renewable

[efficiencyman]

Here we go again Simon, the sand pit is getting deeper for you mate. Grand children won`t thank your selfishness (no offence intended from me).
"Hydrogen" my experience and that of several universities around the would, is far worse than the great success of Heat Pumps. When we purchased a container of Hydrogen, it cost us £72 plus VAT. It ran our engine for little over half an hour (much of that on tick over) if we could have obtained more power from it, instead of Hot air, water, head scratching, hair loss, etc. the MPG was the opposite, it would not have provided any dent in financial savings. We ended the project at great expense to our sponsors by donating the fuel cell to another university. Don`t mention Hydrogen power to me been there done that !
I am glad my time on this planet has provided so much benefit to all my past customers, too many friends to count, my 9 grandchildren & least say my own Eco improvements all invested well. Hoping your life could give you as much satisfaction as mine, all the best with your sand pit.
PS. That`s more down to earth than playing with the stars !

 

[SimonG]

The sands lovely. I don't blame my forefathers for the state of the planet, it is what it is and we just get on with it. Just like future generations will. Selfishness has nothing to do with it.

So hydrogen needs to be binned just because you couldnt get it to work? Appreciate you have given it a go, but a bit egostistical to assume nobody else will get it to work.

Everybody is entitled to an opinion and respected for it. Yes alternatives do seem to work in some circumstances. But at the minute every double glazing company in the land are throwing poorly designed installations in and then leaving customers with very little support. For those companys battling against this and doing a good job, I doff my imaginary flat cap. We are a long way off of alternatives being the norm. Not because of the alternatives, or the supposed negative attitudes of the main line energy engineers but because of the way they are sold. For every success story you hear about alternatives then theres a handful of bad ones.

So i'll stick to my head in the sand, mis informed, afraid of change attitude. Works for me. For now! When evidence suggests otherwise then I am more than willing to explore those avenues.

 

[Ray Stafford]

We don't actually have an energy problem. The world is awash with energy - far more than we can even dream of using.

Our problem is storing it and relocating it in time and space.

 

[Nostrum]

That would make it an energy problem!

I'm a touch too young to remember the introduction of the combi boiler, no doubt the merchants were full of grumbling old folk putting it down as a flash in the pan?

How about condensing boilers? I remember that one, again everybody whinging about how pointless they are etc etc

or diesel cars, they've come a long way in 20 years, hardly comparable to a petrol in the early days, now they are leading the way in many respects.

With such a huge problem as what we are told it to be (I'm a fence sitter personally, but happy to supply a product to somebody who has made their mind up) it is the collection of small improvements that help the bigger picture.

I will sit back and laugh when/if the demand picks up and everyone starts talking of courses and getting into renewables etc. because without the forerunners pushing the market, the mainstream demand doesn't exist.

Which is the exact reason for the incentives offered. The long term hope is that the increased demand will drive the prices down so that they become a realistic alternative without the subsidy, solar P.V is getting there.

Its a typical Brit attitude, complain but do nothing, or wait for someone else to make the move then follow suit like a sheep. (no disrespect intended)

Personally, I'm genuinely interested in these technologies and have been following the renewable market for about 4 years now. It's this interest that is driving me into this market not the quick buck pound signs.

 

[hammers4spanner]

I remember when combis came out thought they were a god send fo ne honest

Im going to wait at this poiny in time see what happens still seems to be plenty of gas work around and ic a changeover does happen I will do a wee course and suddenly be competant

 

[Ermintrude]

Here we go again Simon, the sand pit is getting deeper for you mate. Grand children won`t thank your selfishness (no offence intended from me).
"Hydrogen" my experience and that of several universities around the would, is far worse than the great success of Heat Pumps. When we purchased a container of Hydrogen, it cost us £72 plus VAT. It ran our engine for little over half an hour (much of that on tick over) if we could have obtained more power from it, instead of Hot air, water, head scratching, hair loss, etc. the MPG was the opposite, it would not have provided any dent in financial savings. We ended the project at great expense to our sponsors by donating the fuel cell to another university. Don`t mention Hydrogen power to me been there done that !
I am glad my time on this planet has provided so much benefit to all my past customers, too many friends to count, my 9 grandchildren & least say my own Eco improvements all invested well. Hoping your life could give you as much satisfaction as mine, all the best with your sand pit.
PS. That`s more down to earth than playing with the stars !

Yep know that feeling we tested and worked on NaBH4 and methanol stacks. Current density was hilarious! Carbon on platinum catalyst on naffion 115 membrane.

Some twonk designed one to work high temp high pressure - 4 bar and 300c - idiot! Like that's ever going in a car!

 

[Worcester]

I like this debate!

I am not sure alternatives will ever come down significantly in price, until the whole industry changes it's approach.

IF new ALL build houses had to be built to code 4 and above as Social houses do, but not for joe public buyer, then the heating costs will reduce for everyone, the heating loads will go down, and then if either over-sized rads or underfloor heating are installed as standard, I can see a time when an ASHP will be as simple to install as a combi, and priced accordingly, ad be designed to be serviced by a BG plumber with replaceable modules . I can remember going to the US in the late 70's early 80's and smaller hotels had individual room aircon units bolted through the wall (maybe some still do). So it can be done.

It will get to that stage, however only if FORCED to, so when the government backs off tightening up the insulation requirements as they have recently done it pushes back that date.

Alternatives (call then renewables if you like ) are here to stay and will slowly become mainstream as the cost of traditional fuels rise higher and higher.

Come 2030 and we'll all be laughing at how inneficient combi boilers were!

 

[Ermintrude]

Thought it was 2020

 

[SimonG]

I see an opening for an earner. Start sticking the old combis you pull out in the back of the garage, get them covered up and then drag them out for antiques roadshow 2050.

 

[Ermintrude]

Isar..... That's a formidable boiler, now a working one would be worth £200,000 but unfortunately yours is like the many thousands of yester year , broken and damaged by an axe welding Neanderthal , in the early 21st century most isar repairs were done with an axe.