power

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power

Postby Caliban » Mon Aug 15, 2011 9:51 pm

Today I have spent a hairs breadth over £14000 ($22800) on 8 PV solar roof panels to power my random wittering on this interweb and cook my cheese toasties.

Technical question : despite reducing my electric bill by about 40% and giving me a yearly cash tariff of about £1500 for the next twenty five years am I FUCKING MAD or what ? £14000 !? 0ne four zero zero zero. Fuck.


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Fourteen fucking thousand pounds, what was I thinking of?
"If you sit still the birds shit on you, even Buddha, life's short so get out there and do something"
"My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I’m happy. I can’t figure it out. What am I doing right?" Snoopy
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Re: power

Postby Woodsman » Tue Aug 16, 2011 2:16 pm

Good for you!

You didn't mention how many watts the PV panels were (each) or your total watt/hour system.

At any rate, I personally value that wise decision highly and major kudos to you, Caliban!

I have a PV system mounted on my RV. It's only one 50 watt panel, a charge controller, and one group 31 deep cycle battery. I think it cost me somewhere around $600 installed in 2002. I never have to worry about the battery wearing down due to the 2 amps worth of sensors continually running and it can easily keep up with water pump and heater fan needs so long as the panel has access to the sun during the days for as long (1 week+) as we can keep our water resources conserved.

We were thinking earlier this year of selling this place and building a new place that was 100% off the grid PV powered using passive solar and passive annual heat storage concepts for heating.

I think solar is the way to go - billions of years of proven reliability can't be wrong.
Life is short. Eat, Drink & Be Merry!
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Re: power

Postby coldharvest » Tue Aug 16, 2011 2:43 pm

nano-grass
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Re: power

Postby Sri Lanky » Tue Aug 16, 2011 3:53 pm

Is that the latest term for hash?
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Re: power

Postby coldharvest » Tue Aug 16, 2011 6:27 pm

I know the law. And I have spent my entire life in its flagrant disregard.
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Re: power

Postby Caliban » Wed Aug 17, 2011 1:24 pm

Woodsman wrote:Good for you!

You didn't mention how many watts the PV panels were (each) or your total watt/hour system.

At any rate, I personally value that wise decision highly and major kudos to you, Caliban!

I have a PV system mounted on my RV. It's only one 50 watt panel, a charge controller, and one group 31 deep cycle battery. I think it cost me somewhere around $600 installed in 2002. I never have to worry about the battery wearing down due to the 2 amps worth of sensors continually running and it can easily keep up with water pump and heater fan needs so long as the panel has access to the sun during the days for as long (1 week+) as we can keep our water resources conserved.

We were thinking earlier this year of selling this place and building a new place that was 100% off the grid PV powered using passive solar and passive annual heat storage concepts for heating.

I think solar is the way to go - billions of years of proven reliability can't be wrong.


about 2.1 kw, in total eight panels at a fraction over 250w each linked directly into the electrical system, so no battery storage required and excess sold back to the electricity provider. We have a southwest facing roof so sun direct from about ten in the morning until ten at night in the summer.
We already have a solar panel water heating system to cut down on the gas heating water system, and while that works very efficiently, from march to october meeting all our water heating needs, realising the limitations of it pursuaded me to put the PV cels up there now, in order to cut our electric bills too. We will probably convert our water heating and central heating to electric as the gas prices are the ones that are rocketing. If we can reduce gas usage to just cooking (I do not like electric cookers) then the savings are going to be even better- at good periods of the year the electric production will save by 50% but on average by about 40% throughout the year. With the governemnt tariff, which is set at the current rate when the panels are fitted and remains at that rate for 25 years(the govt intend oo reduce it in April from 43pence per unit to 37pence) we should at the start see £1500 return each year and as the %40-%50 saving each year will rise with electric price increases, that yearly cash back will only increase too. That pays all of our house taxes each year easily and means that the system has paid for itself in about 8 years, whilewe will still be getting the tariif for a further 17 years !

Its still 14 grand disappearing from the pension pot all at once though !!
"If you sit still the birds shit on you, even Buddha, life's short so get out there and do something"
"My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I’m happy. I can’t figure it out. What am I doing right?" Snoopy
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Re: power

Postby Caliban » Wed Aug 17, 2011 1:30 pm

Sri Lanky wrote:Is that the latest term for hash?



Its for those trying to cut down.
"If you sit still the birds shit on you, even Buddha, life's short so get out there and do something"
"My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I’m happy. I can’t figure it out. What am I doing right?" Snoopy
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Re: power

Postby rickshaw92 » Wed Aug 17, 2011 8:59 pm

Caliban wrote:Today I have spent a hairs breadth over £14000 ($22800) on 8 PV solar roof panels to power my random wittering on this interweb and cook my cheese toasties.

Technical question : despite reducing my electric bill by about 40% and giving me a yearly cash tariff of about £1500 for the next twenty five years am I FUCKING MAD or what ? £14000 !? 0ne four zero zero zero. Fuck.


Moderator, please feel free to move this to rants, gear or wrap it carefully in tin foil.


Fourteen fucking thousand pounds, what was I thinking of?


Yea but now you can turn your house into a grow op. Best of all, there is already a well stocked facility in the basement to accommodate any 'help' you might need.
Im reallly fuclimg pissed but fespite that I can still hit a tarfet at 1000m plus. mayVRVe bnot tonight but it qint beyond the wit if man. Nowhammy.
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Re: power

Postby Caliban » Wed Aug 17, 2011 9:12 pm

rickshaw92 wrote:
Caliban wrote:Today I have spent a hairs breadth over £14000 ($22800) on 8 PV solar roof panels to power my random wittering on this interweb and cook my cheese toasties.

Technical question : despite reducing my electric bill by about 40% and giving me a yearly cash tariff of about £1500 for the next twenty five years am I FUCKING MAD or what ? £14000 !? 0ne four zero zero zero. Fuck.


Moderator, please feel free to move this to rants, gear or wrap it carefully in tin foil.


Fourteen fucking thousand pounds, what was I thinking of?


Yea but now you can turn your house into a grow op. Best of all, there is already a well stocked facility in the basement to accommodate any 'help' you might need.

Do you know what, I had a very similar conversation with a mate of mine who retired a month or so after me . He has just bought an ultra large greenhouse and Merseyside Police as part of its cut backs has got rid of its helicopter so no heat camera flyovers any more. It was of course a purely hypothetical conversation.
"If you sit still the birds shit on you, even Buddha, life's short so get out there and do something"
"My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I’m happy. I can’t figure it out. What am I doing right?" Snoopy
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