I wonder? (solar panels eventually a requirement?)

We live on an off grid property. We have 10 kilowatts of solar panels and a 14.4kWh home battery bank.
We charge our ZS EV at home all the time.
Where we live in Tasmania it can be very cloudy in winter and rains a lot. So there are some days when no solar input happens at all.
Fortunately we are retired and only go to town once or twice a week. Which is a 78 kilometre round trip. The ZS can do the trip 3 times max before flattening the battery.
So far we have only ever plugged in about 10 times in town over the last 2 years.
For an on grid house solar panels still make sense as they would cut the power bills down a lot.
 
I think there's more chance that all commercial buildings will be forced, as part of their planning requirements, will have to have solar panels that feed the grid and preexisting buildings to have them fitted retrospectively.
 
It is interesting that there is such a backlash against solar farms. (Though I wouldn't be surprised if it was largely astro-turfed by the fossil fuel industry)

The critics say "we should put panels on rooves and car parks and not fields."

I always ask if they have panels on their own roof and that seems to shut them up.

I don't think the government is likely to mandate anything so specific and fiddly.

However, it is possible that houses in the future will be asked to have a certain minimum energy efficiency rating or face some sort of penalty (like not being able to rent it out or something).

Solar panels, EV chargers and batteries might be offered as a way to get energy home ratings up and so it might be strongly incentivised at that point if my imaginary suggestion ever happened.

But some houses won't be suitable for solar - what if you are next to a large block of flats with no sun getting through? Or are surrounded by tall trees? Or you have a thatched roof?
 
It is interesting that there is such a backlash against solar farms. (Though I wouldn't be surprised if it was largely astro-turfed by the fossil fuel industry)

The critics say "we should put panels on rooves and car parks and not fields."

I always ask if they have panels on their own roof and that seems to shut them up.

I don't think the government is likely to mandate anything so specific and fiddly.

However, it is possible that houses in the future will be asked to have a certain minimum energy efficiency rating or face some sort of penalty (like not being able to rent it out or something).

Solar panels, EV chargers and batteries might be offered as a way to get energy home ratings up and so it might be strongly incentivised at that point if my imaginary suggestion ever happened.

But some houses won't be suitable for solar - what if you are next to a large block of flats with no sun getting through? Or are surrounded by tall trees? Or you have a thatched roof?
Thatched roof with solar panels.
Of course, most won't be able to have them, especially if they are grade 1 or 2 listed. As to wooded environments, you can still use them; it's just the efficiency drops. And efficiency is improving. There is even research on 'solar' panels that work at night to generate electricity.
 
Thatched roof with solar panels.
Of course, most won't be able to have them, especially if they are grade 1 or 2 listed. As to wooded environments, you can still use them; it's just the efficiency drops. And efficiency is improving. There is even research on 'solar' panels that work at night to generate electricity.
Sure, but it would be unreasonable to demand it for all. Particularly if they need some expensive solution which only captures a tiny amount of energy.

It would be necessary to add so many loopholes that it wouldn't be worth making a 'must have solar' rule in the first place.
 
It is interesting that there is such a backlash against solar farms. (Though I wouldn't be surprised if it was largely astro-turfed by the fossil fuel industry)

The critics say "we should put panels on rooves and car parks and not fields."

I always ask if they have panels on their own roof and that seems to shut them up.

I don't think the government is likely to mandate anything so specific and fiddly.

However, it is possible that houses in the future will be asked to have a certain minimum energy efficiency rating or face some sort of penalty (like not being able to rent it out or something).

Solar panels, EV chargers and batteries might be offered as a way to get energy home ratings up and so it might be strongly incentivised at that point if my imaginary suggestion ever happened.

But some houses won't be suitable for solar - what if you are next to a large block of flats with no sun getting through? Or are surrounded by tall trees? Or you have a thatched roof?
Just a thought that we might get to a tipping point where we need to put energy into the grid and perhaps if you can do so you will get some sort of preferential treatment? when to comes to owning an ev rather than a hybrid.
 
I have a very black and white opinion on Hybrid cars. There are the worst of both worlds.
When you are driving on ICE, you carry the electric motor and battery as additional weight. When you are driving electric, you carry ICE as additional weight. How is this a good solution?
 
Personally I think putting solar panels over car parks is more sensible than covering our fields. I see the following benefits;
Keeping cars underneath cool in the summer,
Protecting cars from the worst of winter weather,
If tiled with local batteries they could provided local (ish) EV charging or localised grid support,
Before anyone asks, I have two solar arrays, one Powerwall, two EV's and two motorcycles.
 
Not so much a use in the UK, but I can see irrigation channels and man made rivers being required to be covered by something like solar panels as water scarcity increases in areas.
 
I'd have thought V2G would be a better mandated idea. Come home a plug in, let the grid use the energy in your battery to help with early evening peak loads, then replace the energy (and recharge) overnight when the wind turbines are still turning rather than turn them off to balance the grid. Solar is only useful if you can use it immediately (or have battery capacity to store it).
 
I'd have thought V2G would be a better mandated idea. Come home a plug in, let the grid use the energy in your battery to help with early evening peak loads, then replace the energy (and recharge) overnight when the wind turbines are still turning rather than turn them off to balance the grid. Solar is only useful if you can use it immediately (or have battery capacity to store it).
Like it, what a good idea.

Yes I wouldn't mind a car port or garage or similar with a couple of kilowatt solar just to trickle a bit into the battery. I do wonder how many charges the sockets will stand before wearing out? I seem to remember Bjorn Nyland? on YouTube having issues with a Renault charge port? on the car.
 
Yes I wouldn't mind a car port or garage or similar with a couple of kilowatt solar just to trickle a bit into the battery.
Sadly not so simple.. as the min charge rate for type 2 AC charging is 6A - and you'll need a battery buffer for when clouds pass over :(
 
I have a very black and white opinion on Hybrid cars. There are the worst of both worlds.
When you are driving on ICE, you carry the electric motor and battery as additional weight. When you are driving electric, you carry ICE as additional weight. How is this a good solution?
Our transition to the MG4 was via two Gen 2 Prius, one with an extened range battery added and the other an ex taxi with 650,000 km on the clock when we bought it.
The are a lot of kms between major towns in Australia, the MG4 is great for the 250km to 300km round trip to Adelaide from Mannum, but a longer trip, it's either the Prius or the MG4 on a trailer behind the 10m motorhome.
The MG4 just doesn't have the range required without making it a long and painful trip, it is heavy to tow behind the motorhome, with trailer it adds 2 tonne approx making it 16 mtrs long and up around 12 tonne rolling ..... but the MG4 V2L makes up for it allowing free camping and the rooftop solar on the motorhome recharges it ..... well, it will when I actually fit it :LOL:

Our replacement house for the one that burnt to the ground, has very strict energy rating requirements in volving double glazing, insulation, design and angle to reduce the sun on the windows in summer, yet assist in heating the house in winter, and energy smart appliances, solar and batteries if we want to alter anything that will affect the passive energy saving design ....

After the electricity mob's meter box was the most likely cause of the fire, I will be going off grid with the new house, they can stick their poles and wires, service charges and continual price increases, right where they belong ...... So solar and batteries will be a big part of the rebuild .....

T1 Terry
 
Personally I think putting solar panels over car parks is more sensible than covering our fields. I see the following benefits;
Keeping cars underneath cool in the summer,
Protecting cars from the worst of winter weather,
If tiled with local batteries they could provided local (ish) EV charging or localised grid support,
Before anyone asks, I have two solar arrays, one Powerwall, two EV's and two motorcycles.
I think it is a case of putting them everywhere.

Rooves obviously but also car parks and (less agriculturally productive) fields.

I saw a stat that all the fields being used are low grade productivity so there isn't much loss to agricultural output.

Solar farms are great for biodiversity because plants and animals can live around them.
 
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