Off Topic The Environmental & Pollution Thread

Anybody that's thinking about solar panels, I've just been watching my meter run backwards because we're producing 50% more than we're using. Average over the last month is >30%.
This is a standard 12 panel, 4kWh system with no battery storage so pretty pleased.

Only issue is that our final meter reading we've given in order to change suppliers is much lower than the estimated reading our current suppliers gave to the new supplier, and is actually lower than the meter reading we gave to the new supplier when we started the switch over

We've never had a physical meter reading done in the 18 years we've lived here, always just filled in the readings from the meter ourselves. I wonder if our meter is broken, and has been for years...they're not getting any money out of me though

 

Yes .

We are seriously considering it , but don’t have the first clue where to even start looking . I think ages ago I posted and Chilco recommended getting a battery ?

 

Definitely get a battery if you're in a sunny spot and you can afford it. You'll be virtually off grid during the summer months when the days are long. I didn't get one at the time, but I'll add some kind of storage in the future.
There is a technology that turns excess produced electricity into stored heat during the day by melting salt in a thing called a heat battery. This can be connected to the central heating and hot water system so would massively reduce my use of oil through the year which seems like a good goal.
The alternative would be battery storage and switch to modern electric heaters - a company in Devizes make flat glass panel radiators that can be clear, coloured or even have designs printed on them but they're a bit pricy for my wallet

 

After I got my panels, my meter was running backwards too. I had it replaced (well, Social Energy - the people I use - said it needed to be done, so they did it for free) and now I can see that I use about 50p a day on gas and electric, plus I'll get money back from the (on average) 200kwh I export to the grid from my panels, so I'm a very happy bunny ..................

 

I have a battery and am basically only using a tiny bit of electricity from the grid when charging on cloudy days or if I'm baking ............. Worthwhile definitely!
Go for Project Solar - they were the ones who did my panels and battery and I can't recommend them highly enough.

 

still torn Dave. The Heat Battery doesn't degrade over time, as it operates by phase change of salt so it would last the life of the solar panels at least. My only option for heating is currently oil, or electric. The heat battery will replace the oil boiler for large parts of the year and I don't have to modify the existing central system other than effectively plumb the Heat battery into the hotwater system.

 

Never been to Germany so don’t know if true ......but if it is , brilliant idea.

 

Hardly original though. When fizzy drinks like Tizer and Corona (the lemonade, not the Mexican beer) was sold in glass bottles there was a 3d (just over 1p) deposit on each bottle which kids like me would be happy to collect from the shop, having rounded up any empties we could find.

 

Did it myself with the corona bottles when I were little, such a shame a good idea isn’t used in the UK these days.

 

Makes perfect sense. So we don't do it!

 

This has been on the table for discussion For a long time now. Not sure what’s to discuss. Just did it. Lots of talk about who installs what, who charges what and how it’s gong to work.

I’ve been on my soap box for so many years about recycling. It needs the government to draw a line in the sand and set up the rules, invest and get it started.

 

My state charges $0.10 for beer and fizzy drinks at purchase. We still have litter but it isn’t those items. The bottled water industry has successfully fought off adding them to the list. Many more of those purchased now. I’d like to see it raised to at least $0.25. A lot of homeless pick them up from the litter bugs and that would help them out.

 

it should have been introduced yesterday, yet still here they talk about tomorrow.

 

Drinks cans too, the number that just get tossed out of car windows is criminal.

 

Some but not all here in the Netherlands have a deposit. should be much more widespread. I've seen in Germany at the Cologne carnival last year how the deposit on cans supplements income and makes a significant difference to littering.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Container-deposit_legislation

 

Bright sparks.
https://newatlas.com/energy/nano-di...kzdTVLDeWsU7pkvFJxaE4cB1DG3n_OIx6Kpd71ZzEdWvA

 

Funnily enough, the first thing I noticed when I went to Freiburg, is how clean the streets are.

 

Interesting.
https://pavegen.com/?fbclid=IwAR1SbEQqDFJpHm6g7ZU-mZcPvwLQ86D17Xj_oA7EiUhlvgQcnVXjT2JJyJE
Edit.
But https://forums.theregister.com/foru...ut_of_crowds_tries_to_make_money_out_of_them/

 

We used to nick empty soda siphon bottles from the back of a club near us, take them to the grocery shop and, if my memory serves me correctly, I think we got 5/= deposit back, as I write that I can't really believe it was that much but think it was. how the grocer could accept that some scruffy kids off the estate could legitimately be in possession of these items beats me, talking 50's here

 

Stolen from elsewhere .....

“If, simply by sitting 20mins longer on a train every day, I could magically create:
693 local wildlife sites
108 Ancient Woodlands
33 legally protected SSSIs
18 Wildlife Trust Nature Reserves
5 Internationally protected Wildlife sites
2 RAMSAR sites - wetlands of international importance
4 taxpayer-funded Nature improvement sites (THAT was money well spent! ???)
22 Living landscapes - (wildlife corridors essential to the survival of locally endangered species)
Restore about 50 SQUARE KILOMETERS of land to nature and save over £100 BILLION of tax payers' money....

I would be DELIGHTED to take a little longer for my journey!

Someone please remind me therefore..... why is HS2 still a good idea?”