Energy

[Observer II]

You just have to savour the irony and hypocracy of humanity,  all the crocodile tears over the disaster in Libya, when it was NATO that turned it into a disfunctional wreck that couldn't maintain it's own infrastructure or control the passage of migrants.   

[Bill]

Glad to hear you’re not struggling with the power situation quite as much as was first anticipated.

I think something like a war or natural disaster often unites people to pull together to overcome problems like this and as you say, people have managed by their own efforts to cut their energy consumption. Here, rather than try to do anything along those lines, we seem to just prefer to moan about things and blame everything on the political parties. Anyway, I don’t particularly like political debate, so I’ll leave it at that.

Good to hear your happy with your little solar setup and every little helps I suppose. Mine does about the same from what I can see, covering just what I call my background use i.e. telly, fridge, router, etc. and anything more than that has to come from the grid. My current house is in the worst possible location for solar, so I’ve put my four panels on my garage roof although only two face south.

Was just telling Irene you'd popped up again and she asked me to send on her regards.

 

Bill 😊

[Steve the Original]

27 minutes ago, Observer II said:

You just have to savour the irony and hypocracy of humanity,  all the crocodile tears over the disaster in Libya, when it was NATO that turned it into a disfunctional wreck that couldn't maintain it's own infrastructure or control the passage of migrants.   

Full of Terrorist Training Camps now, no Real functional Goverment

Everyone blaming Everyone else..

No doubt pur in Millionen with Aid and most will disapear into someone pockets..

[Steve the Original]

12 minutes ago, Bill said:

Glad to hear you’re not struggling with the power situation quite as much as was first anticipated.

I think something like a war or natural disaster often unites people to pull together to overcome problems like this and as you say, people have managed by their own efforts to cut their energy consumption. Here, rather than try to do anything along those lines, we seem to just prefer to moan about things and blame everything on the political parties. Anyway, I don’t particularly like political debate, so I’ll leave it at that.

Good to hear your happy with your little solar setup and every little helps I suppose. Mine does about the same from what I can see, covering just what I call my background use i.e. telly, fridge, router, etc. and anything more than that has to come from the grid. My current house is in the worst possible location for this, so I’ve put my four panels on my garage roof although only two face south.

Was just telling Irene you'd popped up again and she asked me to send on her regards.

 

Bill 😊

Bill put mine on Garage too and they push out 600w as from January 800w is allowed so i only have to update the Software which is Automaticaly done..

We are restricted to how much Power we are allowed to produce any Excess just goes into the grid and we get nothing for it..

 

Best regards to Irene from the both of us

[Bill]

Yep I have four panels (1200W) but being in different directions, they produce power at different times of the day depending on where the sun is. My inverter is only 600 watts but whenever there’s any excess, I send as much as I can into three car batteries otherwise like you it goes back to the grid for nowt. ☹

 

Bill 😊

[Steve the Original]

We can only have 600w at the moment..

The sun shines quite well for me,starts early untill last light..but Power does vary throught the day..

[Bill]

I also get good sun all day long at this time of year but during the winter when the suns low in the sky, I get some shading from nearby buildings and a large oak tree in next doors garden. My household “background” consumption is normally 250 to 300 watts and for most of the day I manage to cover that easily. It’s been ok here today although not great, but it’s six o’clock in the evening now and my gauge shows I’ve only used 6p of electricity up to now, so I’m happy with that.

My batteries have just started to kick in to assist as the sun gets lower and they’ll continue running down now into the small hours although by then they’re only contributing about 25W. 

 

Bill 😊

[Steve the Original]

Haven't got that far with consumpion ect..

Don't have a powerbank either lol  

Just happy it works..

 

[Bill]

To be honest Steve I’d stick with what you have at the moment. Unless I’m doing something very wrong, the batteries just aren’t worth it. I think I knew this before I started, but it’s a hobby for me and a challenge to get all the electronics and software working the way I wanted.  Keep it simple is always the best policy and just a few panels and an inverter will pay for themselves in no time.

Here's a picture of my setup.

The inverter on the right is the main 600W grid tie inverter while the one on the right converts battery power to the mains. The white box in the middle houses all the control electronics while the colourfull little gizmo is my homemade smart display. 

Bill  

[Steve the Original]

Good Setup but far too costly for a few panels that i have

Ok if you have a full roof of panels then its worth it..

I calculated it will take 3 years for mine to pay for itself..but it has a long life span..

[Bill]

For sure Steve, but if I added more panels I’d gain very little, and I’d just be sending a lot more back to the grid.

The most efficient method with the shortest payback time is exactly what you’ve done and what I originally set out to prove. Trying to squeeze the last few watts out of the system might be fun from a hobby point of view but that’s when the economic start to go out of the window.

I reckon I’ve blown up well over £100 in various modules and components in the last year. Software glitches don’t take any prisoners when a sudden burst of sun produces mega amps of current. ☹

Anyway, that’s as far as I’m taking it for now. I might only save a bob or two in the long run but when it comes to saving the planet; like the little boy who peed in the sea said. “Every little helps” 😊

 

Bill 😊

[Steve the Original]

Well no point in wasting money and i only paid for my System and a wall Socket and plug 

Sofar i cant complain..

Saved 300kg in Co2 and 1 tree,so my App tells me..lol

 

If you have roof panels you get paid for excess that you put back into the grid,i think its about 8.2Cents per kw which you are also Taxed on,so not really worth it if your trying to make money from it..

 

[Bill]

The only way to get anything back for excess power here in the UK is to have your system installed by an authorized company but they’re not interested in small scale stuff.

I wonder what software you’re using that gives you a CO2 reading? I see my results as money and watt hours. Can’t remember what I’ve done at the moment but it’s well over half a megawatt hour.

BTW I spent an hour looking to see if there’s any DIY power limit similar to what you have in Germany, but it doesn’t appear so. There’s something needed above 3.5Kw but that’s not exactly DIY territory.

 

Bill 😊

[Steve the Original]

It may well be the same here as its not worth the hassle with small units as there are now huge amounts of Mini units around and you can buy them from Lidl or Aldi..some cost less than 500 Euros and are plus in but they worth just that..

I use an App from tsun dont know if it would work for you though.. would post a pic but no idea how to put it on here..

My unit shows 588.5 W when the sun shines and in January it will be updated and should Hit 800w when the Software is updated..

We are restricted by how many Watts we are allowed to produce..anything higher it has to be installed by a Company 

 

 

[Bill]

Interesting to hear you can buy self-install solar at places like Aldi, Ikea and the likes so I Googled it and found this.

Does IKEA still sell solar kits?

In short, yes. You are still able to buy both IKEA solar panels and solar batteries. However, if you’re looking to make these purchases in the UK, you’re out of luck. While IKEA stopped selling solar battery storage in the UK in March 2019, it continues to sell its solar products in several countries in Europe and Australia.

Solar batteries and solar panels from IKEA are currently still being sold in the following countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Australia

This is typical of the UK. They want us to save energy but only if its done in the way they think it should be done. You and I both know it’s a simple task that almost anyone could do but if someone with no understanding decides it’s a complex task that can only be carried out by people they authorise, then it’s never going to happen.

You only have to look around to see that there’s not much solar uptake in the UK because of the huge costs and long payback times involved while simple micro setups like ours are virtually non-existent.

It’d make far more sense to allow people to purchase these cheap ready energy saving packages at local stores just as they do in the rest of Europe and that way people could easily cut their energy bills and reduce the stress on the grid.

We voted for Brexit believing that we didn’t like Europe telling us what we could and couldn’t do but I’m rapidly coming to the conclusion that our lot are even worse at creating stupid rules and restrictions. ☹

 

Bill 😊

[Steve the Original]

Get the Solar panels all over and lots have even though they don't produce a lot buts simple plug and play..a lot you just plug into a wall Socket..

Like you say Goverments want you to save energy but only if it suits them and you play by their rules, Solar panels can produce a lot more but by Law your restricted as it means the Electric suppliers would lose money and if they lose then so does the Goverment..less Taxes ect..

If its a roof setup then i would be a bit dubious myself of setting it up but i am sure if i read enough it wouldn't be that difficult..

 

Don't get me started on Brexit and the scaremongering lol

Pound will crash and the UK will starve ect.. 

[Bill]

Yes but if 100% of people could generate a couple of hundred watts a piece from a low cost setup, it’d be a million times better than having a just handful of rich or stupid people with large expensive ones.

Most people just don’t get it. Take my neighbour for example he says if it can’t produce enough to boil a kettle then what’s the point? I tried to explain it’d cost thousands to do that but it’s like talking to a brick wall. Once some people get something into their heads there’s no point trying to reason with them.

And it’s not surprising really because when you try and get information from the net, it only gives advice on systems that will not only boil a kettle but allow you to sell back to the grid. Absolutely no advice to suggest it’s possible to cut your bills in half with a low-cost micro system with a quick payback time so it’s up to thee and me to spread the news and save the planet.     

 

Bill 😊

[Steve the Original]

Yes agreed, lots of people with just a bit could work wonders, save money and the World..Saving money is always a good argument..

People want a fast huge turn around and it doesn't work that way..

 

I am happy with mine and a lot of Germans have them now,just hang them on the Balcony and plug it in..

Informationen in German for thses Sets are easy to find and how best to Set them up and how much it can save you in an Anfrage year..guess thats why they get to sell so many..

[Steve the Original]

At the bottom it shows the Co2 saved and Bäume just means how many trees you have saved

[Bill]

All looks very good Steve. I reckon I’ve done two trees worth up to now, but I’ve had to cut down three real ones because of the shading. 😊 😊 😊

It’s not easy for us to see what’s available in Germany because as soon as solar is mentioned, the net brings up nothing but large UK companies wanting to sell their full-size systems. It’s almost like someone here doesn’t want us to know.

After over an hour of searching I did manage to find this buried deep in the comments of some Danish forum.

Many discounters (Lidl, Aldi, etc.) are selling these sets - here is the example of the Netto offer in Germany: https://www.netto-online.de/juskys-balkonkraftwerk-600w-solaranlage-komplettset-photovoltaik-anlage-steckerfertig-verkauf-nur-an-endverbraucher/p-2450141000

 

Bill 😊

[Steve the Original]

I have only mine up and running for a short time, i am sure if you keep your running it will replace the trees you cut down by far..

As for finding Mini Balkon solaranlage just search for above Balkon Solaranlage or Balkonkraftwerk, you should find them that way.. lots to be found in all different price Ranges.

See how good they are next year when they are upgraded to 800w

Should save a pretty Penny.