Are any of you guilty of nimbyism - objecting to solar farms?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62677534

Why nuclear power is a really bad idea.

Dinahmo

I'm aware that you can have both but think that it is probably cheaper to have just the solar thermal power and this might help people in the short term.

We only have Solar Thermal Panels, not Solar Water Panels, and I don't quite know how it works but the unused solar energy runs the immersion tank so the gas central heating uses less power to heat it. It only cost a couple of hundred pounds to add it to our Solar Thermal Panels but has been a game changer. We had our Solar Panels fitted some time ago and new technologies are getting better all the time.

What are 'solar thermal panels' please? Are they the electricity producing panels that I know as solar photovoltaic panels?

MaizieD

What are 'solar thermal panels' please? Are they the electricity producing panels that I know as solar photovoltaic panels?

That's what I believe them to be.

icanhandthemback

MaizieD

What are 'solar thermal panels' please? Are they the electricity producing panels that I know as solar photovoltaic panels?

That's what I believe them to be.

Thanks. I get a bit confused over the terminology.

So your device uses the excess electricity your panel produces to heat the immersion heating device in your tank. Clever...

MaizieD

icanhandthemback

MaizieD

What are 'solar thermal panels' please? Are they the electricity producing panels that I know as solar photovoltaic panels?

That's what I believe them to be.

Thanks. I get a bit confused over the terminology.

So your device uses the excess electricity your panel produces to heat the immersion heating device in your tank. Clever...

I'm wrong. There appears to be about £1000 difference between the two technologies. However, Thermal Panels only work in the hotter weather whereas PV Panels work all the year round. Thermal Panels need replacing twice as quickly as PV so although the initial outlay is better, they actually work out more expensive.

icanhandthemback

MaizieD

icanhandthemback

MaizieD

What are 'solar thermal panels' please? Are they the electricity producing panels that I know as solar photovoltaic panels?

That's what I believe them to be.

Thanks. I get a bit confused over the terminology.

So your device uses the excess electricity your panel produces to heat the immersion heating device in your tank. Clever...

I'm wrong. There appears to be about £1000 difference between the two technologies. However, Thermal Panels only work in the hotter weather whereas PV Panels work all the year round. Thermal Panels need replacing twice as quickly as PV so although the initial outlay is better, they actually work out more expensive.

The two are very different.

Solar thermal panels only give you hot water. Water runs through them, heats up and feeds into a solar thermal tank (cylinder). Water is for washing etc. and not for heating the home because it can't produce enough during the winter months.

PV (Photovoltaic) panels give you power/energy. These need inverters and storage. Many refer to these as solar panels.

We have both for our new home. PV on the ground (12 panels, inverter, programmer and batteries). New home has 2 solar thermal panels on the roof + a 3000 ltr storage tank.

Solar thermal panels only give you hot water. Water runs through them, heats up and feeds into a solar thermal tank (cylinder). Water is for washing etc. and not for heating the home because it can't produce enough during the winter months.

I don't know. Mine can heat the water a little in the winter if there's sufficient sunlight.

We have them connected to a thermal store, which is like a big super insulated cylinder in which the water can be heated from any heat source, we have the oil boiler and the woodburner connected to it as well. The water for hot water and for the heating passes through separate coils in the tank and the hot water in the tank heats the water as it passes through the coils. It cuts down our oil usage.

Now I know what solar thermal is I won't be confused again

Thank you, Muse for explaining. Somewhere between writing my post and pressing the post message button, I managed to completely lose the explanation about the two systems without noticing.

Yes

It is not true that solar thermal panels only work in hot weather. The light shining on the panels heats the water in the panels even in the winter.

A few solar thermal panels on the roof can produce all the hot water you need during the summer and also make a useful contribution to heating the water in the winter.

varian

It is not true that solar thermal panels only work in hot weather. The light shining on the panels heats the water in the panels even in the winter.

A few solar thermal panels on the roof can produce all the hot water you need during the summer and also make a useful contribution to heating the water in the winter.

Perhaps I should have said "work efficiently". However, I did read several articles which all said that they needed the warmer weather to be a worthwhile investment.

Rees Mogg's appointment is dangerous for our response to climate change

www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/architects-declare-warns-rees-mogg-appointment-is-dangerous-radical-madness