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G0TEZ > ENERGY 01.10.09 21:53l 69 Lines 2491 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : B40178G0TEZ
Read: GUEST DG9NBR OE7FMI
Subj: Re: Natural Gas to Soler & Wind
Path: DB0FHN<DB0FOR<DB0MRW<DK0WUE<GB7FCR
Sent: 091001/1900Z @:GB7FCR.#16.GBR.EU #:32699 [Blackpool] FBB-7.03a $:B40178G0
From: G0TEZ@GB7FCR.#16.GBR.EU
To : ENERGY@WW
A couple of interesting bulletins about solar power in Australia and in
Canada as well as some mention of wind power.
I sent out a bull a long time ago about wind turbines. We had one of the
first wind farms in the U.K.. It was big and it is even bigger now.
Initially, there were complaints about the view being spoiled and danger
to wildlife from the green lobby until it was pointed out that you
couldn't even see it unless you left the road and walked across the
fields. As for wildlife, birds seem to be able to easily dodge the huge
blades and sheep graze around the bottom totally unconcerned about any
noise.
The powers that be offered to dismantle it and replace it with a coal
fired power station if the greens weren't happy.
The complaints stopped.
As for solar power, it is not as dependent on sun as people often think. I
found a cheap, small solar unit generating 12V at just a few mW. It
plugged into the cigar lighter on my car which meant straight to the
battery, of course. I did a lot of stop start driving and, even in this
part of England which is officially the wettest area, it kept my battery
fully charged. The car had a battery charge meter in addition to an
ammeter so it was easy to see.
Friends of mine at one time lived on boats on the nearby canal and, like
Peter, had installed large, solar cells on the roofs of their boats. Even
here, this was enough for them to have a TV, a light (tungsten back then)
and keep their CB radios running most of the time. It began in the time of
"CB Fever" in the UK.
If solar panels can work around here with it's lack of sun, then they must
be viable anywhere !
As for wind turbines, a lot are out at sea. Anyone landing at Liverpool
airport can't avoid seeing
all the turbines around the Mersey estuary.
When I was first licenced in 1990, there was a 2m repeater, GB3AE (AE=
Alternative Energy) belonging to G3RR, the Rolls Royce club. It never came
into use, not for any technical reason but for some legal reason, I'm not
quite sure.
So, on balance, alternative energy sources are not so much wild flights of
fancy but long established technology and combined with newer, lower
powered devices such as light bulbs, be they coiled fluorescents or the
later high power LED type and ever lower power computers, TV sets,
recorders and STBs, are part of the future.
73 - Ian, G0TEZ
Msg timed: 19:49 on 2009-Oct-01
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