason other than the visual side is the environmental impact! Oh the irony! What would he rather his rich American golf tourists see - a few wind turbines and a heap of empty sea or (some days) nearly 30 ships in various conditions ruining the view. Pathetic ain't it(?!)

[What's Burning?]

Sails aren't good enough for you as a use of renewable energy resource?

So, when there's no wind, you do great blow job on your sail?

You do the same thing as when there's no sunlight.

I'd store the solar energy and keep on going when there's no sunlight, at least for a while

They would have cut three weeks off of the trip had they put a damned sail on that thing. Just sayin'.

Yup, combined with solar, a sail would be cool

See what I mean?

I might add that shipping is the most efficient way to move large amounts of cargo from point A to point A. I know the OP here is simply trying to prove a point that solar can function in a standalone environment, but for the sake of efficiency, it can stand a little help. When I finally get to write the next chapter in my life and build a home from the ground up, It will be fully self enclosed, solar, wind and any other alternative energy source available to be tapped.

What we really need to do as a collective isin the short term, have all new cars sold get a higher MPG standard, and longer term move feverishly towards hydrogen or full EV as a primary mode of transportation for all.

[madbrad]

I'm not knocking it, I was just saying, is all.

[racechick]

Stupid shortsighted governments!!

The last lot were definately stupid and shortsighted but to be fair the current bunch they inherited a total and utter mess. There is no money to pay out grants so it's perfectly reasonable that schemes like this are put on hold until such time that the country is better placed financially. Funding hospitals and schools is far more important that encouraging people to waste their time installing solar panels. Reinsulating your loft, better use of heating systems (if you cold, don't turn up the radiators, put more clothes on) and even upgrading to a more efficienct boiler if far better than putting up solar panels.

Wave and wind power has potential but solar to me is largely pointless in the UK. This'll give you a chuckle though. Donald Trump has somehow bought a bit of land which was a designated SSSI just north of Balmedie (about 8 miles up the road from me) so he can turn it into an exclusive golf club with a few plush houses for rich Texans to stay in for 2 weeks a year and leave empty for the other 50. Him and his little lap dog have spent ages telling everyone that there will be no negative environmental impact, which is total and utter crap - of course there will be an environmental impact if you dump a golf course and a heap of houses on an SSSI! There are now plans to build an offshore wind farm off the stretch of beach between Aberdeen and Balmedie which is an excellent idea. The local authorities (shire and city) are for it, the Aberdeen Harbour Board are for it despite the wind farm being situated in an area which is used for anchorage at the moment, environmental groups are for it but Trump isn't. His reason other than the visual side is the environmental impact! Oh the irony! What would he rather his rich American golf tourists see - a few wind turbines and a heap of empty sea or (some days) nearly 30 ships in various conditions ruining the view. Pathetic ain't it(?!)

My loft is insulated, so are my walls, higher than the normal spec. Solar certainly isnt a waste of time because as i said I can turn of the gas for the whole of the summer(except cooking). All hot water comes from solar.(I was replying to the first part of your post but left it all in so as not to upset you)

[andrew]

I thought you were on about solar panels not solar gains.

[racechick]

I thought you were on about solar panels not solar gains.

Wet solar. But still solar panels on the roof providing hot water.

[What's Burning?]

So has this been boarded by pirates yet? That would certainly spark up global interest and bring more focus on solar energy.