http://www.off-grid.net/2010/03/03/monbiot-anti-micropower-rant-is-anti-green/ renewable energy,survival,save money,self build,Green homes,Solar power, cheap power, 12 volt, Solar panels, Wind power, peak oil, Batteries, Inverter, Generator, Rainwater harvesting, survivalist, prepper, self-sufficient, vans, yurts, yachts, RVs Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:54:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 http://www.off-grid.net/2010/03/03/monbiot-anti-micropower-rant-is-anti-green/comment-page-1/#comment-295095 the1nigel Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:39:07 +0000 http://www.off-grid.net/?p=4701#comment-295095 Please could you state the source of your comment about "millions of Germans living off-grid"? Not withstanding your off-grid perspective to which FiT's don't really apply, smart meters alongside PV, would make more of a difference to our emissions and supply security in future. And a smarter distribution network is a government energy policy priority for the next 20 years, which is sensible. Smart systems could enable smaller PV installations to cover more of modern demands. So the money spent on FiT's may well be better aimed at developing smart distribution grids first. Especially as we get bugger-all sunshine these days in these parts. A smart system which could load-shed within the house would go some way to levelling the playing field between a typical 2kWp PV installation and demand. But 2kWp is not nearly enough to give most people's household supply security! And who could afford a bigger system which might do the job, apart from the wealthy? Anyway, I think a combination of ground source heat pump and solar thermal water is more compatible with climate and demand patterns here and so a better investment. Get the PV electricity from the sunnier places (like deserts or southern europe) where concentrating technologies are viable and pipe it north on HVDC (far lower losses than HVAC). That's a better use of investment funds if we are going to employ PV en mass, IMHO. Your point about household supply security and community empowerment as a reason for installing micropower really doesn't add up. Especially as the average daily electricity demand to run our "stuff" according to MacKay (Sustainable Energy without the hot air) is around 50kWhp which we could easily double if we include heat, lighting and charging the electric car in future. All this will need big electricity - whether it comes from really big offshore wind farms in the UK or a few nukes. Either way, we can trim our costly generation requirements by managing the peaks and troughs of demand better - smart networks again. I think Monbiot (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/mar/01/solar-panel-feed-in-tariff) has a point - although I'm not in favour of too many large scale nuke stations either - unless they are situated in France and interconnected to the UK that is...-:) Please could you state the source of your comment about “millions of Germans living off-grid”?
Not withstanding your off-grid perspective to which FiT’s don’t really apply, smart meters alongside PV, would make more of a difference to our emissions and supply security in future. And a smarter distribution network is a government energy policy priority for the next 20 years, which is sensible.
Smart systems could enable smaller PV installations to cover more of modern demands. So the money spent on FiT’s may well be better aimed at developing smart distribution grids first. Especially as we get bugger-all sunshine these days in these parts. A smart system which could load-shed within the house would go some way to levelling the playing field between a typical 2kWp PV installation and demand. But 2kWp is not nearly enough to give most people’s household supply security! And who could afford a bigger system which might do the job, apart from the wealthy? Anyway, I think a combination of ground source heat pump and solar thermal water is more compatible with climate and demand patterns here and so a better investment. Get the PV electricity from the sunnier places (like deserts or southern europe) where concentrating technologies are viable and pipe it north on HVDC (far lower losses than HVAC). That’s a better use of investment funds if we are going to employ PV en mass, IMHO.
Your point about household supply security and community empowerment as a reason for installing micropower really doesn’t add up. Especially as the average daily electricity demand to run our “stuff” according to MacKay (Sustainable Energy without the hot air) is around 50kWhp which we could easily double if we include heat, lighting and charging the electric car in future. All this will need big electricity – whether it comes from really big offshore wind farms in the UK or a few nukes. Either way, we can trim our costly generation requirements by managing the peaks and troughs of demand better – smart networks again.
I think Monbiot (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/mar/01/solar-panel-feed-in-tariff) has a point – although I’m not in favour of too many large scale nuke stations either – unless they are situated in France and interconnected to the UK that is…-:)

]]> http://www.off-grid.net/2010/03/03/monbiot-anti-micropower-rant-is-anti-green/comment-page-1/#comment-294769 George Monbiot – a green turn-off against micro-generation? « Christopher A. Haase Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:01:16 +0000 http://www.off-grid.net/?p=4701#comment-294769 [...] Monbiot anti-micropower rant is anti-green [...] [...] Monbiot anti-micropower rant is anti-green [...]

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