lisner Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 Solar power has had a nice bit of publicity on Manx Radio this week Solar Power News Item At very, very least, you would nevcer have cold water coming out of your taps. When I look at the huge power station and all those huge expensive glass panels and that massive expensive roof (sorry, did I use the adjective 'expensive' twice there?) I wonder if this could have been an opprtunity to install solar panels. If only to provide hot water for Pulrose and maybe the NSC swimming Pool. (If I am talk totalbollogs please let me know - otherwise I shall get a job as ideas man with that new alternative power company that has started up on the Island). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempus Fugit Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 I think the power station ges to great lengths to get rid of hot water without any more, they have cooling stacks across the road for that. I can see that solar (or or other alternatives) power would have a great effect on life, a lot of time you use water it's just for rinsing hands etc in short bursts which would not need the boiler to fire up, and with the ever increasing cost of fuel in whatever form that 'free' energy from the sun has to be worthwhile, and the expense of installation would soon reap benefits. I did hear, about 15 years or more ago, that Denmark needed to build another power station, but took an alternative route and gave away free energy saving light bulbs for everyone, and they didn't need to build another power station with the savings in demand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty Posted August 7, 2005 Share Posted August 7, 2005 We could easily save on our electricity bills using more efficient light bulbs/fridges washing machines etc, I think the problem we have here with the MEA is that for them to continue, they need to be selling as much electricity as possible. It would be quite easy for many homes here to be kitted out with a small wind generator and a few solar panels with a bank of batteries to be used for all home lighting, and a few solar panels to give hot water. Due to the power consumption of items like tumble driers, kettles and washing machines - I don't think it would be totally practical to use a "home-type" renewable energy set up for these, although I'm sure you could save a fortune if you used renewable sources even if it was just for lighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladys Posted August 7, 2005 Share Posted August 7, 2005 Totally agree with you Matty. The MEA needs to raise X per annum and will have to do so no matter what the consumption is! When we moved into the last house we had in the UK it had a solar panel. I really could not believe how much hot water it provided, until I found that the electrician we had in to do a few jobs had turned the immersion heater on! (And we paid the b****r's bill!) Perhaps the technology is alot better now, but I think the best you could expect is to have warm to hot water! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC-Drift.com Posted August 7, 2005 Share Posted August 7, 2005 But it takes a lot less energy to heat pre-warmed water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon Posted August 7, 2005 Share Posted August 7, 2005 It would be quite easy for many homes here to be kitted out with a small wind generator and a few solar panels with a bank of batteries to be used for all home lighting, and a few solar panels to give hot water. I'd like to see some figures. I've been considering solar panels. My understanding is that you're looking at say 30 years on the IOM before they pay for themselves. Though there is conflicting information. I'd be interested to see any good info re batteries. Storing the power generated is one of the issues. Decent batteries seem to be very expensive. Hot water and storage heaters seems to be the best solution. Hot water and heating. No? Is there a serious and conceivably affordable battery solution? I've seen talk of solutions based on rooms full of batteries cannibalised from office computer backup systems. But that hardly seems viable. I was thinking that the best solution would be for excess power (beyond hot water) to be put into the grid. They pay you. Then the network uses any excess capacity. Or stores it via (say) pumped power (hydroelectric). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loaf Posted August 7, 2005 Share Posted August 7, 2005 I was thinking that the best solution would be for excess power (beyond hot water) to be put into the grid. They pay you. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Apparently they have a sponsored scheme in the UK that will subsidise your purchase of solar panels and they approve of the idea of selling back 'spare' electricity to the grid in this fashion. They don't go for the batteries method, I'm guessing because it's fairly tricky maintaining large amounts of batteries, there's a potential explosion hazard and all that. I emailed the Isle of Man Government asking if they had an equivalent scheme over here. Surprise surprise, I did not get a reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladys Posted August 7, 2005 Share Posted August 7, 2005 But isn't the point that electricity costs here have nothing to do with how much it costs to produce, rather the cost of the borrowing? So if everyone uses some kind of alternative power source, all that will happen is the unit price will go up because the MEA, or whoever, has to service the loans? Even if you could run a normal household from alternative sources, don't you think there would then be a standing charge levied against each household in order to balance the books? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ade Posted August 7, 2005 Share Posted August 7, 2005 While in Madeira a few weeks ago, we noticed loads of houses there with solar panels on the roof connected to cylyndrical metal boilers, ( if you can imagine). They were advertised everywhere round the town and were on just as many lower priced houses as well as the more moderately priced. I take it there is a popular demand for FOC water heating. I know its a bit hotter there, but surely they would save some money, even over here? I will post a link if I find one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
=^..^= Posted August 7, 2005 Share Posted August 7, 2005 My folks got a solar panel fitted that heats the water in the house. You might not think that Onchan is that sunny a place but on even a dull day they get a free tank of hot water. They got it fitted in May this year and they are well happy with it. And it ain't going to bother the lekky board as they are on gas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ade Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 My folks got a solar panel fitted that heats the water in the house. You might not think that Onchan is that sunny a place but on even a dull day they get a free tank of hot water. They got it fitted in May this year and they are well happy with it. And it ain't going to bother the lekky board as they are on gas. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Great to know it can work over here. Found a pic of exactly what I was talking about in Madeira, can't find anything for UK though. Taken from www.solatube.com "The Enviromax Thermosiphon System is one of the most advanced roof-mounted hot water systems available. This is a complete roof-mounted hot water system with both the tank and the solar collector panels mounted as a single unit on the roof. The Enviromax Roof System sets new standards in environmentally friendly hot water systems as it uses natural convection to move water through the system in an extremely efficient and economical method of water heating. The tank size is a 300litre stainless steel configuration engineered to withstand the toughest operating conditions from below freezing to high temperatures. The Enviromax Thermosiphon is a system that out performs the opposition offering a new level of efficient, economical water heating." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempus Fugit Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 To put some figures on the available power download this calculator and have a play with the figures and scan the time to see the effect during the day Up to about 1.2kw for the IoM latitude http://www.anotherurl.com/therm/sol_calc.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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