Random Renewables Thread

Yeah I've found exactly one pellet system so far that generates 700W from a Stirling engine for 9kW of heat. Currently my heat pump outputs 6kW so it's already oversized for what I would need

If I did go for a system like that then I would probably have it heating a large buffer tank to store the heat for use throughout the day. A bit like the water battery you've been using

I am starting to wonder if I'm thinking the wrong way about this. If I heat the house with something other than electricity then that removes a big chunk of the demand from my solar panels. So perhaps CHP is the wrong thing to be looking at...

what temperature difference does that stirling engine need to run?

@the_amazing_raisin what do you heat the house with now and what size is it? You said 'If I heat the house with something other than electricity then that removes a big chunk of the demand from my solar panels'

Asking as I've a plug-in rad on a thermostat in the kitchen / siting room at the moment. It's heating that 30sqm room for only 2kWh a day. Meaning electricity isn't breaking the bank. Granted it gets the sun and heat from the kitchen so starts as a warmish room. And the weather isn't cold now. Perfect for this time of autumn and same for start of spring. Haven't turned GCH on so far.

It's on 24hrs a day for last 2 weeks as I'm seeing if that helps (kinda opposite of what makes sense, that having on low heat all the time means the heat moves into the walls as thermal mass). Set to 17c at night. Then I change up to 20c during the day, bit by bit (I'm wfh so am here). Comes on every 2 hours at night for maybe 15mins. And unlike the GCH it keeps the room at a constant temp. Different strokers, different folks - our clan are grand with the rooms we sit in being warm and hall and upstairs cold.

We've no insulation downstairs and single pane windows. So we lose heat quickly normally. I know we need to sort that, but waiting on the money tree to regrow :)

Also bought a door hinge spring a few weeks back and makes a huge difference. In winter if the sitting room door is open, the heating would run all day and not stop. So now I don't need to nag the kids to 'close the door' :) MARIE Hydraulic Spring Door Closer with Hold Open Soft Close Size 2 with Automatic Adjustable Arm Operated for Commercial & Home 25-45KG Weight Door with Installation Video EN1154 Certification Black : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

Here's the thermostat plug that comes on + off at temp you set (for plug-in rad): KETOTEK Digital Thermostat Plug Socket Temperature Controller 220V with Sensor Probe, Thermostatic Plug Heating Cooling for Greenhouse Freezer Refrigerator Fermentation : Amazon.co.uk: Business, Industry & Science. In time I might move that to a wireless temp sensor in HA, but not a rabbit hole I need to go down now as works.

Could put a plug-in rad in to 'boost' the room you're in for a few hours in depths of winter - if it won't confuse the temp sensor in the heat pump so it turns off. Then heatpump is perfect apart from that. Gotta love Irish high tech ventilation - hole in the wall :)

If you get the head down on the solar install and get that booked in, then you're done for now

Solar farms 'can benefit wildlife'. Link: Solar farms a 'blight on the landscape'? Research shows they can benefit wildlife (theconversation.com)

Saw a good pic the other day of sheep sitting under the panels to avoid the heat of the sun :) I'm a city-slicker but assume it's possible to share the land (like they are doing in places with fruit trees and crops in the same field to give multiple yields on same land). And farmers then get the rent on the space for the panels (if they get into a lease). Ok, makes it more tricky with machinery and expensive panels in terms of risk of damage to them. But getting 2 incomes from a single field.

🤣 We know without optimisers a tiny % of shading on one panel has a huge drop in output for the whole string. Imagine what cow pats would do? :)

32 counties at this stage I'd reckon. Athlone was always the centre point in my view.

sounds good !

Yes I am thinking about such ductless systems for my downstairs, there a few around. Downside to these you need a socket nearby or you are chasing.

Upstairs i can go ducted.

The 3 gorges dam hydro plant in China is 10 times as powerful as that 😁

It's possible. Earlier this year, the max the grid could take was 75% from wind. This percentage has obviously risen further but that 77% could well be the current max.

Yeah I'm pretty sure it's going to be a flop, the general rule of rooftop wind turbines is that you're trying to make the best of bad airflow so you are doomed to get bad output

Like I said, they're being clever by going for office buildings and apartment blocks rather than houses to try and get the best performance

It would be nice to see something like these alongside on all the taller buildings in Dublin to generate some clean energy

From an investment point of view, they probably aren't cheap so I can't imagine them paying for themselves any quicker than solar

What would be cool would be if someone released an open source version that could be put together using some sheet aluminium and 3D printed parts so it was dirt cheap to build

If you could get something that was roof mounted for under €250 and gave a steady few hundred watts then a couple of them on the roof of a house would pay for themselves pretty quickly I reckon

China installs more solar PV per year than the rest of the world combined

China installs more wind generation per year than the rest of the world combined

China installs more hydro per year than the rest of the world combined