Debunking the myths around renewable energy

[Cyclone]

I had an interesting chat with a cousin, he was part of the http://www.worldsolarchallenge.org/ winning team some years ago. He, and many others researching and working with renewables, believe that one core issue is the current energy model. We have got used to having electricity, gas and water 'on tap', with it being produced in large quantities in what used to be very efficient plants.

 

He firmly believes that the way forward is that industry and households are made responsible for generating and monitoring their own electricity, either individually or in collectives. There are currently a number of very interesting projects going on in this area and it seems to do two things: It makes people aware of the electricity they use a lot better than just having a monthly bill, resulting in extreme efficiency. And it stimulates cooperation to optimise production.

 

One case he worked on was a small scale development of twelve new houses that were built to be carbon neutral. The project was built with optimal solar performance in mind and they managed to cut electricity usage by 45%, the inhabitants of these houses stated that they simply changed a lot of their patterns and replaced energy inefficient equipment with efficient equipment because they were now aware of how much electricity they produced and how much they used. Of course it has to be noted that they were clearly already well into this, otherwise they wouldn't have bought into the carbon neutral concept.

 

The most interesting thing to happen was that, on their own initiative, they are saving up to put enough money in a collective fund to invest in a wind-turbine, meaning they will be net-contributors rather than net-users for electricity and are planning to save up for a geo-thermal heating system to provide the warm water for the underfloor heating systems they had already built in.

 

Plenty of challenges though, how wonderful it may be, there are plenty of properties out there where this is unachievable.

 

He also mentioned that he has developed a smart-meter that is meant to be put in a visible place, it shows the current energy usage on a large LED screen (you know, the old fashioned red LEDs on a black background). He has this in the kitchen and him and his housemates have already reduced electricity usage by over 15%, simply by tweaking certain things in their behaviour.

 

It is easy to dismiss this as the 'woollen sock/sandal wearing brigade' nonsense, but as the loosely translated adage in the Netherlands goes: "saving the world begins at home."

 

---------- Post added 16-12-2013 at 12:21 ----------

 

PS - someone made the point earlier that having solar panels can reduce the value of a house. This was the case in the Netherlands for some time, now however houses that are carbon neutral, or close to carbon neutral in fact sell for a considerable premium.

 

It all relies on educating the population.

 

It's all good stuff for new builds, but the vast majority of existing housing stock cannot be rebuilt in order to be carbon neutral (which primarily relies on much better insulation).

 

Also, being a net contributor is all well and good, but if the wind stops across the entire county (which isn't that uncommon in the winter, when it's cold), then the national power grid needs to be able to supply all those properties that in windier times are actually contributing into the grid. So base load is not reduced at all...

[angos]

Where did the nuclear fuel come from?

 

I think it was made in a supernovae, but I'm sure someone will be along soon to tell me I am wrong.

[Lockjaw]

Not from the sun. Nor is it currently coming from the sun which is what it ultimately being solar would mean.

 

I think it was made in a supernovae, but I'm sure someone will be along soon to tell me I am wrong.

 

Nope, you're quite right.

 

Hence, it came from a "sun".

 

Hence "All energy sources are solar in one way or another." was, in fact, totally correct.

[angos]

Nope, you're quite right.

 

Hence, it came from a "sun".

 

Hence "All energy sources are solar in one way or another." was, in fact, totally correct.

 

Shouldn't that be, hence it came from a star, our star is called the sun, other stars have different names. Solar relates to our sun and it hasn't exploded yet.

 

Picky, I know, but cyclone was correct.

[tzijlstra]

It's all good stuff for new builds, but the vast majority of existing housing stock cannot be rebuilt in order to be carbon neutral (which primarily relies on much better insulation).

 

Also, being a net contributor is all well and good, but if the wind stops across the entire county (which isn't that uncommon in the winter, when it's cold), then the national power grid needs to be able to supply all those properties that in windier times are actually contributing into the grid. So base load is not reduced at all...

 

Yes, I agree entirely, in fact, I said that:

 

Plenty of challenges though, how wonderful it may be, there are plenty of properties out there where this is unachievable.

 

regarding the wind-power, (I am beginning to feel like I am stuck in a loop here) you are right, it has to be taken into consideration that at times there won't be any production, similarly for solar. Therefore it needs to be seen as part of the total energy-mix.

 

The development I mentioned already has invested in a back-up diesel generator, I recently stayed at a lovely place in Lincolnshire where most of the heating came from a bio-mass plant (the estate had plenty of woodlands), such a plant can also be used to produce electricity when necessary.

[truman]

Yes, I agree entirely, in fact, I said that:

 

 

 

regarding the wind-power, (I am beginning to feel like I am stuck in a loop here) you are right, it has to be taken into consideration that at times there won't be any production, similarly for solar. Therefore it needs to be seen as part of the total energy-mix.

 

The development I mentioned already has invested in a back-up diesel generator, I recently stayed at a lovely place in Lincolnshire where most of the heating came from a bio-mass plant (the estate had plenty of woodlands), such a plant can also be used to produce electricity when necessary.

 

Genuine question...if all 60 million of us took to using bio mass how long would it be before we ran out of wood to burn?

[tzijlstra]

Genuine question...if all 60 million of us took to using bio mass how long would it be before we ran out of wood to burn?

 

Very rapidly, unless we could sustainably plant enough material to burn ourselves. It isn't just trees, you can burn all sorts. But frankly, I am not too keen on the plan precisely because of the point you make.

 

We should however do more to draw energy from waste incinerators.

[geared]

why does it have to be wood?

 

The bedouin people use camel poo as fuel for their fires, it's so dry when it drops out it can be used immediately.

Not saying we should have camels everywhere, but it's a demonstration of alternative bio fuels

 

---------- Post added 16-12-2013 at 13:42 ----------

 

It will happen again because plant and systems are old, all across the world.

 

To be fair to nuclear power tho, those two incidents are more a failing of regulatory control and poor design than anything.

 

Chernobyl was a disaster waiting to happen, a flawed reactor design and sod-all safety.

 

Fukushima was made ten times worse because of the botched cover-up the company attempted, those officials should be shot.

 

Begs the question why is Britain's new one going to use an old design.

 

Don't we have zero fatalities directly from nuclear power in this country?

[truman]

why does it have to be wood?

 

The bedouin people use camel poo as fuel for their fires, it's so dry when it drops out it can be used immediately.

Not saying we should have camels everywhere, but it's a demonstration of alternative bio fuels

 

But you'd have to grow crops to feed the camels to get the poo...where would you grow the food that you've displaced to feed the camels...? I know you're 'avin' a larf but it just shows that "going green" isn't as easy or consequence free as some people wuld have us believe....

[flamingjimmy]

Nope, you're quite right.

 

Hence, it came from a "sun".

 

Hence "All energy sources are solar in one way or another." was, in fact, totally correct.

 

Nope, the word 'solar' just means relating to the sun. It does not mean any star.