Solar panels and energy crunch forum

The world is coming to terms with their own energy vulnerabilities at the moment with the US oil slick disaster.

The UK is even more vulnerable at the moment:

Our North Sea reserves are dwindling

We are at the end of the supply chain

Our energy infrastructure like the railways is insufficient and need updating including whole power stations. Our stockpiles and reserves are only for 2-3 weeks max New power stations will not be completed for another 15 years earliest.

Any break in our energy supply chain from vulnerable supplies from Russia and the far east will mean the UK will quickly suffer.

If we do not integrate renewable energy into our lives then we will need more of Mr Putins gas, though, there are others like Norway who have not squandered gas like we have and so can supply some, but not all.

The price of fuel for many powering renewable devices, for example, solar, wind, waves and tidal currents, will not go up any time soon. The more renewables we have, the less reliant we are on other dubious countries and the steadier energy prices will be overall.

Climate and Energy secretary Chris Huhne said "the new green energy plans will allow the UK to cut emissions and lead a pioneering shift towards a viable, clean energy infrastructure." Solar panels are now considered a favourable long term investment for homeowners for keeping energy bills down. It is forecasting an energy crunch in the UK that could hit the Olympic Games and turn into a national embarrassment.

Poor reinvestment into infrastructure is exactly the behaviour to be expected by a privatised industry, bringing costs down to the bone, make excessive profits when you can.

Then when the energy crunch comes, and they have to spend some money, you have gotten your stupid customers by the short and curlies, pay up or freeze or starve or buy some candles. The softening up process by these companies and warnings, of higher prices for energy, to pay for what they should have been doing for the last 20 years will soon start.

The whole UK energy privatisation is a complete fiasco. I think things are now so rotten in the economy, that a complete failure may well see a compulsory de-privatisation of many of these rapacious corporations, possibly by a violent political reversal. Whatever happens, we will all pay for the failure of investment in an industrial and transport infrastructure.

If you are wise, you will buy half a tonne of candles, store them in a garage and make a substantial profit.

The UK power supply is going to rely heavily on Russian supplies as the North Sea production wains, creating an energy supply gap. The more energy price increase in the pipeline (excuse the pun) over the coming years.

Fossil fuels provide us with a great source of energy.

The human race has built up an unsustainable reliance on fossil fuels, and it is estimated, that if we continue to consume these supplies at the current rate, the cost involved in sourcing and processing fossil fuels will be prohibitive to use in domestic homes. The environmental cost of using fossil fuels is also significant.

After the initial investment has been recovered, the energy from the sun is practically free. It is a misconception that solar panels only work with direct sunlight, because solar panels will heat water even on an overcast day which is fantastic news for us in the UK.

Solar-powered hot water heating systems should now be viewed as a real alternative, providing a large percentage of your yearly supply of hot water without producing any pollutants and with panel life expectancies of 35 years plus our systems offer real peace of mind.

By investing in a solar hot water heating system, you will be able to protect yourself against price rises by collecting free energy of the sun. The carbon emissions produced during manufacture are kept to a minimum, and with a payback time on those emissions of just a couple of years, you will be able to relax in the knowledge that your impact on the environment will be significantly reduced as well.

Although many people install solar hot water to help preserve the earth’s resources, many more are installing the system for economic reasons. At current energy costs, the average payback period for a system is between 6–12 years, with a life expectancy of 35 years.

Thanks a lot for sharing such an informative post on the updates on Energy Crunch with in the UK. Why is the world preferring to shift to solar power and what are the benefits as to what can be reaped using solar power.

Solar power is not about replacing our current ways of generating energy, but rather padding and cushioning the effects long term from the inevitable decline of oil (peak oil) production globally.

The more people seek to use the remaining easy reach stuff at a faster, and the faster prices become unaffordable to more people.

Filling the gap you may say.