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EU - in or out?


Gary

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THe other day the BBC said there was a huge shortfall in Tatra Steel Pension funds and the government will probably need to take the funds over?

 

That may well be the case with regards to the Tata pension fund, I'm talking about the British Steel Pension Scheme.... remember when we had that company, British Steel?  

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Precisely my point Kije: other Countries protect their self interests; with Germany subsidising it's coal and steel, despite EU rules to the contrary. Britain appears to take these rules more literally than anyone else, and as the saying goes "rules are for fools and the guidance of wise men". If we were a sovereign Nation again, out of the EU straight jacket, we could begin to operate in our own best interests.

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Our friend in Germany who we have known since we met him while we were on honeymoon in 1993 lives in what was the old East Germany. His dad used to be the former East German Ambassador to India and my friend was educated in Russian military school, speaks 7 languages and often works in Mumbai for his company as he is the only one who can translate!

He lives in a house that he and his wife had built on the side and over the top of her mothers house. He has always had a good job as has his wife and yet regardless of their income, they qualify for all sorts of locally subsidised benefits such as the insulation in their home was subsidised. They have a massive hot water generation and storage system that was mostly paid for from grants from the local area government. Solar panels were also mostly funded through a local scheme, he pays less than the "normal" rate for electricity but he doesn't benefit personally from any excess power generated. That goes back to the grid....He explains it as being a good decision because those who pay into the local economy and local government get something back themselves that not only will benefit them financially, it will also benefit the region and the country as a whole

 

Unfortunately that isn't the case here, solar panels are put onto council houses (or trust houses), paid for by the wider public but the resident gets the cheap electric and gets paid for any the generate and don't use.... the logic is that those in council type properties need the assistance but those in private houses don't because the  "they must have pots of money cos they have their own house" logic kicks in...

 

If the government and councils actually thought about it and funded the installation of solar panels to properties that are owner occupied, they could give the house owner a guarantee that they will pay say 15 or 20% less than any available tariff at any time as long as they return unused energy to the grid FOC

 

A big initial outlay maybe, but the long term issues of the lights going out is then no longer a problem because everyone is self generating and saving money at the same time plus the energy companies couldn't then charge extortionate amounts for electric either

 

They may not be the most likeable things to have plonked on your roof, and I for one as a home owner and a landlord myself would never ever dream of spending 10's of thousands of pounds of my own money on something that I may see a slight benefit from just before I snuff it...

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Our friend in Germany who we have known since we met him while we were on honeymoon in 1993 lives in what was the old East Germany. His dad used to be the former East German Ambassador to India and my friend was educated in Russian military school, speaks 7 languages and often works in Mumbai for his company as he is the only one who can translate!

 

He lives in a house that he and his wife had built on the side and over the top of her mothers house. He has always had a good job as has his wife and yet regardless of their income, they qualify for all sorts of locally subsidised benefits such as the insulation in their home was subsidised. They have a massive hot water generation and storage system that was mostly paid for from grants from the local area government. Solar panels were also mostly funded through a local scheme, he pays less than the "normal" rate for electricity but he doesn't benefit personally from any excess power generated. That goes back to the grid....He explains it as being a good decision because those who pay into the local economy and local government get something back themselves that not only will benefit them financially, it will also benefit the region and the country as a whole

 

Unfortunately that isn't the case here, solar panels are put onto council houses (or trust houses), paid for by the wider public but the resident gets the cheap electric and gets paid for any the generate and don't use.... the logic is that those in council type properties need the assistance but those in private houses don't because the  "they must have pots of money cos they have their own house" logic kicks in...

 

If the government and councils actually thought about it and funded the installation of solar panels to properties that are owner occupied, they could give the house owner a guarantee that they will pay say 15 or 20% less than any available tariff at any time as long as they return unused energy to the grid FOC

 

There were schemes a few years ago were companies would fit solar panels for free.

 

Today on one of the news programs it was estimated that the closure of the steel works in S Wales (name escapes me) will cost the government £1.5 billion in the first year.

 

The biggest exporter of steel to the UK is Germany followed by Spain, but I can't find the source again to link

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What is to stop the government plastering  the countless modern ,flat roofed warehouses in Britain with solar panels to be fed into the national grid? There is no need to put solar panels in fields & upset the countryside alliance.

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so Observer, all private owners of buildings will forced to have solar panels on their roofs against their will?  Get real.  You would have no problem then being forced to have solar installed on your roof, for no benefit to yourself?  Course you wouldn't ha.  I thought you were dead against a nanny state.  Farmers are and always were opportunists and if they can get a good return from land (especially the least productive areas) from solar they are going to take it.  

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There are plenty of brownfield opportunities for solar panels ,even if a nominal rent is paid.

The rent will be set by the owner, it won't be nominal.  In Warrington we looked at putting an antenna on a tall building to enable better communications for a client who rented the building.  It was a fairly small and unobtrusive bit of kit.  The owner wanted £10k per annum rent.  That was almost 10 years ago and I bet its not gone down in price.

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All the hounds of Nimby hell immediately break loose at the mention of solar farms around here, the one planned for Gt Sankey was sunk without trace, another which is planned for a blighted ex waste tip down Widnes way is being attacked as though they want to build a maggot farm on an area of outstanding natural beauty.

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Well,there you go,seeing as most industrial units are owned by councils,developers or pension funds & rented to client companies, any rent paid would go to further the wealth of the already well off. Unfortunately, Joe Soap & Fred Bloggs would no longer be needed to do the dirty work to produce energy for the nation unless they were retrained to install solar panels.

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Erm read folks offerings properly PJ:  Dave suggested using "flat roofed warehouses", which there are a huge number of; rather than taking up arable land with solar farms.  Owners could earn cash by selling to the grid, so win win.  As for "Nanny State"; you don't get more "Nanny" than banning smoking in pubs and cars, but it suits you to support that, I guess. :roll:  :roll:

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 banning smoking in pubs and cars, but it suits you to support that, I guess. :roll:  :roll:

 

God yes I support it, people with filthy , harmful addictions are clearly unable to self regulate themselves so need legislating against for the benefit of all.  Are you seriously supporting smoking in a vehicle with children and babies as passengers? 

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