Free solar panels & free electricty

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Permalink Reply by paddyk on June 7, 2011 at 10:54

I think this is where the scheme falls down. Very few domestic roofs in an urban enviroment will meet the strict but arbitrary criteria but would prove perfectly adequate for producing a high percentage of the needs of the household if not a small excess. And given the higher uptake among consumers, would have a much bigger impact on reducing greenhouse gases as well as reducing costs to the consumer. A better scheme needs to be introduced.

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Permalink Reply by Alison P on June 7, 2011 at 19:59

Totally agree Paddy. We're really interested in this but just can't put forward the sorts of upfront sums that I've seen mentioned elsewhere. That said, know very little about what is out there so should probably do a little more homework before giving up.

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Permalink Reply by alex on June 7, 2011 at 21:06

Anyone wanting to do a bit of homework could check out en10ergy based in Muswell Hill and maybe even set up a Harringay version!   You may also be able to find out more at these events listed on the Sustainable Haringey website as part of Haringey Sustainability Month though the first one is not free sadly.

Sat/Sun 11th/12th June: Eco-house weekend. An opportunity to see a range of existing homes which have been retrofitted with energy efficiency and microgeneration measures to cut their carbon footprint. 15 houses will open in Camden, Islington, Haringey and Hackney, offering a chance to talk to owners about their experience of installing energy efficiency measures. 4 houses in Haringey will be open (see the weblink). Passes for the weekend at 10 to individuals, 20 for professionals available from www.victeri.co.uk, with full details of the houses, how to reach them, cycle tour etc. www.victeri.co.uk/eco.html

Sat 25th June, 2-6pm: Solar power and home insulation - stand at the Methodist Church Garden Party The 39 solar panels which Muswell Hill Sustainability Group have installed will be on public display for the first time + information on solar energy and home insulation. On the lawns behind the building known as North Bank, 28 Pages Lane N10 1PP. Organised by Muswell Hill Sustainability Group http://mhsgroup.org/

 

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Permalink Reply by Hugh on June 10, 2011 at 9:45

Here's another way to go:

Community solar project to beat government cuts

The UK’s first community-owned “solar power station” has raised the money it needs from local shareholders to start generating energy, ahead of the government’s cuts to the feed-in tariff (FiT). After today’s confirmation that the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) will cut FiT payments to large-scale solar projects (above 50kW), it could be the first and last project of its kind.

When OVESCO, based in Lewes, near Brighton, launched its community share issue on 19 April, the seven directors – all local residents – had just six weeks to raise £307,000 from investors. Failure to meet this target would have made it impossible to install the solar panels ahead of the FiT reduction, which comes into force in August, and would have made the project financially unviable. Today, the share capital exceeds £350,000, of which 99 per cent has come from local investors.

The new power station will be housed on the roof of the local Harvey's brewery warehouse. According to the OVESCO website, the 544 photovoltaic (PV) panels will generate 92,000 kilowatt hours of green electricity each year – enough to save more than 40 tonnes of CO2 annually. The electricity generated will be used to cool the Harvey's beer, Sunshine Ale, with the remainder sold back into the National Grid.

More at socialenterpriselive.com

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Permalink Reply by paddyk on June 22, 2011 at 14:44

i like the idea of the community-owned system. perhaps that could be built on ally pally or some industrial wasteland? that way people can chip in smaller amounts yet still see some benefit.

 

couple that with smaller domestic systems and harringay becomes a net producer of energy.

 

heres an interesting site that allows you to pick your own roof online via google earth and specity the system you want. warning - the costs are not reasonable !

 

http://www.comparemysolar.co.uk/home/

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Permalink Reply by paddyk on June 25, 2011 at 17:51

i see the feed in tariffs areto be scrapped - not good news.

 

that means effectively that excess electricity is given to the big utilities for free.

 

surely would be fairer to provide some sort of feed in tariff.

 

i'd rather give my excess to my neighbours than the big utilities.

 

another  idea - would be to reduce the cost of the electricity by the amount of free electricity provided +an extra incentive - perhaps 3 or 4 times the reduction.

 

because although it makes a lot of sense for consumers, lets face it the main reason for the scheme has less to do with helping the consumer than meeting the national legal target for co2 emissions.

 

a couple ofsimple  technical points - the ideal angle is 30 degrees, ie less than atypical sloping roof. surely it not rocket science to build struts or a frame to achieve closer to optimum. also why not a motorised control system to adjust the angle - inexpensive - could build one for a few quid from bits from maplin .

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