Last week we were due to have our solar PV system installed. However, two days before it was die to happen we had a call from the installer informing us that they would not be installing. We were gutted. They had expected to receive the panels from their supplier but it seems that the rush … Continue reading Solar PV Put on Hold
We have been in our current house in Saltash, Cornwall, for about 7 years and it is time for a move so over the past few months we have been searching. Our house went up for sale a couple of months ago and so started the hunt for somewhere new to base the Churchley/Buswell life! … Continue reading House Offers Accepted
Last week I visited Westmill Farm, near Swindon. It is community owned wind and solar farm, or I should say part community owned, and the largest community project of this kind in the country. This was one of their open days. They are always happy to show people around by prior arrangement but a few … Continue reading Westmill Wind and Solar Farm
If you have a solar PV system and an electric vehicle (EV) and you charge your EV during the day when the sun is shining then it is obvious that you are using solar power to charge the car. But what about if you charge at night? By charging at night you might think that … Continue reading Charging Your EV by Solar Power – AT NIGHT!
Most people will charge their electric vehicles (EVs) from the grid and as the grid is fueled mostly by fossil fuels (approx 70%) there will be emissions created at the power stations. This much is pretty much universally accepted. A figure of about 500g CO2/kWh is often quoted but this figure is not a fixed … Continue reading A "Greener" Way to Charge Your Electric Car
This is my first report and I am simply gobsmacked at the result. PVGIS says 71 kWh and we are 20+% up on that. OK, PVGIS is only an estimate but nevertheless, still a good result for my first month. System: 2.4 kWp , 7 modules 40° Slope & 3 modules 30°, Lat 53° 50′ … Continue reading Solar Generation Stats – January 2011
Well, it has been up and running a couple of days now and so far it is looking promising. To give you an idea, it is very dark here right now, raining hard and I cannot read without the light on in the lounge… way too dark. Yet the system is still producing 85W! OK, … Continue reading Solar PV – First Impressions
The system was installed on Tuesday. Overall the installation went well except that it took them longer than expected. This meant that it was dark by the time they connected it all up and so it could not be tested. The next day, when the sun came up, the system did not fire up. They … Continue reading Solar Installation
Well our solar PV system is installed next Tuesday. There has been further discussion over how many panels we can fit and we have reluctantly had to agree that 10 x 240w panels is the very most we can fit in the space available. I was hoping for at least 14! Still, 10 x 240w … Continue reading Installation Day is Looming
