Wednesday 12 August 2015

In answer to the govt. of the day!

Investment in either of the 2 main sources of “renewables”‘ wind or solar, whilst definitely the future in electricity production in the long term, is only half of the equation. The other half, the storage of the eletricity produced, is still in the research stage.
Panic not, chaps! All will be revealed in the fulness of time! But please keep away from the naughty nuclear! Mummy & daddy know best!


Friday 7 August 2015

A guy named trump for president? You're 'avin' a larf!

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/08/07/us/politics/rivals-jab-at-donald-trump-as-gop-debate-becomes-testy.html?referrer=


Any english speaking country which is prepared to elect as it's leader someone who has a name usually associated with a colloquialism for "fart" must be entirely unmindful of it's standing in the world, cocooned in it's own arrogance. Surely? & this, aside from the man's congenital idiocy & ignorance in the world's affairs.
Imagine the scenario of him negotiating with Putin! Two arrogant fools in charge of Armageddon!


Sunday 12 July 2015

Remember! There's nowhere to run!

http://m.dailykos.com/story/2014/07/28/1317252/--Vast-methane-plumes-escaping-from-the-seafloor-discovered-in-Siberian-Arctic-Sea#


READ THIS PLEASE THIS WEEKEND!
We can no longer pretend that"things" aren't as bad as the climate scientists are making them out to be! If we don't do something serious to STOP! global warming, it will STOP! us!
Two things to start now: 1) reduce fossil fuel dependency drastically: ie. down to 0% within the next 10 years. & 2) reduce the world population by 50% within the next generation. Although by not doing the first, the second will be done for us without any effort whatsoever upon our part!


Saturday 18 April 2015

Some more to the wind power argument

http://stopthesethings.com/2015/04/18/uk-election-brits-insane-wind-power-policy-the-elephant-in-the-room/
Electricity generation is probably the most important part of modern life. And much nonsense is talked about it, mainly by people who have not generated 1 watt themselves.
Well I have, & so I'd like to add my half pennoth of electricity generation knowledge to the argument.
I've been experimenting with producing my own electricity off-grid for the last 10 years, & I do so quite successfully; & I can tell you that it can't be done on a regular, everyday basis from wind power. I learnt that about 6 months into my project! Secondly, the pre-requisite to any off-grid project is to reduce your need for electricity. Then you're in with a chance of success.
I generate my power from solar panels, 6 one hundred watt panels, 4 heavy duty lead-acid storage batteries, a 75amp wind generator, feeding through a 1400watt converter system to produce my 240 volt supply, & direct 12 volt DC for lighting & some electronic equipment charging; & all backed up by a 4.5 kilowatt LPG fired generator. This latter comes on at either low battery voltage or high 240v circuit demand.
As for percentage of power from each source: it depends on the weather & the time of year, but a good majority comes from the solar panels. As for wind, anything from nil to 50% I would guess. And the genny comes online for the washing machine.
But remember the prerequisite! Cut your usage down before ever you start to go down the off-grid road! Otherwise you'll be pissing in the wind---when it blows, that is!


Friday 3 April 2015

Energy storage

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150402101417.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fmatter_energy%2Fsolar_energy+%28Solar+Energy+News+--+ScienceDaily%29

An interesting article, well worth a read if you found my last blog re UK energy policy useful.


Tuesday 31 March 2015

A problem with the UK energy policy

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/11501235/No-one-is-talking-about-our-utterly-mad-energy-policy.html
I am in some agreement with the conclusions  arrived at in this article. My understanding of electricity production is such that wind generation is totally unreliable, but can be useful if it can be stored; which it can't be in any sort of meaningful quantity at present. Although one of the easiest & low tech ways to store energy is by way of water. Pump it uphill to absorb any surplus, & let it flow back downhill to drive hydro generators when needed.
However, solar power, which hardly gets a mention in most of the blurb on this subject, & none at all in this article is more reliable insofar as the sun shines every day, & solar panels produce some power in all light conditions, but they don't at night! So once more a storage method is needed.
The third, & most important thing , that is almost never mentioned is this: individual electricity production rather than relying on large, centralised, & horrendously expensive power plants. I'm not suggesting that a modern economy could be powered entirely by a few solar panels on your roof & a wind generator at the bottom of your garden. But certainly if every house & small business premises produced some proportion of their electricity needs on a regular, daily basis, & stored some of it via a simple battery system this would help to solve the coming electricity generation crisis; & maybe without the need for too many inherently dangerous nuclear plants.
Rather than the latter, maybe wait for technological advances in wind, wave, & solar methods, plus more efficient storage methods? And don't let's forget hydrogen as a clean fuel!


Friday 27 March 2015

About blogging & twittering

Check out this blog "The constant search for blogging & twitter apps" http://dougdevos.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-constant-search-for-blogging.html


Saturday 28 February 2015

A big ! wind power project!

Check out @DougGreenertech's Tweet: https://twitter.com/DougGreenertech/status/571731865654202368?s=09

Friday 27 February 2015

Solar power: the answer to remote living.

http://www.malaysiandigest.com/news/543345-solar-energy-lights-up-lives-of-remote-villagers.html