- Mar 14, 2005
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- Nov 11, 2009
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The system that Nissan were introducing uses Leaf batteries that are removed at the end of their vehicular life but which can be used for domestic purposes as an energy store, albeit unlikely to allow life as normal fir 6-7 days. Also there are many papers published showing how when the EVs are connected it will be possible to share energy to and fro the system. However having the power distribution lines intact would be an important consideration if the energy is to be shared around widespread locations. So when a storm such as Arwen hits there would still be some communities where grid power is unavailable but in the future domestic/community battery back up might offer a solution.
- Jul 18, 2017
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i always thought it was the surplus from your solar panel that was fed into the grid and not all of it. Not in this country but in SA, solar panels are used for the sole purpose of supply8ng energy to the home.
There are some solar units that also allow cooking but are not panels.. They look like a satellite dish and concentrate the heat to a small area. Water can boil very quickly. at the moment people in Zimabawe and South Africa are experts at supplying energy to their homes due to the numerous power outages occurring on a daily basis as they utilise wind and solar power in many cases. Many homes also have generators to power fridges and freezers and use gas for cooking.
There are some solar units that also allow cooking but are not panels.. They look like a satellite dish and concentrate the heat to a small area. Water can boil very quickly. at the moment people in Zimabawe and South Africa are experts at supplying energy to their homes due to the numerous power outages occurring on a daily basis as they utilise wind and solar power in many cases. Many homes also have generators to power fridges and freezers and use gas for cooking.
I was thinking that too. Without electricity, gas boilers don't work. I don't think solar panels create useable energy in normal installations without storage. We have friends in Perthshire without electric, and their gas boiler failed a week before the electricity went off too. Their plumber now has the parts to fix the boiler but will not come to them until the power is back on - what a nightmare!
- Jun 16, 2020
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Reading this thread, as well as considering the recent power outages many are suffering from, has made me thing about contingencies. I was thinking ofcutting the power to my boiler and feeding it through a standard socket. In this way, if we suffer loss of power, I could plug the boiler into an inverter powered by the caravan battery.
I need to look up the power draw of the pump and controls in order to size the inverter. But I think the idea would work OK and might last a couple of days.
The rad control might be an issue as they need the router. But I could temporarily swap the valve tops back to the TRV’s which I have kept hold of.
Any thoughts!
John
- Mar 14, 2005
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As I said it all depends on the system that's installed. In the UK the first solar panels were usually owned by a company that leased the space on your roof. The power generated was logged, but supplied exclusively to the grid using the feed in tariff. That generated a credit to the owner of the roof which could be used to offset the cost of normal grid power.
With the advent of home battery systems, the possibility of storing all the generated energy means that its possible to actually run the house on the stored energy, effectively taking the house off the grid, But there is also the possibility of recharging the batteries from the grid using off peak power when there is less solar power available.
I don't know it its possible yet in the UK but it is possible in some countries (e.g. Australia) to have a house run on a parallel combination of battery power and Grid power, this is for safety reasons, as there is a possibility that if the grid goes down, the transmission company cannot be certain that lines down stream of the break would be dead, as they might be receiving power from local systems feeding into the grid.
With the advent of home battery systems, the possibility of storing all the generated energy means that its possible to actually run the house on the stored energy, effectively taking the house off the grid, But there is also the possibility of recharging the batteries from the grid using off peak power when there is less solar power available.
I don't know it its possible yet in the UK but it is possible in some countries (e.g. Australia) to have a house run on a parallel combination of battery power and Grid power, this is for safety reasons, as there is a possibility that if the grid goes down, the transmission company cannot be certain that lines down stream of the break would be dead, as they might be receiving power from local systems feeding into the grid.
- Nov 11, 2009
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We just plan to use the independent lounge gas fire with battery ignition. Various gas powered camping stoves, Cadac and bbq and a number of battery/ power pack led lights around and kept fully charged. Not forgetting candles too. Cooker has 13 amp supply but can alo be lit by an igniter but timer etc would not work. Keep ready supply of tinned foodstuffs a hangover from the 4 minute warning days.
- Jul 18, 2017
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Interesting. I would like to think that a country like Australia the hot water would be always available and most of the time hot water can be heated solely by solar power. I have seen makeshift solar panels made from a wooden box with a black hose coiled in it. Black absorbs a lot of heat and the water can get extremely hot. There is also the Rocket shower which works quite well.
- Jun 20, 2005
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In addition to Clive‘s points I have a noisy two stroke very basic genny . This could be used in an absolute emergency but maybe not for the smart TVs.🤪
For those who remember the 3 day week in the 70s and the numerous power cuts ,we still managed and even the pubs were open . Lit by candles and log fires , beer on draught, gas cooking. Obviously no good for those on pure electric😥😥
For those who remember the 3 day week in the 70s and the numerous power cuts ,we still managed and even the pubs were open . Lit by candles and log fires , beer on draught, gas cooking. Obviously no good for those on pure electric😥😥
- Jul 23, 2021
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Pretty much all UK domestic solar provides power to the house first, then, if there is any excess, to the grid. The only way that is not the case is if there is a separate grid metre to the house supply meter. All electricity generated pass through a generation meter (used to calculate FIT payment if any is available). Then, it’s up to the home owner to use as much or as little as they see fit. For any system that is under 4kW, it is deemed to export 50% (no matter what the actual export) (unless you have a smart export tariff like Octopus agile outgoing) and you get paid an export rate for that too. You can install a battery system in the UK, and in the event of losing the mains feed, have the house load transfer to the battery via an automatic transfer switch. It happens fast enough so as not to disrupt any running devices. That also isolates the house from the grid to prevent back feeding to the local supply.
I would imagine that a central heating system would probably consume about 150 watts (including the circulation pump and boiler fan), about 15A at 12v via an inverter, so a 110aH leisure battery will last 8 hours of running.
I would imagine that a central heating system would probably consume about 150 watts (including the circulation pump and boiler fan), about 15A at 12v via an inverter, so a 110aH leisure battery will last 8 hours of running.
- Jan 31, 2018
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Doesn't really matter as long as you're safe and warm surely-we'd go live in ours too I think-we always have a spare gas-8 days for the poor things so far-it would be well worth it! Come to think of it we have 3 domestic bottles -gas fire and one ordered by mistake-so it wouldn't be difficult to add an adaptor extension to use those!
- Nov 11, 2009
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Back to electric cars I came across this when looking at Dacia's new Jogger and its planned Bigster. The French government seem exceedingly generous with their citizens taxes.
"The French government currently offers a grant to buyers of sub-€45,000 EVs amounting to 27% of the cost of purchase, including tax, and a further €2500 if the EV is bought in exchange for an older ICE car to be scrapped. "
"The French government currently offers a grant to buyers of sub-€45,000 EVs amounting to 27% of the cost of purchase, including tax, and a further €2500 if the EV is bought in exchange for an older ICE car to be scrapped. "
- Jun 16, 2020
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Having just got a 3 month free trial of Apple TV I have just started watching The Long Way Up.
The forth (I think) in the series with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. Traveling 13,000 miles through South America to LA. They use Harley Davison’s EV bikes and supported by Rivian EV support vehicles.
Worth a look at, if you are able.
John
The forth (I think) in the series with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. Traveling 13,000 miles through South America to LA. They use Harley Davison’s EV bikes and supported by Rivian EV support vehicles.
Worth a look at, if you are able.
John
Norway is unique - low population density and ideal terrain/climate for hydro-electric generation.
In the UK, sales of hybrids are only as high as they are due to the low BIK tax on them as company cars - the majority of which are returned after 3 years with charging cables never unpacked or used.
- Nov 11, 2009
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I posted this series too quite a while back as it was interesting with some beautiful countryside. Then the Rivian was very much a prototype with work in progress. It now available from production.
- Mar 14, 2005
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Having just purchases a PHEV at 4yrs old, I was surprised how few marks there were on both supplied charge cables. However when taking on an EV or PHEV there is a Gov.t grant to install a home charger point. If the one chosen includes the "tethered" cable, the crs supplied cables may not be used very much if at all.
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