Why Is It Called Renewable Energy?

Because you frequently have to renew the malfunctioning components.

I dont know actually, because even though it wont run out any time soon doesnt make it renewable.

The sun will die. Solar

The planets core will cool. Geothermal

All the animals in the world running generators need feeding.


Renewable is just a word that sounds better than "pretty much free for a good while" rather than some kind of magic that spurts energy out of nothing.

a reply to: Biigs

The renewables engineer who was here when I started this thread told me there has been much progress in the last ten years. Then went on to discuss the thousands of pounds worth of replacement components our landlord will have to consider if our system is to function adequately.

Pretty much free is far from the truth. The manufacture, distribution, installation, maintenance and responsible decommissioning of 'renewable' systems uses much energy. Then there is the electricity used to run the 'renewable' systems. The solar panel array our landlord has had fitted relies on mains electricity to run. That fact leaves many people speechless.

Geothermal has run into problems with geological instability caused by deep drilling. That's genuine geothermal, using heat from the earth. Ground source heat pumps use solar energy stored closer to the surface. They are technically solar energy. Ground source heat pumps, GSHP, are notoriously difficult to get a return from. The complex systems frequently don't actually heat the buildings that have them. Massive electricity bills are not uncommon. Designers, manufacturers and installers often pass the blame around leaving the homeowner out of pocket and without a decent heating system.

Solar panels create much environmental damage through the associated mining and manufacturing. Then they are flown around the world, panels made in China are flown to Heathrow. How green is that?

Anyway, the joke here hinges on the unreliable nature of many 'renewable' energy components which fall hopelessly short of the advertisers claims. And it's the advertisers claims that are used to calculate how efficient these systems are going to be. Those with experience frequently have a very different story.

a reply to: Biigs

How to decommission a ground source heat pump borehole to avoid aquifer contamination is a subject worth studying in detail. Who's going to do that, pretty much free? It isn't going to be done adequately in many cases and future generations will be able to pinpoint that as a cause of aquifer pollution. This is one of the unpleasant truths about 'renewable' energy.

The solar panel array our landlord has had fitted relies on mains electricity to run.

That is not true. The fact that the system turns off if mains power is interrupted, is there to protect those people who have to fix equipment in the street, otherwise, the electricity from your boss' panels would fry them all, while they were working.

It is a safety measure only.

P

a reply to: pheonix358

Thank you for clearing that up. So there must be a way to tap into them in the event of a lengthy interruption to the mains supply? When I asked the installer he said no because it needs the mains to run.

originally posted by: Kester
a reply to: pheonix358

Thank you for clearing that up. So there must be a way to tap into them in the event of a lengthy interruption to the mains supply? When I asked the installer he said no because it needs the mains to run.

Yes, it can be done, but you are not allowed to do it. If you are off the grid, solar panels obviously work and just as obviously, they have no mains connection at all.

There are ways around this but our exulted leaders don't understand the math.

P

maybe it's ironic.

a reply to: ReubenSchwartzschild

Yes and no. The problem is, "DO you design a system for intelligent people or do you design it for fools."

Let us assume that you have a 3KW system when mains power goes down. You have to go outside, read how much power you are actually making and then use only those few items that don't overload your system. If you are producing 2.2KW and the A/C is a 3KW system, you can't turn it on, you may even break it if you try.

There are many problems like this.

P

a reply to: pheonix358

I must be a fool. All I was thinking was a few 12 volt batteries and some basic lighting.