tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35582827720072944492024-03-14T09:24:33.827-07:00Rushcliffe SolarDavid Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.comBlogger172125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-55857186338179287532017-05-23T04:13:00.003-07:002017-05-23T04:13:38.352-07:00Expertsure Solar Calculator<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>22.5.2017: Expertsure Solar Calculator :</b> I was recently alerted by Ollie Smith to this useful website, <a href="https://www.expertsure.com/uk/home/tools/solar-panel-calculator/" target="_blank">Expertsure</a>. It includes a solar calculator, which calculates your likely return on investment for a Photovoltaic installation.<br />
<a href="https://www.expertsure.com/uk/home/tools/solar-panel-calculator/" target="_blank">https://www.expertsure.com/uk/home/tools/solar-panel-calculator/</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFlaXN1ZpHVUKrFBbm8F4jG49PbnAxmpY5KDgh-PLPyYBX1bjZ4ieBFrjSADdsXvpwplzleBC18RoMXC5BagAdGVRD4B0LZ2AvzPKxhmpqcfN4OoieK1VAYCG5f-oXaEvAvMm11w54NkO/s1600/Expertsure+Solar+Calculator+image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFlaXN1ZpHVUKrFBbm8F4jG49PbnAxmpY5KDgh-PLPyYBX1bjZ4ieBFrjSADdsXvpwplzleBC18RoMXC5BagAdGVRD4B0LZ2AvzPKxhmpqcfN4OoieK1VAYCG5f-oXaEvAvMm11w54NkO/s400/Expertsure+Solar+Calculator+image.png" width="400" /></a></div>
It harnesses the imagery of Googlemaps to show you a realistic satellite view of your house. You adjust easy sliders or turnwheel to give orientation, shading risk, installation capacity. It works with current average installation pricing and feed in tariff and electricity rates to calculate the solar capture and to give you a summary of power, cost and earnings. <br />
It starts off by asking your postal code. You can adjust the turnwheel over your house for a complete picture.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aNBnth1dZiQbZrrYn2OnOj9WZsr3WVSo1vM37rU_92WhutvMnUJ1QRaPBUo7S9i7Iz6b4K8WBWt8MbvAgubXnsuJojpbM2e7s_OinJE-d8O_pTsL2Hy6xMGw8hoI5ZMNOtfApZeC65zN/s1600/Expertsure+Solar+Calculator+image2.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aNBnth1dZiQbZrrYn2OnOj9WZsr3WVSo1vM37rU_92WhutvMnUJ1QRaPBUo7S9i7Iz6b4K8WBWt8MbvAgubXnsuJojpbM2e7s_OinJE-d8O_pTsL2Hy6xMGw8hoI5ZMNOtfApZeC65zN/s320/Expertsure+Solar+Calculator+image2.png" width="316" /></a></div>
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Although the current Feed in Tariff is not the strong incentive that it was in 2010, the calculator includes predicted savings on electricity use (provided you use it smartly, like running the ironing and washing machine during peak solar), and this makes the investment look more worthwhile.</div>
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Caveat: You need to consider how shading risk will change over the years, a small tree now could be large in 20 years time. Also, panels do decline slightly, and there are occasionally the need to replace the only 'moving part', the inverter (we hope not). Do not select an installation larger than 4kW for a domestic house. Anything larger needs enlarged meters and cabling. </div>
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<a href="https://www.expertsure.com/uk/home/tools/solar-panel-calculator/" target="_blank">https://www.expertsure.com/uk/home/tools/solar-panel-calculator/</a> </div>
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David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-11755606355937632382015-04-14T05:33:00.003-07:002015-04-14T05:34:10.697-07:00Open Homes weekend 25-26th April, 3rd May)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Open Homes weekend</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">25th - 26th April (and 3rd May)</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Eleven low energy homes open their doors to visitors this spring. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Some are cutting edge refurbishments with ultra-low bills, other homes have undergone more modest changes to make them more comfortable and cheaper to run.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Details of each home are now up on the websites:</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">- <a href="http://www.nottingham.greenopenhomes.net/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.nottingham.<wbr></wbr>greenopenhomes. net</a></span><span style="color: #0433ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0433ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">- <a href="http://www.wbecohouses.co.uk/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.wbecohouses.co.uk</a></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> (<wbr></wbr>including a timetable of all the opening times)</span><span style="color: #0433ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Every home description includes a link to Eventbrite, to book your free visit(s). Once you have made a booking, further details such as the exact address, bus routes and parking options will be sent to you by email nearer the time.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For further information, contact Tina on <a href="mailto:wbecohouses@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">wbecohouses@gmail.com</a> or </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">07<wbr></wbr>962 453037</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The date for the Peveril Solar House is May 3rd 2015</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=60bda241c4&view=att&th=14cb7ae640e8159b&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&zw" target="_blank">Open Day Ecohouses</a></span></div>
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David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-6242699235748282772014-07-01T01:02:00.000-07:002014-07-03T01:02:56.865-07:00Facebook site is more active, please 'Like'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOqJoKeayzGwxIx-Ux4N3oen8ZYxXmXR7B9JQvPvLBYDrYoc55Tp0fShCiXbFy7PlCsKGpMZs7NXnDPsf_apzI5bxFXSezGE3bLMnxIZzMr9mFDMij5nyYh8YfBhozGKW787ek-f2xXQN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-03+at+09.01.27.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOqJoKeayzGwxIx-Ux4N3oen8ZYxXmXR7B9JQvPvLBYDrYoc55Tp0fShCiXbFy7PlCsKGpMZs7NXnDPsf_apzI5bxFXSezGE3bLMnxIZzMr9mFDMij5nyYh8YfBhozGKW787ek-f2xXQN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-03+at+09.01.27.png" height="400" width="186" /></a><b>1 July 2014: </b>Not as much is posted here as used to be, but perhaps that is because the Facebook site is more active.<br />
Check out: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rushcliffe-Solar/114568761926017" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rushcliffe-Solar/114568761926017</a><br />
Items get posted almost every day on this page, usually stories about the use of PV on buildings or houses.<br />
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David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-13759157673530557362014-05-13T03:44:00.004-07:002014-05-13T03:44:47.705-07:00World's largest solar farm in Arizona!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>13 May 2014: </b>World's largest solar farm in <b>Arizona</b>!<br />
<a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/world-s-largest-solar-array-set-to-crank-out-290-megawatts-of-sunshine-power/" target="_blank">http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/world-s-largest-solar-array-set-to-crank-out-290-megawatts-of-sunshine-power/</a><br />
<br />290 Megawatts capacity, twice the size of Central Park, NYC.<br />To quote the article:<br />"Global climate change is here, and it’s only going to get worse, according to a White House report released on Tuesday. To combat rising sea levels and blistering summers, the Obama administration has been pushing for clean, renewable energy sources that cut down on carbon emissions. Now one of its projects is poised to pan out: Agua Caliente, the largest photovoltaic solar power facility in the world, was completed last week in Arizona. <br />The plant comprises more than five million solar panels that span the equivalent of two Central Parks in the desert between Yuma and Phoenix. It generates 290 megawatts of power—enough electricity to fuel 230,000 homes in neighboring California at peak capacity."<br /><div>
See the link to find out more. </div>
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David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-52738200668141826352014-01-28T16:48:00.001-08:002014-01-28T16:48:07.501-08:00Storing electrical energy: GE blog posting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>28 Jan 2014:</b> There's an interesting posting about electrical storage on the <b>Good Energy</b> blog. It's going to be one of the next big things because the primary criticisms of renewable energy is intermittency. There are methods which require large civil engineering works (such as pumping to mountain lakes), but how does the domestic householder do this?<br />
Juliet Davenport's article discusses this and mentions research at Harvard that points a way to the future. Read more at: <a href="http://www.goodenergy.co.uk/blog/articles/2014/01/28/the-truth-about-renewable-energy-storage" target="_blank">http://www.goodenergy.co.uk/blog/articles/2014/01/28/the-truth-about-renewable-energy-storage</a><br />
GE have partnered with a British firm Moixa, using funding from the Dept of Energy and Climate Change, to develop better storage solutions for domestic users. The ideal is to charge up the storage during the peak generating hours of your PV roof, and then have backup power for lightly powered night use, e.g. lighting - works best if it is 12v.</div>
David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-2909721024310903432014-01-27T05:00:00.001-08:002014-01-28T16:48:30.318-08:00Geekbeat guide to PV installation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVoWlHJZJJdN4a8ACTFN_QO4D7C7wPI8fdIzexoDBdvKwXkYfDg2qkWk9Sk-ef9PXj4IoZnJXYs5vdlFl6il78XnBPqLr79-mUZXarRdaOdp5KTEXqcC-WgLbbGNTigjIuTnJ0sH_DtLp/s1600/Geekbeat+guide+to+PV+installation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8N5iN_aRXs" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVoWlHJZJJdN4a8ACTFN_QO4D7C7wPI8fdIzexoDBdvKwXkYfDg2qkWk9Sk-ef9PXj4IoZnJXYs5vdlFl6il78XnBPqLr79-mUZXarRdaOdp5KTEXqcC-WgLbbGNTigjIuTnJ0sH_DtLp/s1600/Geekbeat+guide+to+PV+installation.jpg" height="242" title="" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>27 Jan 2014: </b>Here is a good geekbeat.tv guide to installing Photovoltaic PV panels - many good discussion points covered in just 20 minutes of lecture!<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8N5iN_aRXs" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8N5iN_aRXs</a><br />
See John's accompanying blog post at <a class="yt-uix-redirect-link" dir="ltr" href="http://geekbeat.tv/solarpanels" rel="" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #2793e6; cursor: pointer; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="http://geekbeat.tv/solarpanels">http://geekbeat.tv/solarpanels</a><br />
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David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-90835493596230610382014-01-27T04:46:00.000-08:002014-01-27T04:46:14.082-08:00Bosch video on how Photovoltaic panels are manufactured<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-EKBJtqy7qj7k9c8o6-T7S-4BQyBLcfwLaPgKjTZJ6I9l0K3NNR6t05MtUpa4PLBNC6bEpdNdo5TCZfeMhscHsberWQR04BkYd1L3oNIPST9C17zqxEhtvabWxFs6TCByIdp7B_L7OfD/s1600/Bosch+PV+panels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-EKBJtqy7qj7k9c8o6-T7S-4BQyBLcfwLaPgKjTZJ6I9l0K3NNR6t05MtUpa4PLBNC6bEpdNdo5TCZfeMhscHsberWQR04BkYd1L3oNIPST9C17zqxEhtvabWxFs6TCByIdp7B_L7OfD/s1600/Bosch+PV+panels.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a>Bosch video on how Photovoltaic panels are manufactured:<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihEIaYsB4yg">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihEIaYsB4yg</a><br />
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David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-59554202534551416952014-01-27T04:38:00.002-08:002014-01-27T04:41:43.695-08:00Large solar farms in Japan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2013/11/after-two-years-of-nuclear-crises-japan-opens-its-biggest-solar-park/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHrPOtcbSEFOfWTNqGiGbn9I7Xv10ATzMB4FfG4NuHarIjuZzlLWVTHjHKdUKUhGB7KcmsWqJ7mFgIoWfye5DKq8Z3IbrK2yeFPIXfXMZadf7yYUHzgyOpTHr0k1fGqDFucfAcYmj7LG-0/s1600/Japan+solar+farm+west+coast.jpg" height="207" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture from Gizmodo website</td></tr>
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<b>27 Jan 2014: </b>After the terrible experience of the Japanese Tsunami a couple of years ago, and the consequent damage to the nuclear reactor at Fukushima, Japan is finding a new way forward. They are applying their ability to think Big by applying it to solar farms. The amount of flat land in Japan is limited, so this Kyocera sea based one, facing in a westerly direction is saving land, generating energy and is safe against Tsunami (which comes from the east).<br />
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<span style="color: #0000ee;"><u>http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2013/11/after-two-years-of-nuclear-crises-japan-opens-its-biggest-solar-park/</u></span><br />
This one is the "Mega Solar Power Plant Kagoshima Nanatsujima". Whatever the transient cost modelling between nuclear and solar, the one largest factor which is beyond costings is long life safety - this farm can be renewed panel by panel if parts go wrong, workers will not suffer radiation, nothing will melt or blow up, and nearby communities will be safe to live in.<br />
More from Kyocera: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uTdsNsJ_D0">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uTdsNsJ_D0</a><br />
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David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-13229281802624026222014-01-14T16:37:00.001-08:002014-01-14T16:37:53.175-08:00Half a million installations!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>14 Jan 2014: </b>The Guardian reports: "The solar power industry appears to have installed its 500,000th set of panels in the UK in recent days, in a move that marks a major milestone for the burgeoning sector.<br /> According to figures by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, 499,687 solar schemes had been installed by 5 January under the feed-in tariff scheme that supports solar arrays with a capacity smaller than 50kW."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/14/solar-panels-on-half-a-million-uk-buildings-figures-suggest" target="_blank">http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/14/solar-panels-on-half-a-million-uk-buildings-figures-suggest</a></div>
David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-13992483879357336712013-10-10T10:06:00.003-07:002013-10-10T10:06:34.020-07:00Second PV array to feed electric car<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>11 Oct 2013:</b> Somebody called Trevor wrote a comment on an earlier posting of mine on my ChargingtheEarth blog and he has directed me to an interesting blog about his electric <b>Renault Zoe</b> car. (I don't care if he works for Renault, the posting is about installing PV).<br />
<a href="http://myrenaultzoe.com/index.php/category/climate-change/solar/">http://myrenaultzoe.com/index.php/category/climate-change/solar/</a><br />
He has PV fitted in 2010, and that is the usual grid connected system with the Feed in Tariff. He has recently added extra panels on the north roof, because the 2010 system took up his entire south roof. He has kept solar generating metering records since the start, and house electricity records since 2008. It isn't clear if the second PV panel array is added to the original 3.7kW system as a grid connected system, because as far as I know, this would alter the terms of his original F.I.T agreement. As the blog is mostly about the electric car, I guess that this is to reduce his small running cost of the car.</div>
David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-39603380108999526732013-10-09T08:46:00.002-07:002013-10-09T08:49:42.203-07:00Eco-Kinetics putting PV on a rail station<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.eco-kinetics.co.uk/commercial-solar-panels/network-rail-1/">http://www.eco-kinetics.co.uk/commercial-solar-panels/network-rail-1/</a><br />
I heard about this project frmoAlex Mungo of Eco Kinetics, St Albans.<br />
<b>Eco-Kinetics</b> specialize in installing Solar PV Systems, Solar Energy, Solar Panels and Solar Power systems for residential and commercial entities. They were recently successful in winning a tender for the installation of a trial system at one of Network Rail’s maintenance depots, which along with other energy reduction measures will help to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions at the site.<br />
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With a tilt frame mounting, and some active decisions to modify the angles every couple of months, this should be an efficient system. </div>
<div>
See: <a href="http://www.eco-kinetics.co.uk/commercial-solar-panels/network-rail-1/">http://www.eco-kinetics.co.uk/commercial-solar-panels/network-rail-1/</a></div>
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David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-24030502448476474212013-04-09T01:44:00.002-07:002013-04-09T01:44:37.477-07:00Electrical generation in Broxtowe, Nottingham<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>April 2013:</b> It is good to see <b>St Anns</b>, a district of Nottingham making a news item on a website covering sustainable topics world wide. One small problem - it is not <b>St Anns</b>, it is Fenwick Rd in <b>Broxtowe</b>.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/global-site-plans-grid/136526/power-empowering-impoverished" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMcYwGeXkK-I34nkOO24GCys50wJGc4-enXE4aHlFaLaPhzPNmONaU_thHv_0BasSzwmwLeuh8ylDXYR4yNeyWalL1u1mhRMQCYJ8MHBbJ3SvtdSY-IpsmnZ-Fv9QRdJ5Ayt59jvL5fS_/s400/St-Anns-MICHAEL_JENKINS_19_04_2013.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from Sustainable Cities Collective website by photographer Michael Jenkins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
"When you think of tough neighbourhoods and burroughs like the Bronx in New York, or St Ann’s in Nottingham, you don’t necessarily equate them with energy efficient living. If you consider it living at all, it is most certainly not energy efficient living. However, it is in Nottingham, England that the city council has made an innovative move in making homes in this, once slum but heavily low socioeconomic, area highly sustainable and energy efficient."<br />
Actually, the photograph and the installation is in <b>Broxtowe</b>, in Fenwick Road and Close.<br />
See the full story:<br />
<a href="http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/global-site-plans-grid/136526/power-empowering-impoverished" target="_blank">http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/global-site-plans-grid/136526/power-empowering-impoverished</a><br />
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David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-12731733065323902172013-02-03T10:47:00.001-08:002013-02-03T10:47:32.903-08:00PV roof over supermarket<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Feb 2013: </b>This seems like a good idea! Large supermarkets have high electrical costs with all their chillers, hot deli counters, lighting, check-out equipment etc. If they can generate enough to counterbalance this, and provide a bit more on the side, then it's good for profits and it's good PR for the company - and significantly reduces the load on the nearby power station.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglG6vRYCL4CqQdWKN4rTUuAZBBTkfbRwdxeYn3_IW0k0ateq4avPoCHQQpbXc00Lge4Q6G3b6LyaoPUm43nNTN_o3jtRkCiTAZmGspqzyPKXpw9mt-XnmEZZtkFNfx_9ekEIsjDgDPxeUX/s1600/germany_solar_parking_lot-1353687080.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglG6vRYCL4CqQdWKN4rTUuAZBBTkfbRwdxeYn3_IW0k0ateq4avPoCHQQpbXc00Lge4Q6G3b6LyaoPUm43nNTN_o3jtRkCiTAZmGspqzyPKXpw9mt-XnmEZZtkFNfx_9ekEIsjDgDPxeUX/s400/germany_solar_parking_lot-1353687080.02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
What better idea than to make the vast acres of roof into a PV generating roof. And if you're thinking of taking it further, the car parking can double up as a power generating surface while allowing shoppers to get from their cars in shelter from summer sun and winter rains.<br />
This is the 340kW installation at the Edeka Krawczyk supermarket rooftop in Schwabach, Germany. The installation used 2,500 thin-film CIS modules and was connected to the grid in July 2012. The city of Schwabach has nominated the solar project for its biennial environment award.</div>
David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-63302448326297266262013-01-23T05:23:00.001-08:002013-01-23T05:23:32.572-08:00Solar companies to sue government<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>23 Jan 2013: Guardian article</b><br />
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jan/23/solar-companies-feed-in-tariff-cuts" target="_blank">http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jan/23/solar-companies-feed-in-tariff-cuts</a><br />
17 companies suing the British government for £140million. 2012 has been a bad year for the solar industry, not just because of the endless rainfall, but because Osborne cut away most of the incentive provided by the Feed in Tariff - causing immense problems for the Renewables industry which had geared up to meet the demand.<br />
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David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-56625248466393263542012-10-22T04:24:00.001-07:002013-01-23T05:23:48.246-08:00Solar Mapping now a reality<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span id="goog_545789534"></span><span id="goog_545789537"></span><span id="goog_545789540"></span><img src="http://cdn.theatlanticcities.com/img/upload/2012/10/16/Screen%20Shot%202012-10-16%20at%202.31.01%20PM__.png" /><span id="goog_545789541"></span><span id="goog_545789538"></span><span id="goog_545789535"></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.theatlanticcities.com/technology/2012/10/mapping-potential-solar-power-every-roof-city/3605/">http://www.theatlanticcities.com/technology/2012/10/mapping-potential-solar-power-every-roof-city/3605/</a><br />
<br />
<b>21 Oct 2012:</b> A few years ago, this Rushcliffe solar project started with the idea of solar mapping West Bridgford, and this was done, albeit, it is a large spreadsheet rather than a large photomap. But technology moves on, and it is possible to use laser survey methods combined with aerial photography to map the potential for solar power generation. This article using a site in Cambridge Massachusetts points to ways that we will use in future when fossil fuel becomes even more rare. </div>
David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-68552757104983547452012-09-06T16:22:00.003-07:002013-01-23T05:24:02.269-08:00Animated map of USA PV installations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://openpv.nrel.gov/time-mapper" target="_blank">https://openpv.nrel.gov/time-mapper</a><br />
Fascinating, this map over 12 years, showing the rates of installation of PV in the USA - starting with California. </div>
David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-31985402385479713222012-08-20T07:38:00.002-07:002012-08-20T07:38:43.334-07:00Brighton energy cooperative<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Late july 2012: </b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.brightonenergy.org.uk/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="66" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp4uJgAufIS31xNmq_n9bMQBQDKyVwWnuRi7EYBSJXEow0Gq8r_uKAgTi6FTgbd0q0vghy2mmN4bxpoj01gmeEXeuEL-WzarHEMkoqNOogjupXsB64LUd1mSb5MeUPCoj9MvtWvMWiMKoU/s400/12.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b><a href="http://www.brightonenergy.org.uk/" target="_blank">Brighton Energy Cooperative</a></b> has shown confidence in solar power, even in this time of reduced tariff.<br />
<a href="http://www.renewableenergyinstaller.co.uk/2012/07/brighton-energy-coop-commissions-first-major-project/" target="_blank">http://www.renewableenergyinstaller.co.uk/2012/07/brighton-energy-coop-commissions-first-major-project/</a><br />
They have proceeded with a proposal to roof five warehouses in Shoreham Port near Brighton. It's an 87 kW installation, equivalent to 25 houses with maximum PV installations. theyve raised 200,000 and have plans for investing in another 40 kW worth of installation. Way to go!<br />
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David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-44053860835536600692012-07-15T13:00:00.001-07:002012-07-15T13:00:22.212-07:00Act urgently if you want the PV tariff<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>15 July 2012:</b> With two weeks to go before the end of the month, you would be very lucky to get one quoted, ordered, installed and registered. It is still possible, some installers can move very quickly, although they are likely to have full order books during July (and what after that?). The government really have brought great instability to the industry with Stop-Go policies.<br />
Once you are on the bandwagon, you have years of the good tariff payments, so if you have the right sort of roof, hesitate no longer!<br />
Some reading below:<br />
<a href="http://howwindturbineswork.com/is-solar-energy-something-you-should-consider/" target="_blank">http://howwindturbineswork.com/is-solar-energy-something-you-should-consider/</a></div>David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-49695101861061013052012-06-06T16:50:00.000-07:002012-06-06T16:50:13.128-07:00Take action before 1st August!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Early June 2012:</b> The public seem to believe that the government have ceased the Feed in Tariff - but this is very wrong! If you still have enough roof, it is worth doing, and the tariff continues. If you were smart enough to get your PV erected before December 2011, you are still on the high rate.<br />
The present day reduced rate of 21p is such that it is still worth doing if you can get near to 4 kW worth erected. Don't delay!<br />
After August 1st of this year, the FIT will reduce further to 16p, but you will then need to make sure your house is insulated to level D on the 'Energy Performance Certificate' scheme. This is worth doing, even though it seems illogical to use this condition as a brake on the installation of PV. It's about as sensible as requiring you to own a dog, or could be as expensive as requiring you to change your car to a more efficient new one.<br />
If you have cavity fill and some double glazing you should be able to reach an EPC of level D. There are so many parameters, such as the size and age of the building, the location in a conservation area, the complexity of the roof shape. If you cannot reach level D of the EPC, then you will only get 7.1 p, plus a small amount for sale, and the saving from using your own power.<br />
One information page that is worth keeping an eye on is the one that <a href="http://www.goodenergy.co.uk/feedintariff/fit-payments/new-rates" target="_blank">Good Energy</a> publish.<br />
This is <a href="http://www.goodenergy.co.uk/feedintariff/fit-payments/new-rates" target="_blank">http://www.goodenergy.co.uk/feedintariff/fit-payments/new-rates</a><br />
I hope they will keep this same link page for a good long time, and update the information on it.<br />
As there is a lead time for ordering, scaffolding, organising the crew, do act quickly if you are eligible, as the installation has to be completely in and registered for the tariff before 1st August.<br />
<br /></div>David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-81563822405657644522012-05-30T15:54:00.000-07:002012-06-07T15:55:24.107-07:00Rent-a-roof is still possible<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>29 May 2012:</b> There's been adverse publicity on the BBC about the rent-a-roof idea, whereby you get your PV panels for free, and the company installing them share with you part of the income, or at least, you get big reduction in your bills while they get the feed in tariff. Not for me, but for some with an excellent roof but no savings, this could be an answer. The problem seemed to be with conveyancing at the time of selling the house, and either solicitors or mortgage companies wanting to break the agreement or have them taken off.<br />
<div>
This publicity was about an exceptional case, and I don't know how it ended - was there a compromise, or did the vendor take them off? I don't know. The mortgage companies are now more aware of this issue and for the desirability to both buyer and seller of leaving the panels in place. </div>
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<b><a href="http://ashadegreener.co.uk/" target="_blank">A Shade Greener</a></b>, the company who started this idea, are still in business and have a warranty scheme, by which they will protect you from this risk. They have done 9,500 free installations of which 1,000 have later been sold, and are not the company who were the subject of this publicity. They can provide you a list of mortgage companies who are completely au fait with the benefits of the idea and who will not cause trouble during a transaction. In the extreme case, they offer to buy the house off the seller if the seller has an urgent need to move or sell and is obstructed in any way. </div>
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<b>Rushcliffe Solar </b>is not usually the one to promote this particular method of installing panels, as it is a good principle to own everything that is in or on your house when it comes to selling. Negotiate curtains and carpets if you will, but beware of negotiating things which require scaffolding and breach of contract. But in this case, in the cause of Fairness, it is good to let you know that the free installation is still possible if you have a very very good and clear roof. </div>
</div>David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-19803509144906650112012-03-16T11:58:00.003-07:002012-03-16T11:59:24.638-07:00Gedling press ahead with Solar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>15 March 2012:</b> It is very gladdening to see that <b>Gedling Borough Council</b> had the courage to press on with their plan for <b>solar PV installations</b>. <b>Rushcliffe Solar</b> did a report for <b>Gedling BC</b> last summer (2011), and the council agreed to go ahead with a £430,000 investment.<br />
As we all know, and regret, the Coalition government changed the tariff in November, and had two cut-off dates in December 2011 and March 2012, both of which have passed.<br />
<b>Gedling BC</b> have managed to get £90,000 of their proposed investment installed in time for the March 2012 deadline. <a href="http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/pound-90k-spent-solar-panels-generate-cash/story-15506213-detail/story.html" target="_blank">See the report in the Nottingham Post</a>. </div>David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-67257135994314749242012-03-13T09:54:00.000-07:002012-03-16T11:59:44.670-07:00Wadebridge Solar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.wren.uk.com/wren-films.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0oDZCMWGUrH8NezlHvxuD2BOlf62aFBn6yKJRYlBjtN8oOKvybwM5wmSLrm2m5EHEWAKDsgNsOogyCRocOHaTo0baeo5tRPoIfuHJRbxLW1AIRBvUD7CscD5B_3Me_przIFvc4f5nc_yX/s400/Wadebridge.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>13 Mar 2012: </b>I recently discovered the inspiring example of <a href="http://www.wren.uk.com/wren-films.html" target="_blank"><b>WADEBRIDGE</b>, a town in Cornwall</a> that is making a big effort to provide enough power from <b>Renewables </b>to meet its requirements, through their WREN project. There is more sun down there (2 or 3 degrees more south), admittedly, but the real task is the human one, that of persuading people to take part - and countering the downbeat message from the current government that seems to be going against renewables. The town uses a combination of PV solar and wind, but the striking thing about this experiment (and the other movies they have made) is the cultural and social advancement that they have all enjoyed - it's brought people together in a common endeavour. They also look to other solutions like better insulation, electric vehicles etc.<br />
I look forward to the next edition of Googlemaps, so I can see how dense the roofscape is with PV panels!<br />
You can follow @WrenUK on Twitter.</div>David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-27566537564865615182012-02-28T02:47:00.000-08:002012-02-28T02:48:03.083-08:001000 megawatt milestone achieved<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>26 Feb 2012:</b> Here's a link to a <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/23/feed-in-tariff-solar-breakthrough?intcmp=122" target="_blank">Guardian report</a> that the growth of solar panel installations in the UK has pass the 1000MW mark last week. This has been due to the 'explosive' growth of the rate of installation since the Feed in Tariff was announced in 2009. This is 41 times the amount of PV panels previously installed. I call that a success.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0U7RlqyC0XfcixRJA5i2Ebl_H-ZVQnlFbzZegblzpA2ev5O2TzIRWrT5gT19-ktHUBLayjT2AndedJKC66jqTPGosMRu50FSpL-13K-3EJ9jXosUJzPKG-zu_csPg8Sw8-rTBNJ2leBde/s1600/Flinn+Davies+Rd.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0U7RlqyC0XfcixRJA5i2Ebl_H-ZVQnlFbzZegblzpA2ev5O2TzIRWrT5gT19-ktHUBLayjT2AndedJKC66jqTPGosMRu50FSpL-13K-3EJ9jXosUJzPKG-zu_csPg8Sw8-rTBNJ2leBde/s320/Flinn+Davies+Rd.JPG" width="320" /></a> Looking at it from the higher plane, it should not be about Tariff, which is a short term incentive - but the tariff has been miraculously successful. As a species we are motivated by economic forces.<br />
It should be about widespread generation of totally <b>Clean Energy</b> with <b>zero</b> infrastructure cost (we provide the roof and pay for the installation), and <b>zero</b> wholesale fuel purchase cost (the Sun), and <b>zero</b> running cost (apart from the FIT which is cheaper than the costs of salaries and maintenance of a power station).<br />
A good economic justification for the tariff is that energy delivered to houses from distant power stations is only about 1/3 of that generated at source, whereas the energy we supply to our neighbours is 1/1 - 3 times as efficient!<br />
<br />
There is still uncertainty in the industry about the status of the FiT, although there is no worry about the 21p tariff - the confusion is about the 43p one. If you have a decent size of roof with good orientation, it is still an excellent investment at the 21p rate.<br />
It is most unfortunate that at the same time as this confusion is occurring, there is also much discontent in the Wind industry. Although the government is nominally backing it, the confusion in the PV industry and the damage caused by the 100 tory MPs letter has caused the big players in the Wind industry to freeze some projects which would have created thousands of jobs. Whatever you think of wind towers in the landscape, there is still an overwhelming need for electricity in our modern life. The MPs think that electricity flows from a socket, not being aware that it has to be generated somewhere. They would be woken up to reality if there were more brown-outs. In the high winds of last autumn, a nuclear power station in Scotland was out of action for more than 2 days, so it isn't just windmills that have problems sometime.<br />
The government has a target of 22mW installation by the end of the decade, but their tampering with the FiT and their linking with EPCs has made this target near impossible unless a future government support the FiT more earnestly. Germany has 25MW already.<br />
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/23/feed-in-tariff-solar-breakthrough?intcmp=122" target="_blank">http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/23/feed-in-tariff-solar-breakthrough?intcmp=122</a><br />
<br /></div>David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-9319289929817463602012-02-27T04:32:00.000-08:002012-02-27T04:32:06.405-08:00Beyond the 4kW limit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>27 Feb 2012: DNC writes: "</b>It seems such a pity we are limited to 4kW on houses in the UK. This is partially to do with having too much delivery to the Grid on a domestic installation from a single house, something that doesn't seem to be a problem in Germany where its common to see entire roofs covered in PV. The feed in tariff strongly discourages people having larger than 4kW in a single house installation. I would gladly have 6kW if I had enough roof. Although we could not be 'off-grid' I would like my house to generate more, so that it could meet the entire annual demand, including lighting and cooking.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilNGSIufg51mBP06SJZM1vu4BmJG2MHwr3B3y0gu9ghvD6lcMaG14OQGoidSHIn0C10Fh6Jz3n2JiVdVhH_FiTOGbZLC773IY0SqD7a3_eH2w91RJFAoEfQ3MEG1TxAI83dt4xUGtzQZr/s1600/PV+on+house+germany.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilNGSIufg51mBP06SJZM1vu4BmJG2MHwr3B3y0gu9ghvD6lcMaG14OQGoidSHIn0C10Fh6Jz3n2JiVdVhH_FiTOGbZLC773IY0SqD7a3_eH2w91RJFAoEfQ3MEG1TxAI83dt4xUGtzQZr/s320/PV+on+house+germany.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I don't think this is a house, it seems to be a small office. But, this one seems to be taking it a bit too seriously!! It is also valuable to make the PV work most efficiently, and vertical panels are not ideal."</div>David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558282772007294449.post-20245130384509451462012-02-19T02:43:00.000-08:002012-02-19T02:43:35.742-08:00Concentrated PV efficiency<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.ecogeek.org/solar-power/3702" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnWsqR7rbboEYGhmGG18rLhyphenhyphenOiHiyF337YlZ-4eQBFJoxxtS-1ng30fGFVS4D28E9pl5tpYgvA_kqLkQiuSkn6FoLBPGShJyaygGdYIMMA4JobUpEwSSmgYO4zmve0AHTtfHLcb-RSikp/s400/semprius-panels.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>19 Feb 2012: </b>Hope for those with small roofs is on the way - Concentrated PV (CPV). These <a href="http://www.ecogeek.org/solar-power/3702" target="_blank">Semprius panels</a> are based on Gallium arsenide not Silicon, and each cell is a tiny unit that has a lens in front of it to concentrate solar rays. The tiny units are only 0.1% of the surface area, the lenses bring the light down to them. They are claimed to achieve 30.9% efficiency compared with the 8-15% that we are used to from the current generation of panels. See also the <a href="http://www.semprius.com/index.htm" target="_blank">Semprius website</a>. This isn't a far off technology in a lab, these will be coming onto the market, and the commercial production starts in late 2012.<br />
<a href="http://www.semprius.com/pdf/press_releases/press_release_19.pdf">http://www.semprius.com/pdf/press_releases/press_release_19.pdf</a></div>David Nicholson-Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01631439607557079305noreply@blogger.com0