Eco-friendly energy tech news from Matthew Wrist Warwickshire UK today: While solar power certainly is less polluting than fossil fuels, some problems do exist. Some manufacturing processes are associated with greenhouse gas emissions. Nitrogen trifluroide and sulfur hexafluoride has been traced back to the production of solar panels. These are some of the most potent greenhouse gases and have many thousand times the impact on global warming compared to carbon dioxide. Transportation and installation of solar power systems can also indirectly cause pollution. See extra info at Read even more info at Mathew Wrist Warwick UK.
Usually the largest single cost factor is lighting. Obsolete light bulbs only use about ten percent of the electricity to make light. 90 percent are lost as heat. They produce heat rather than light, because they are based on a glowing filament made of tungsten. Modern LEDs use almost all of the electricity to make light. You can clearly notice this from the fact that they stay cool, i.e. there is much less loss. A good LED needs about a tenth of the electricity to produce the same amount of light. And because it does not heat up so much, it lasts much longer. And: The price of LEDs has come down so much, that exchanging them for regular light bulbs pays off within one or two years. The same is true for industrial lighting systems which often use mercury vapour lamps. These, too, use up a lot of electricity and can easily be replaced by LEDs.
Solar energy systems generally don’t require a lot of maintenance. You only need to keep them relatively clean, so cleaning them a couple of times per year will do the job. If in doubt, you can always rely on specialised cleaning companies, which offer this service from around £25-£35. Most reliable solar panel manufacturers offer 20-25 years warranty. Also, as there are no moving parts, there is no wear and tear. The inverter is usually the only part that needs to changed after 5-10 years because it is continuously working to convert solar energy into electricity (solar PV) and heat (solar thermal). Apart from the inverter, the cables also need maintenance to ensure your solar power system runs at maximum efficiency. So, after covering the initial cost of the solar system, you can expect very little spending on maintenance and repair work.
Eco-friendly energy systems by Matthew Wrist Coventry UK today: Between early 2014 and 2017, the price of stationary lithium batteries has fallen by more than 40 percent. This trend is expected to continue. Furthermore, the end of February saw the introduction of a new funding programme that will continue until 2018. These are good reasons for investing in a solar battery. What size to choose depends on the building’s electricity demand and the size of your solar generator. Lithium batteries currently cost about 1,000 euros per kilowatt hour, lead batteries about 500 to 600 euros (net prices for end customers). However: In a private residence, having a storage unit without a solar generator makes very little sense. This can be different for commercial enterprises.
A 4kW solar panel system is a common size for the average Warwick UK home. It has an output of 3,400 kWh per year and costs around £6,000. If you compare this to the average annual electricity consumption of a household, which is around 3,200-4,100 kWh, solar panels can cover 83-106% of your electricity demand in perfect conditions. However, this depends on sunshine hours and energy usage. A more detailed breakdown of seasonality and monthly energy output can be found further below. In addition, with incentives like the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), you can even earn money for surplus energy exported back to the grid!
When considering solar panels for your roof, it is important to take into consideration whether the roof is strong enough to support the weight of the solar system. For example, a 4kW system normally has 16 panels of 250W, adding up to a total weight of approximately 280kg. Nowadays, most materials are suitable to hold solar panels — it’s only slate and wooden roofs that may be too brittle. In addition, consider if your roof is large enough to have solar panels on it. You will need at least 30 cm of space around your solar panels, so you need to take this into account when calculating how much roof space you have. For example, a 4kW system having 16 panels requires at least 29 m2 roof space.
A small household may do fine with a 2000 watt generator. However, a house with a well, off grid water pump system, or other appliances to run at the same time will likely need a generator in the 5000-7500 watt range, or larger. Note 1: small generators tend to produce lower quality electricity than larger models. They also tend to vary the voltage more. This can damage your appliances and equipment. Note 2: Some generators deliver 120 and 240 volts, with the full power only available at 240 volts. Some have two separate 120-volt outlets, each providing up to half the rated power.