I think solar is the way we'll go on our new house, I'm just a little disappointed that the solar tech doesn't seem to have advanced a great deal - we're still stuck on panels operating at 20% odd efficiency. When you consider the first panels in the 60's were already at 14% efficiency. Hopefully recent increased demand will drive further innovation.
We had some quotes before Christmas for a solar system on our works factory (only light engineering - mainly hand tools and lighting, no high power draw heavy machinery), and were told that we'd need to cover every inch of south facing roof space with 72 panels, and that still wouldn't get us to 100% of our usage!
The technology really needs to catch up quickly - once they get closer to 50% it becomes a much more attractive proposition.
Went that way here
@Wookii
In terms of energy savings for aquariums, not necessarily monetary savings, the tanks here run on Solar for their lighting periods during the majority of the year.
4.44kWh system with deliberate clipping (all panels west facing). This gives high/maximum energy production from midday onwards.
The sum energy consumption of all the tanks during their photoperiod is between 700w and 800w per hour. Heaters will shift this figure but majority of the tanks are matched to ambient house temp (21C). Heaters don’t click on for long and doesn’t raise consumption beyond production.
Lights on at midday, so the energy requirement during the photoperiod is provided by solar for an estimated 9 months of the year in it’s entirety. Just heaters and filters running off the grid for the rest of the day.
Capitalising on the excess can be done through laundry during Solar production. Washing machines usually have a 3kW heater in them and only cold water supply. If you’ve got kids there will always be a daily wash so it adds up. Another is flicking on the immersion heater on the hot water tank if you got one if you are producing excess.
Teamed up the Solar here with air conditioning. Alternative means of heating the building and using energy from solar production in colder months. Also allows for climate control of the building in summer. Double glazing in the UK is designed to let heat in, but not allow heat out. Our homes are designed like ovens and summers are getting hotter at peak.
Tech getting more efficient will happen, but changing your behaviour reaps good rewards at the moment. The capital needed upfront seems less sensible without incentives like the FIT scheme. But Solar can offer flexibility and some insurance against energy price hikes.
Still find it absurd we live on a fairly large island and tidal energy has received no investment. We had a good nuclear program, enough to lay energy cables to the continent as we should have been exporting to France… but then Thatcher… and now we buy electricity from the continent.
Got Fusion going for five seconds (yay) but the tides are very dependable in the meantime 🤷🏻♂️
