Solar Panel Megathread

[MrSmith]

A lot of the companies that were offering the free solar panels will no longer be offering them since the FiT cuts, meaning that only the richest families will be able to benefit from saving on their electricity bills which doesn't seem fair to me.

 

There are still a few companies that are going to take the hit and still offer completely free panels, I know Engensa is one of them and there are a few others.

 

Without the subsidy from the tax payer solar panels aren’t viable so a rich person wouldn’t buy them to save money, they would only buy them if they wanted to cut their carbon footprint.

The whole point of the panels is to cut CO2 not save money and not make a profit. The problem with the panels though is they are made in china using dirty energy, so all we do is transfer our CO2 to china.

[PeteMorris]

Without the subsidy from the tax payer solar panels aren’t viable so a rich person wouldn’t buy them to save money, they would only buy them if they wanted to cut their carbon footprint.

The whole point of the panels is to cut CO2 not save money and not make a profit. The problem with the panels though is they are made in china using dirty energy, so all we do is transfer our CO2 to china.

 

That's an excellent observation!

[fake]

A judicial review has been allowed, now this could be an interesting development.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16201496

 

Cant see how cutting the FIT can be unlawful though.

[JFKvsNixon]

The problem with the panels though is they are made in china using dirty energy, so all we do is transfer our CO2 to china.

 

From your statement two questions arise before you can draw your conclusion.

 

1 - How much Co2 is saved by the solar panels, and how much Co2 was used in making and transporting the panels over here?

 

2 - Would have the factories/factory space stood empty if they weren't producing the solar panels or would the Chinese entrepreneurs have found another market to make money from and thus created the Co2 anyway?

[Gordonb]

Are they made on China? Thought some were made in Germany.

[JFKvsNixon]

Are they made on China? Thought some were made in Germany.

 

I don't know, they very well may be.

[MrSmith]

From your statement two questions arise before you can draw your conclusion.

 

1 - How much Co2 is saved by the solar panels, and how much Co2 was used in making and transporting the panels over here?

 

2 - Would have the factories/factory space stood empty if they weren't producing the solar panels or would the Chinese entrepreneurs have found another market to make money from and thus created the Co2 anyway?

 

90% of the panels are made in china,

Different reports state different figures for the CO2 savings, CO2 neutral from 5 – 15 years, I have yet to find a report that adds all the CO2 up for mining, processing, manufacture, transportation, installation and maintenance. China concentrates on manufacture and export of the panels and not using the panels.

The best use of the panels would be to use them to produce the energy needed for their manufacture, China don’t do this they use dirty coal to provide most of their energy.

The initial problem with solar PV is they produce lots of CO2 before they start to save any, it could take 15 years for them to start saving CO2. A better use of solar energy is to create heat, Ground source, and air source heating would be a better use of the resources.

The CO2 payback for heating water using solar panels is much faster than making electricity,

If the panels where made using renewable energy they would be significantly better for the environment, the reason we don’t make them is because it would initially increase our CO2 output and we wouldn’t meet our targets. It is illogical to make them in China when they can be made here and save much more CO2.

[mumkin]

........and another thing, If most (or a good portion) of the country buy into this "free electricity" malarky, the sales of electricity from the power companies will fall, thereby pushing the price of electricity up to the poor sods whose houses don't face South, even further.

[JFKvsNixon]

90% of the panels are made in china,

Different reports state different figures for the CO2 savings, CO2 neutral from 5 – 15 years, I have yet to find a report that adds all the CO2 up for mining, processing, manufacture, transportation, installation and maintenance. China concentrates on manufacture and export of the panels and not using the panels.

The best use of the panels would be to use them to produce the energy needed for their manufacture, China don’t do this they use dirty coal to provide most of their energy.

The initial problem with solar PV is they produce lots of CO2 before they start to save any, it could take 15 years for them to start saving CO2. A better use of solar energy is to create heat, Ground source, and air source heating would be a better use of the resources.

The CO2 payback for heating water using solar panels is much faster than making electricity,

If the panels where made using renewable energy they would be significantly better for the environment, the reason we don’t make them is because it would initially increase our CO2 output and we wouldn’t meet our targets. It is illogical to make them in China when they can be made here and save much more CO2.

 

So do you feel that the Chinese entrepreneurs wouldn't have tried to exploit some other market if they had not produced solar panels? Do you think that the factories would have stood empty, the minerals would have been left un-mined, other materials for manufacturing wouldn't be transported, I'm sure you get the gist by now.

 

I also agree that solar power is in it's infancy, but that doesn't that it needs to choked off. I'd disagree as to why you speculate the reason why the panels are manufactured in China, I'd suggest the reason why they're manufactured in China is the same reason why sea food caught off Scotland is transported to the Far East to be processed and transported back here to be sold, that being it's cheaper.

[fake]

A better use of solar energy is to create heat, Ground source, and air source heating would be a better use of the resources.

The CO2 payback for heating water using solar panels is much faster than making electricity,

 

It may be better in the CO2 payback but according to Which magazine its not very cost effective for the consumer.

 

 

If the panels where made using renewable energy they would be significantly better for the environment, the reason we don’t make them is because it would initially increase our CO2 output and we wouldn’t meet our targets. It is illogical to make them in China when they can be made here and save much more CO2.

 

The reason we don't make them is to do with cost. The Chinese made panels have now come down in price and can be bought for around £300-£400 each and the same happened to low energy fluorescent prices. The ones made in Europe was costing around £8 and now the Chinese ones can be bought for .99p or less.