photovoltaics is teh win !!:)

2008-03-12 02:57:32

#1

B.Schuss: I'm back, baby... ( sort of ); +664|6848|Cologne, Germany

Last year, I installed a photovoltaics array on the roof of my house. It's only a couple of square meters, but it still means that from now on, I'll be able to generate all of the electric energy my household consumes on my own, without having to buy additional power from the electricity company. More importantly, I can now show these bastards and their ever-rising prices the finger.

No imagine if it were manadatory that every new house built must have a photovoltaics array on the roof. Clean, renewable energy, at an affordable price for everyone. Does that sound so bad ? Only for the big power companies, I assure you.

Are you planning to do something about your carbon footprint, and your energy bill at the same time ? Do you know anyone who has ?
What are your thoughts on this issue ?

2008-03-12 02:58:17

#2

aimless: Member; +166|6132|Texas

photovoltaics = solar panels?

How much did the entire installation process cost?

2008-03-12 02:58:52

#3

max: Vela Incident; +1,652|6574|NYC / Hamburg

I like my nuclear power very much. Cheap and no carbon footprint.

_{once upon a midnight dreary, while i pron surfed, weak and weary, over many a strange and spurious site of ' hot xxx galore'. While i clicked my fav'rite bookmark, suddenly there came a warning, and my heart was filled with mourning, mourning for my dear amour, " 'Tis not possible!", i muttered, " give me back my free hardcore!"..... quoth the server, 404.}

2008-03-12 02:59:45

#4

^*AlphA*^: F*ckers; +3,135|6745|The Hague, Netherlands

it would be great if we did so...

tho I live in an apartment complex... so I don't have a roof where I can install it, further more wouldn't be allowed by the government,

but was it expensive to install?

https://bf3s.com/sigs/36eac2cb6af70a43508fd8d1c93d3201f4e23435.png

2008-03-12 03:06:22

#5

Tehremos: Parcel of ol' Crams; +128|6415|Somersetshire

when you wrote "photovoltaics array" it sounded like you wanted it to sound "treky". Why didn't you just put solar panels?

2008-03-12 03:06:30

#6

Varegg: Support fanatic :-); +2,206|6817|Nårvei

Photovoltaics, or PV for short, is a technology that converts light directly into electricity. Photovoltaics is also the field of study relating to this technology and there are many research institutes devoted to work on photovoltaics. Due to the growing need for solar energy, the manufacture of solar cells and solar photovoltaic array has expanded dramatically in recent years.

Photovoltaic production has been doubling every two years, increasing by an average of 48 percent each year since 2002, making it the world’s fastest-growing energy technology. At the end of 2007, according to preliminary data, cumulative global production was 12,400 megawatts. Roughly 90% of this generating capacity consists of grid-tied electrical systems.

Such installations may be ground-mounted (and sometimes integrated with farming and grazing) or building integrated. Financial incentives, such as preferential feed-in tariffs for solar-generated electricity and net metering, have supported solar PV installations in many countries including Germany, Japan, and the United States.

Wait behind the line ..............................................................

2008-03-12 03:07:05

#7

KuSTaV: noice; +947|6518|Gold Coast

Ahhh. I suppose I could get some solar panels on my roof... :\
Its heaps big :\
Plus I have a rather large shed as well.... but the price initially would be massive.

How much did you pay?

noice

https://static.bf2s.com/files/user/26774/awsmsanta.png

2008-03-12 03:26:36

#8

FEOS: Bellicose Yankee Air Pirate; +1,182|6418|'Murka

I wonder what kind of a pollutant footprint the production of those PV arrays made...

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein
Doing the popular thing is not always right. Doing the right thing is not always popular

2008-03-12 03:34:10

#9

JahManRed: wank; +646|6635|IRELAND

I just finished building my house and had intended to fit such a thing. Though when my budget got squeezed, it got squeezed out in favour of an upstairs balcony. Sipping a beer looking out over the surrounding trees at the sea won.
I think that's what it comes down to most........money. I have fitted a water tank that can take a panel at a later date tho.

2008-03-12 03:37:02

#10

Burwhale: Save the BlobFish!; +136|6229|Brisneyland

Hey Schuss , I have applied to get a 1kW/hr array on my roof. It will cost a total of $1500 Australian if the deal is accepted ( that is after rebates etc). With your system, does the power get fed into the grid directly, or does it charge up batteries that you use to run lights, appliances etc.
Obviously my veiw is that it is a great thing, and will reduce my power costs, along with a significant reduction in Greenhouse gases, so its all win.
FEOS makes a good point that the production of the panels will produce pollutants, however most panels have a life expectancy of 25 years or so, therefore can more than account for the CO2 emitted during production.

2008-03-12 03:38:45

#11

san4: The Mas; +311|6695|NYC, a place to live

How does the PV array power the house at night?

2008-03-12 03:41:19

#12

sergeriver: Cowboy from Hell; +1,928|6764|Argentina

How much do you guys pay for electricity? We have a Pc on 24/7, 3 tv's, 2 air conditioners, the fridge with freezer, a lot of lights, and a lot of other electric devices. Yet I spend 20 U$S top.

2008-03-12 03:45:34

#13

Burwhale: Save the BlobFish!; +136|6229|Brisneyland

san4 wrote:
How does the PV array power the house at night?

The cells should power up a battery pack during the night, which you can use whenever you want. Alternatively the power you generate gets fed directly into the power grid, which takes care of some power in the day, and you draw power from the grid in the night.

2008-03-12 03:48:58

#14

AussieReaper: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°); +5,761|6160|what

If you generate enough energy, you can then sell it back to the power companies. Unfortunately, you don't dictate the price as they do.

2008-03-12 03:55:57

#15

FEOS: Bellicose Yankee Air Pirate; +1,182|6418|'Murka

Burwhale the Avenger wrote:
Hey Schuss , I have applied to get a 1kW/hr array on my roof. It will cost a total of $1500 Australian if the deal is accepted ( that is after rebates etc). With your system, does the power get fed into the grid directly, or does it charge up batteries that you use to run lights, appliances etc.
Obviously my veiw is that it is a great thing, and will reduce my power costs, along with a significant reduction in Greenhouse gases, so its all win.
FEOS makes a good point that the production of the panels will produce pollutants, however most panels have a life expectancy of 25 years or so, therefore can more than account for the CO2 emitted during production.

It's not just CO2...there are much nastier things that are the byproducts of production.

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein
Doing the popular thing is not always right. Doing the right thing is not always popular

2008-03-12 04:00:19

#16

B1GBUD: Member; +17|6603|Under an Artillery Shell

sergeriver wrote:
How much do you guys pay for electricity? We have a Pc on 24/7, 3 tv's, 2 air conditioners, the fridge with freezer, a lot of lights, and a lot of other electric devices. Yet I spend 20 U$S top.

My electric bill works out around £100 every quarter, thats about $200. UK energy prices are going mad right now and it doesn't look promising for the future.

I have a PC that's on for about 6-7 hours a day, 1 TV and no A/C.

2008-03-12 04:05:43

#17

Burwhale: Save the BlobFish!; +136|6229|Brisneyland

FEOS wrote:
It's not just CO2...there are much nastier things that are the byproducts of production.

I am sure there are other byproducts of solar panel production however I would bet that they would be a million times less than the by products associated with a coal fired power station or a nuclear power station.

2008-03-12 04:10:51

#18

B.Schuss: I'm back, baby... ( sort of ); +664|6848|Cologne, Germany

aimless wrote:
photovoltaics = solar panels?

How much did the entire installation process cost?

around 20,000 €. But considering I'll never have to pay a single dime to a power company for the rest of my life, I consider that a good deal.

2008-03-12 04:14:07

#19

B.Schuss: I'm back, baby... ( sort of ); +664|6848|Cologne, Germany

FEOS wrote:
I wonder what kind of a pollutant footprint the production of those PV arrays made...

I know, but you gotta start somewhere. Imagine how much energy could be saved if there was no private consumption of energy. None at all.

and if you power the factories that produce solar panels through solar power themselves, or wind, or hydroelectric plants, you'll have a near perfect carbon bill.

yeah, I know, I am dreaming, but this is exactly how we must approach this issue. Imagine how great it would be if the whole production chain from the raw materials and how they're retrieved until the very end were carbon neutral ?

2008-03-12 04:43:29

#20

B.Schuss: I'm back, baby... ( sort of ); +664|6848|Cologne, Germany

^*AlphA*^ wrote:
it would be great if we did so...

tho I live in an apartment complex... so I don't have a roof where I can install it, further more wouldn't be allowed by the government,

but was it expensive to install?

around 20,000 €. A good deal if you consider I won't have to pay a single dime to a power company for the rest of my life.
Instead, they are now paying me 180,00 € per month for the energy I send into their system. That's what I call a good deal.

and as far as apartment complexes are concerned, those are even better suited for photovoltaic panels. They usually have large roofs, and owners / landlords would save a ton of money. Until the panels have paid off, they could put a few euros on the rent, and after that, no one living there will have to pay anything for electricity. Doesn't that sound like a dream scenario for anyone looking for an apartment ?

2008-03-12 04:47:08

#21

Varegg: Support fanatic :-); +2,206|6817|Nårvei

B.Schuss wrote:
aimless wrote:
photovoltaics = solar panels?

How much did the entire installation process cost?
around 20,000 €. But considering I'll never have to pay a single dime to a power company for the rest of my life, I consider that a good deal.

Just to get a perspective on the cost.

*In my local currency that's about 160.000 nok
*My monthly bill is about 1.000 nok (2 adults & 3 kids)
*So in 160 months or 13,3 years i could have free electricity
*Sounds a lot but is a good deal imo

Besides the tech will only get cheaper and like Schuss said you can even make money off it

Wait behind the line ..............................................................

2008-03-12 04:50:06

#22

B.Schuss: I'm back, baby... ( sort of ); +664|6848|Cologne, Germany

san4 wrote:
How does the PV array power the house at night?

All the electricity that I do not use up during the day is sent into the power grid, just as regularly produced electricity, and can be used at any time. Ideally, everyone in the power grid has solar panels hooked up, meaning we feed each other.

Obviously, we are not quite there yet, as the idea is only just catching on with home owners and landlords, but we gotta start somewhere.

The desired end result is that we would only have a very small number of traditional power plants, as a backup system, while we supply our own energy.

Right now, we're not allowed to store our own energy, but that will come sooner or later.

2008-03-12 04:52:11

#23

B.Schuss: I'm back, baby... ( sort of ); +664|6848|Cologne, Germany

FEOS wrote:
Burwhale the Avenger wrote:
Hey Schuss , I have applied to get a 1kW/hr array on my roof. It will cost a total of $1500 Australian if the deal is accepted ( that is after rebates etc). With your system, does the power get fed into the grid directly, or does it charge up batteries that you use to run lights, appliances etc.
Obviously my veiw is that it is a great thing, and will reduce my power costs, along with a significant reduction in Greenhouse gases, so its all win.
FEOS makes a good point that the production of the panels will produce pollutants, however most panels have a life expectancy of 25 years or so, therefore can more than account for the CO2 emitted during production.
It's not just CO2...there are much nastier things that are the byproducts of production.

well, obviously the idea is to make the whole production and distribution chain totally emission-free at some point in the future.
And since solar energy can power anything, from machinery, to production plants, to tranport vehicles, I wouldn't know why this shouldn't be possible.

I mean, think about it. Why would a company as big as GM or Volkswagen want to pay someone else for the energy they use, if they could just as well produce that energy themselves, for free ? I mean, they have literally got acres of roof space to use here...

2008-03-12 05:02:28

#24

B.Schuss: I'm back, baby... ( sort of ); +664|6848|Cologne, Germany

as Varegg said, this has the potential to be a major breakthrough for consumers. No more depending on someone else supplying your energy. No more price raises. show the big energy corporations the finger.

And at one point, we'll all be able to drive electric cars ( once the technology has reached a point were it makes sense, as far as mileage and power is concerned ), and then you'll also be able to show OPEC the finger. How's that sound ?

jesus, I am pumped. I need to calm down...

I think we are only just beginning to realize the potential.

2008-03-12 05:07:39

#25

ghettoperson: Member; +1,943|6656

That's really cool, however it is pricey. What did you used to spend on electricity per month, Schussy?

BF2S Forums photovoltaics is teh win !!:)

san4 wrote:

Burwhale the Avenger wrote:

sergeriver wrote:

FEOS wrote:

aimless wrote:

FEOS wrote:

^AlphA^ wrote:

B.Schuss wrote:

aimless wrote:

san4 wrote:

FEOS wrote:

Burwhale the Avenger wrote:

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