Is green energy supposed to mean cheaper energy?

Member 639844

That explains a lot then, about all they are used for here is water heaters, and I cant imagine they are that cost efficient given how low our gas bills are for that. There is no monsoon season here really, just a bit of rain at the back of Autumn for a couple weeks. The rest of the year is sunny all day, where I live I watch the sun come up from my bed over the coast line and its on that side of of the house till midday (2ish), but its on my roof terrace all day till it goes behind the mountain behind us at about 5-6pm ish. It seems like a great place for Solar power to be of use, even if all it did was pump into the grid and subsidise the shortfall from the wind farms. I guess the benefits just arent there though.

I wander if there would be any benefit having them installed just for our home, where the grid merely made up the shortfall. I wonder if we would see a beneficial cut in the electricity bill for it to be worthwhile. I guess not, or I'd probably see more of them about.

EarthRod

You will no doubt see some benefit but only after the off-set due to the initial cost of installing solar panels.

Trouble is, if it takes (say) 5 years to pay off the initial installation - saved from the electricity cost, you'll only have a few years left before the batteries need replacing. More costs!

However, recommend you do some research where you live - it might be beneficial to install solar panels.

johntheexpat

I hope to goodness that someone somewhere is working on a solar panel system that electrolyses water so that the energy can be stored as hydrogen.  Then it can be turned back into heat/electricity when needed via a fuel cell.  As far as I can see, that has got to be the way forward.  There needs to be some way that meaningful amounts of energy from solar panels can be stored, otherwise they will always be a huge white elephant.

Member 639844

Be better if we could harness the power gravity

At least its always there come wind rain or shine, reliable as ever, and about as constant as it gets. Nice idea, every house with its own gravity generator in the loft lol.

EarthRod

Ha - if only!

Gravity is a weak force. It takes a planet the size of the earth to produce the puny 32 ft/sec/sec air velocity we get!

EarthRod

Very explosive stuff hydrogen.

Do-it-yourself explosion kit - BOOM!!

Member 639844

Weak, but lots of it, endless supply, and it assumably would be unaffected by us tapping it, if only indeed.

EarthRod

Gravity is the weakest force in the universe but you need to be careful about the description of gravity because it can be described as an acceleration producing a force on matter and energy, or as a force producing acceleration of matter or energy. Hence the 32 ft/sec/sec air velocity acceleration mentioned before.

Also, gravity is a force or an acceleration which resists perpetual motion, you can't get something for nothing!

So, unfortunately, you can't 'tap' into it.

Member 639844

Yeah I know that, obviosuly other than the orbital motion. If you wanted something perpetual for free then magnets would seem to be the answer, its fairly easy to make a freely spinning high speed motor using only magnets. There must be a good reason why they dont get built and sold though.

EarthRod

OK. Well I'll leave you pondering that thought!

Happy new year Moonfly.