RE: Solar heated hot water

[Scott Crowther <scrowther@xxxxxxx>]

Hi Bruno

Are you saying that PV may improve over time?

And if that's no good now, what should the average homeowner look at, as
well as solar hot water?

I was considering PV because of the good grants available, but if its not
worth it...

Currently I get my power from unit-e, so I s'pose I'm as close to having my
own renewable energy system as I can get without the actual hardware!!!

Ta

Scott

=20
=20

-----Original Message-----
From: Bruno Prior [mailto:bruno@xxxxxxx]=20
Sent: 01 April 2003 01:26
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [ukha_d] Solar heated hot water

Now would be a great time for people to investigate this sort of thing.=20
The government has just introduced a grant scheme called Clear Skies=20
(www.clear-skies.org) to encourage people to install small-scale=20
renewable energy equipment.

I'm putting a heatpump (from Kensa Engineering -=20
www.kensaengineering.com) in my barn conversion which will give me 3=20
units of heat (or cooling) for every unit of electricity used. I'm also=20
looking at putting in a wood pellet burner. The government should give=20
me =A31200 towards the heatpump and another =A3800 if I go for the burner.=
=20
Would have looked at solar hot water, but (a) it's a listed building, so=20
we can't put it on the roof or anywhere else that would impact the=20
appearance, and (b) you can only get grants for upto 2 qualifying=20
technologies per installation.

For what it's worth, I run a business generating renewable electricity,=20
and my opinion is that solar hot water can be a good idea, PV (i.e.=20
electricity from solar) is not worth it (at the moment). And don't fall=20
for the myth that renewable =3D wind. Wind power is actually one of the=20
least practical forms of renewable energy (although, like every source=20
of energy, it has its applications).

Cheers,

Bruno Prior