Seit wir unsere PV-Anlage in Betrieb haben, beobachte ich unseren Stromverbrauch und da fallen einem Dinge auf, die, nun ja, eigentlich offensichtlich sind. Man weiß sie schon, aber es hat mir nochmal die Größenordnungen von Leistung vor Augen geführt.
Less than a year ago, in August 2023, we installed a 4.8kWh Solar Battery at a cost of £2,900. Whenever I talk about the upfront capital costs of solar power, people rightly want to know what the payback period is. Well, after less than 10 months, the battery has given us 1MWh. To put that […]
I decided to roll the dice, that my CV joint on my car wouldn't blowup, for a run up north out of city lights to see the aurora--& I'm so glad I did! Two shots from northern California: First is from Doyle & the second is from Frenchman Lake. What an amazing display! For a time the aurora covered a 180 degrees from east to west & was overhead & could be seen in the south! I shot these photos with a 15mm f/2.0 30sec ISO400.
Smelting #Steel Without Fossil Fuels: #Solar Power Shatters the 1,000°C Barrier for Industrial Heating
"Swiss researchers have developed a solar energy method using synthetic quartz to achieve temperatures above 1,000°C for industrial processes, potentially replacing fossil fuels in the production of materials like steel and cement."
"#RenewableEnergy accounted for more than 30% of the world’s electricity for the first time last year following a rapid rise in wind and solar power, according to new figures.
The surge in clean electricity is expected to power a 2% decrease in global fossil fuel generation in the year ahead, according to Ember."
"Wind and #solar power generation in the #EuropeanUnion increased by 46% from 2019, when the current European Commission took office, to 2023, displacing a fifth of the bloc's #FossilFuel generation, a report by think tank Ember showed.
Without this expansion, fossil generation would have fallen just 1.9% (21 TWh) instead of 22%."
#Solar panel with USB A connector is plugged into the #lilygo#tbeam USB micro power in port. The tbeam has a 16850 3400 mAh Li-Ion 3.7 V battery. The panel & tbeam are behind a velux roof window angled at the sky. The sun is shining well today, no clouds. The t-beam shows 4.2 V plugged in symbol in the #meshtastic app. When unplugged from the panel, the t-beam shows 100% charge.
solar panel https://www.botnroll.com/en/solar-panels/3244-monocrystalline-solar-panel-5v-1a.html
This is test to see how long this lasts - there is no power management circuit.
Been finalizing the design and layout of my #solar panel array, which will be a post and beam structure topped with ironridge hardware.
Current interesting problem: The front of the array is currently set at only 1 foot above ground. This will make one corner very hard to keep clear of plants, and there is also a small hillock in the way.
I'd raise the array 3 feet or so, but the back is also on a slant, and the longest back post is currently maxxing out the size of 6x4" posts, at 16 feet.
Less than a year ago, in August 2023, we installed a 4.8kWh Solar Battery at a cost of £2,900. Whenever I talk about the upfront capital costs of solar power, people rightly want to know what the payback period is.
Well, after less than 10 months, the battery has given us 1MWh.
To put that in to context, the average UK household uses about 3MWh per year. So (again, very roughly) over a third of our electricity use this year has come from the battery.
But where does the battery get its energy from? We have two sources.
First is solar. When the sun is shining, our solar panels produce electricity. That flows down from our roof and into our mains wiring where it is used by the home. If we are using less electricity than is being produced, the electricity flows into the local grid and we get paid for selling our surplus.
Our battery has sensors attached to the grid connection. When it detects surplus generation, it starts charging. By constantly monitoring our overproduction, it can charge up with free solar power.
But the sun doesn't always shine (ain't that the truth!) so there are days when our solar production is less than our usage.
In these cases, the battery charges from the electricity grid. We have a smart tariff which changes price every 30 minutes. The battery knows the day's prices and can predict our daily usage. If it can see that electricity is cheap at 3am and expensive at 4pm, then it will charge up during the early hours of the day and discharge at peak time.
The battery occasionally sits idle. Mostly when it has fully charged but knows an expensive period is coming up later.
What does that mean for money?
Well... it's complicated! When the battery charges from solar, is the electricity free? No! If we were to sell that surplus electricity to the grid, we would be paid 15p/kWh.
When the battery charges from the grid, is the electricity expensive? No! Because we are on a dynamic tariff, we occasionally get paid to use electricity! Our provider has paid us up to 5p/kWh to charge!
When the battery discharges, how much does it save us? Again, complicated! Because we're on a dynamic tariff our prices change every 30 minutes. Sometimes the rates are as high as £1/kWh, other times they're 1p/kWh. Generally speaking, the battery only discharges if the price of use is higher than the cost of acquisition.
So... I've fudged the figures! For the first year of operation, energy prices have been high. Based on a back-of-a-fag-packet calculation, I reckon the battery saves us an average of about 31p/kWh. Call it about £360 per year in savings.
That gives us a payback time of about 8 years.
Of course, if electricity prices spike, payback will be quicker. If they crater, it'll take longer. If we switch to electrical heating or get an electric car, the savings will be greater.
Domestic battery technology is still a bit of a tough sell. The batteries are large and their fans are noisy. The cost of materials and installation is high and their capacity is relatively small. But the technology behind them is sound. With a dynamic energy price tariff, they're one of the best way to reduce utility bills.
This Friday, June 7, in “La Criolla”, Santo Domingo, in the province of Villa Clara, the official ceremony of handing over three photovoltaic parks to Cuba took place, journalist Bernardo Espinosa reported on his Facebook profile....
Moin zusammen! 👋 Habt ihr euch schon mal gefragt, ob sich eine Photovoltaikanlage auf eurem Dach lohnt? ☀️🔋 Mit unserem neuen Fundstück, dem Solaratlas, könnt ihr das jetzt ganz einfach herausfinden!🌞
The world’s biggest solar plant has come online in China, capable of powering a small country with its annual capacity of more than 6 billion kilowatt hours.
The facility in a desert region of the north-west province of Xinjiang covers 200,000 acres – roughly the same area as New York City.
The 5GW complex, which was connected to China’s grid on Monday, is powerful enough to meet the electricity demands of a country the size of Luxembourg or Papua New Guinea.
Cuba receives three photovoltaic plants donated by China (www.evwind.es)
This Friday, June 7, in “La Criolla”, Santo Domingo, in the province of Villa Clara, the official ceremony of handing over three photovoltaic parks to Cuba took place, journalist Bernardo Espinosa reported on his Facebook profile....