Solar panels and energy crunch forum

An extra value to adding a solar heating panel system to your home, apart from the considerable reduction in fuel bills, is it also improves the effectiveness of your existing boilers life too.

It may easily become the most respected energy source of the future. The energy and heat from the sun is free. Once solar panels or solar thermal collectors are set up. It is environmentally friendly. Solar energy is clean and renewable. It does not pollute.

The challenge is not how to shore up a crumbling superpowers with global summits, but to start thinking about how we are going to live through either the climate crash.

The depletion of critical resources is a concern too.

I have at the core of my environmentalist heart humankind's well being for future generation.

Most sensible environmentalists are exactly that: pro-Human.

It is not Man verses Nature. It never has been nor should be understood that way. We are a part of nature and this planet. A remarkably small part of the prominent evolutionary machine that is the nature. As someone who has devoted my life to geology and geological climatology I can assure you the planet, life, nature as it will be acceptable it will find a way. Evolving and surviving, like it always have we just have to make sure we're one of the species that survive the climate change that will take place in this the Anthropogenic Era.

Many environmentalists have got this message wrong in the past preaching doom and gloom as a way to inspire people to act, but many are realising now that fear and scaremongering exceedingly rarely gets the outcome one wants. The future has to be something we want, not fear and environmentalists need to take their part in that.

Oh and Huroner to suggest that the argument over global warming is finished and the sceptics won are just naive and silly.

If anything, most people can not believe that the skeptics are still trying to use the same flawed arguments to deny global heating exists. I can happily lecture on carbon isotopes, carbon ratios, fossil fuel signatures and the uncanny relationship between the location of fossil fuel burning countries and increase Carbon 12 in the atmosphere.

I suggest you start with the basic most Carbon Cycle.

Ever increasing oil prices will be a consistent and ongoing feature of our new, modern lives - we have reached the peak oil in 2005 - 2006, so the price will only keep going up. This is not speculative thinking it's primary supply/demand of economics. Our modern economy requires cheap energy to function.

With this unfolding scenario, business and investors that remain tied to the shaky oil infrastructure will eventually go down with it; those that anticipate new, future opportunities will also benefit financially speaking too.

We should deal with this issue as a matter of urgency, before it becomes a crisis. Drive and innovation could assist in making things better, but unless its done quickly, the future is bleak without action.

We're told again and again that there's no plan B, so down we go, down the proverbial plughole.

The benefits of fitting solar panels, however, have not been justified properly here.

Solar panels systems or other micro generation system are to be viewed as a longer term investment. Can you imagine what energy prices are going to be like after 10 - 15 years of continued predicted rises?

By this time, you will have paid for your solar panels out right, and then you will still have another 10-15 years more feed-in tariff revenue to enjoy AND the free energy while your neighbours struggle to pay their bills (in most cases).

PV panels especially have exceptionally long lifespan 30 - 40 years, so if we are all still around by that time, you will still be enjoying the benefits of your solar panel investment back in 2011.

I used money sitting in the building society at 1.5% to pay for my solar panel installation. As well as increasing the value of my home, it is now paying me around 10% for the next 25 years and continuing to cut my electricity bills after that.

Not only does the generous feed-in tariff scheme pay for every unit of power generated, it also pays extra for any surplus feed back into the grid. As more people that take advantage of the scheme, the country can generate less electricity from fossil fuels.

The feed-in tariffs, unlike the building society interest, is tax free (good for higher rate payers in particular); it is guaranteed and index linked. The installation is guaranteed for 10 years and is fully maintenance free. I rather enjoy the readout on the AC/DC inverter which shows me how much power I’m generating, and I’m also acutely aware of the daily costs that I had before. It makes me think more about our use of electricity in the home, and how we can make the best use of our free solar energy.

Where is the catch?

None, as far as we can see it is a ‘no-brainer’an, and since feed-in tariffs will gradually decrease for newer installations, now is the time to take the plunge.

Even during the drab winter, the installation is generating power; and during these, long sunny, summer days, my wallet is enjoying the sunshine as much as I am.

Solar panels are particularly useful and can be seen at many homes. It is a relevant energy source, which help in saving money for electricity bills, and can also be independent of energy with these solar panels.

Hello, will I need planning permission to put solar panels on the roof. Solar panels including evacuated tubes and pv electric panels are becoming an increasingly popular way to invest in your home.