Author Archives: daniel
number crunch: solar thermal vs. PV
The calculations presented here depend on a large number of factors and may not apply to your case. If you have numbers that differ from these, please let us know so other readers can benefit from your experience. —— Solar … Continue reading
Posted in renewable heat incentive, renooble, solar hot water, solar PV
Tagged solar thermal
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the skinny on solar hot water
In 2004, the average UK household energy bill was £522. Last year, it was £1334.That’s a jump of over 150% in under a decade (1, 2). If you’ve started your attack on these numbers, then you know that insulation and smart usage are … Continue reading
making electricity out of sand: a short history of solar PV technology
To wrap up the series on solar PV, here’s a rundown of the science, brought to you by Alvaro. See this article if you’re looking for a practical introduction to solar PV. In 1839, at age 19, a French physicist … Continue reading
Posted in renewable-energy, renooble, solar PV, solar-PV
Tagged GaAs, photovoltaics, science, semi-conductors, silicon
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Partial shading is worse than it sounds.
This post addresses a problem specific to solar PV modules that use string_inverters, which are the most common kinds of inverters. For an introduction to solar PV technology, see my previous post. Every manufacturer will tell you to avoid obstructions … Continue reading
Posted in renewable-energy, renooble, solar-PV
Tagged inverter, partial shading, photovoltaics, PV, shading, solar, string inverter
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solar PV ABC's
There’s a lot of jargon out there. Let’s clear things up with some definitions. First off, you have to call it “Solar PV” because there are other kinds of solar power, like solar thermal and CSP. Generally, these other technologies … Continue reading
Posted in renooble, solar-PV
Tagged basics, bottom line, definitions, FITs, introduction, profit
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status update: solar PV
the state of the market In case you missed it, the solar photovoltaics industry was this past decade’s hottest drama. Here’s a quick summary: ground-breaking innovations, shortage of raw materials, dubious intellectual property practices, oversupply, sub-cost dumping, bankruptcies, international lawsuits, … Continue reading
Posted in inspiration, renooble, solar-PV
Tagged affordable, BoS, grid parity, innovation, installed capacity, modularity, modules, peakers, peaking, scalability, solar PV
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2 Useful Maps
First off: Happy Noo Year! We’ve got some graphics to share, brought to you by our friend Sachin Navalkar. The first one combines wind speed and population density data, giving a more complete, more realistic image of where in the … Continue reading
Posted in solar-PV, wind-energy
Tagged europe, irradiation, maps, population, seasonal variation, seasons, solar radiation, united kingdom, wind
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The Skinny on Small Wind
Summary: Wind is volatile. The conditions for effective wind harvesting greatly favor rural areas. Turbulence can be a problem for building-mounted turbines. Height above the ground makes a big difference. Feed-in Tariffs keep small wind economically viable in the UK. A … Continue reading
Posted in incentives, policy, renewable-energy, wind-energy
Tagged building-mounted, electricity, generation, payback, roof, roof-mounted, shear, wind, wind turbines, windy
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