Doing my bit for the environment.

[Steve_M]

We’ve just coughed up more money for a set of solar panels and battery than I paid for my first house. ROI at pre-increase electricity prices was 12yrs, the recent increases have probably knocked three years off that. We have also reduced our carbon footprint by quite a bit - I’ll just go for a ride on the bike to celebrate.
 

The interesting part of today’s conversation is how much the recent increase in electricity prices has increased demand for solar panels (we got our quotes before demand went up, so we know it wasn’t a sales pitch). 

[S-Westerly]

We are looking at  building an extension roofed with solar panel tiles. As the aspect would be south west it could be worthwhile. 

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

If the solar panels are fitted to a roof make sure the roof structure has been reinforced to take the load. A lot of solar panel installers forget to tell homeowners the need to have structural reinforcement.

[Steve_M]

21 minutes ago, Mississippi Bullfrog said:

If the solar panels are fitted to a roof make sure the roof structure has been reinforced to take the load. A lot of solar panel installers forget to tell homeowners the need to have structural reinforcement.

A good point, though they’re being fitted on the barn which has a visibly quite substantial structure. 

[Steve_M]

57 minutes ago, S-Westerly said:

We are looking at  building an extension roofed with solar panel tiles. As the aspect would be south west it could be worthwhile. 

Ours are SE facing, though due to the topography of the land and nearby trees, won’t get the longest period of full light. We’ve taken this into account in our calculations. It still appears to be worthwhile. 

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

1 hour ago, Steve_M said:

A good point, though they’re being fitted on the barn which has a visibly quite substantial structure. 

No worries there then. Our daughter and her husband looked at a house with solar panels on the roof. My brother-in-law is a surveyor and he warned them off it as a potential disaster. The installers hadn't done anything to strengthen the roof supports. Apparently this is very common.

[Pie man]

Worse still is when they install them on poorly maintained roofs, you really must ensure your roof is of a sound condition and not ready for retiling/slating or whatever covering will be required in a few years to come. 

[Bender]

On 02/03/2022 at 11:41, Steve_M said:

We’ve just coughed up more money for a set of solar panels and battery than I paid for my first house. ROI at pre-increase electricity prices was 12yrs, the recent increases have probably knocked three years off that. We have also reduced our carbon footprint by quite a bit - I’ll just go for a ride on the bike to celebrate.
 

The interesting part of today’s conversation is how much the recent increase in electricity prices has increased demand for solar panels (we got our quotes before demand went up, so we know it wasn’t a sales pitch). 

Size battery store? 

[Steve_M]

37 minutes ago, Bender said:

Size battery store? 

7.8Kwh

 

Panels are 6Kwh total 

[Steve_M]

1 hour ago, Pie man said:

Worse still is when they install them on poorly maintained roofs, you really must ensure your roof is of a sound condition and not ready for retiling/slating or whatever covering will be required in a few years to come. 

Thanks for the thought. The tiles on our barn roof aren’t perfect but it’s a barn roof, so it’s not really a major issue. I have to go up and do some prep work so I’ll double check as a matter of course.

[Bender]

If electric keeps going the way it does its a no brainer, I would do it but we ain't staying where we are so no point. 

[S-Westerly]

If (when) we do the extension the plan is to roof it with solar "tiles" and combine it with a suitable battery storage system. As it will be designed from scratch I don't forsee any major issues. 

[Steve_M]

Day one of having panels on the roof. So far, so good.

 

They were fitted and operational by mid afternoon yesterday. It was cloudy and any sun was from the south west (the panels face south east). Even in that short space of available light they generated 5Kwh of electricity.

 

They’re currently generating over 3kwh and most is going into the battery.

 

Though the App seems to be poor at arithmetic and has rounding errors.

[Bender]

What rating are the panels and how many, a fair few for 5kw? 

[Steve_M]

5 hours ago, Bender said:

What rating are the panels and how many, a fair few for 5kw? 

15 panels @380w 

 

The battery is 8kwh 

 

We have yet to arrange a feed in contract but should be looking at around 6p /kWh for any juice after usage and the battery is full. 6p, in my mind, being a bit of a rip off considering they’ll resell it at 30p

[Steve_M]

3 minutes ago, Steve_M said:

15 panels @380w 

 

The battery is 8kwh 

 

We have yet to arrange a feed in contract but should be looking at around 6p /kWh for any juice after usage and the battery is full. 6p, in my mind, being a bit of a rip off considering they’ll resell it at 30p

 

[Bender]

1 hour ago, Steve_M said:

15 panels @380w 

 

The battery is 8kwh 

 

We have yet to arrange a feed in contract but should be looking at around 6p /kWh for any juice after usage and the battery is full. 6p, in my mind, being a bit of a rip off considering they’ll resell it at 30p

Agree the feed in is crap, you need an electric car now for when house battery is full  

[Steve_M]

27 minutes ago, Bender said:

Agree the feed in is crap, you need an electric car now for when house battery is full  

I’d like an EV but we’re pushing the available funds to their limit with the house renovation and making it more energy efficient (eg. we’re spending nigh on £9k to have the wooden sash windows double glazed and draught proofed. That was never in the budget).

[Trooper74]

We’ve looked at an EV for our primary vehicle but to be honest SWMBO is more concerned about the long term damage to the planet by the production and disposal of EV’S  ... She’s convinced me ....

[Steve_M]

22 minutes ago, Trooper74 said:

We’ve looked at an EV for our primary vehicle but to be honest SWMBO is more concerned about the long term damage to the planet by the production and disposal of EV’S  ... She’s convinced me ....

Is there any documentation covering this question?

 

The key contention seem to me to be the construction and disposal of batteries. The batteries, I understand, can be repurposed at end of EV life for solar panel energy storage (Tesla only?).
 

On the other side of the balance sheet is less energy used moulding, casting and forming great lumps of metal to create the engine, gearbox and drivetrain. 
 

The rest of the construction can’t be that different can it? 
 

I’d like to understand the balance sheet before committing. 
 

/Edit/. Not that it’s likely to be a question for some while… ££££’s

Edited April 8, 2022 by Steve_M

[Trooper74]

12 hours ago, Steve_M said:

Is there any documentation covering this question?

 

The key contention seem to me to be the construction and disposal of batteries. The batteries, I understand, can be repurposed at end of EV life for solar panel energy storage (Tesla only?).
 

On the other side of the balance sheet is less energy used moulding, casting and forming great lumps of metal to create the engine, gearbox and drivetrain. 
 

The rest of the construction can’t be that different can it? 
 

I’d like to understand the balance sheet before committing. 
 

/Edit/. Not that it’s likely to be a question for some while… ££££’s

According to the Friends of the Earth website the batteries are already turning up in land fill in Namibia ...  we’ve decided that our 116000 mile transit probably has another 200k + miles left on it so we’ll take that route. Already theres discourse around the rubber and brake particles EV’s produce in cities due to being at least twice as heavy as normal cars ... but that was an article in the Telegraph so don’t quote me on that one.

Edited April 9, 2022 by Trooper74

[Mr Fro]

59 minutes ago, Trooper74 said:

Already theres discourse around the rubber and brake particles EV’s produce in cities due to being at least twice as heavy as normal cars ... but that was an article in the Telegraph so don’t quote me on that one.

EV generally slow using regenerative braking, hence the tiny discs on most of them.

 

My run of the mill estate car is ~2000kg, Tesla Model 3 is ~1600kg so I'd call your statement bunkum.

[Bender]

All batteries can be recycled, it's not just tesla that can be re purposed, this will increase as do the cars. 

 

BMW are using motors with brushes due to the way they control the motor they have that section sealed to collect any carbon from the brushes so they are trying to reduce particulates, most ev have narrow tyres for efficency so have less rubber to start with and has been said brake pad use is way less than ice. 

 

Electric also won't be consuming engine oil or burning it. 

 

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

EV is going to be the way forward, there's no denying that. But we ought not to lose sight of the fact that a huge proportion of every vehicle's carbon footprint is tied up with manufacturer and disposal. So it makes sense for existing ICE vehicles that are well maintained to be kept in use as long as possible. If everyone currently driving ICE cars was given a free EV car that would be an environmental disaster.

 

I run a 12 year old Astra with 85k on it. It ought to last me a good few years more. When bits go wrong, which is very rare thankfully, I can get recycled bits from a scrappies dirt cheap. I have no intention of switching to an EV, nor could I afford to.

[Trooper74]

2 hours ago, Mr Fro said:

EV generally slow using regenerative braking, hence the tiny discs on most of them.

 

My run of the mill estate car is ~2000kg, Tesla Model 3 is ~1600kg so I'd call your statement bunkum.

I'm confused ..... so after reposting a section of my post you still haven’t read it ... you do know what a statement is i suppose.