All new builds should have solar panels. Many existing commercial buildings should have it too. Make use of roof surfaces, better than taking out farmland for solar farms
Personally, I’m not 100% on board with this, there are more renewable energy sources currently available that are much more efficient that solar voltaics. If we could work towards increasing the efficiency thus increasing the carbon offset for the manufacturing of the panels I’d be all for it.
Not just this, but when to orientation of the roof isn’t ideal for photovoltaic panels or solar panels, we need green roofs.
The biggest benefit to adding solar to every new build is the cost being absorbed into the house price.
We had to pay thousands to retrofit them to our house, it will take 5-7years to recoup the costs in savings
But adding £6k to the price of a new house will add a tiny amount to a mortgage repayment, probably much less than the savings
That’s a funny headline “industry thinks we should buy more of their product”
This is stupid. It’s cheaper to use economies of scale to build huge renewable energy plants away from residential areas. This is about being seen to do something.
I think heat pumps should a higher priority – currently all new houses should have heat pumps installed by 2025.
Why not now? in fact if you are buying now you are short changing yourself
While I agree with this 100%, we really shouldn’t ever listen to what X-industry has to say about X.
I mean, they’re hardly an unbiased source – but they have a point
I bought a new build less than 12 months ago, and not only does it not come with solar panels, but they weren’t an option even if we paid extra. That would have been such an easy win, since the house was being built and scaffolding was up etc anyway, electricians were already running cables through un-boarded walls, and sizing the consumer unit etc. that’s clearly the best time to do it
The worst part, though, is that we have a restrictive covenant preventing us from installing solar panels for 5 years. So not only do they not offer it, they’re actively hindering us from installing solar panels
So it would have been cheaper, plus we could have rolled the cost into our mortgage – rather than having to find £7-15k cash, we’d have needed £700-1500
Solar industry want to sell products!
While I agree with why this need to be done, the reality is lobbying in groups who will make profit from a positive decision should be no where near the decision making table.
The reality actually is they should should be dumping solar panals all over the housing/building stock in the south, due to higher solar radiation levels and then sending all the power further north.
Just like you build wind turbines off the North Coast of Scotland.
Putting a load of solar panels on a house in Kendal over one in Kent is just national incompetence.
Too true. There’s not nearly enough future-proofing added to new builds, it should be compulsory not an optional extra, if that.
No solar, no water collection storage, not always ideal insulation.
I’d even say air conditioning should be the norm as well with the more extreme heat we’re getting.
And high speed internet should be considered a utility and high priority before people are moved in.
Home Group tell me they dodmt want panels on our new build, because then they’d be liable for the brickwork.
In other news the petroleum industry emphasised the importance of driving more internal combustion vehicles and the tobacco industry emphasised the superior flavour of real cigarettes.
I will be really surprised if they don’t emphasise it.
Morons will be screaming for purely renewable only future, but there are multiple reasons why renewable sources are not a simple panacea for electricity supply around the world:
* the weather-dependence problem,
* the energy storage problem,
* the end-of-life replacement and recycling problem (producing more waste)
* the land-area problem
* the materials-of-construction and scarcity problem
* Frequency problem -https://www.engineering.com/story/grid-frequency-stability-and-renewable-power
“Solar industry emphasises the need for them to sell more solar panels”. But seriously, yes it’s a good idea
16 comments
All new builds should have solar panels. Many existing commercial buildings should have it too. Make use of roof surfaces, better than taking out farmland for solar farms
Personally, I’m not 100% on board with this, there are more renewable energy sources currently available that are much more efficient that solar voltaics. If we could work towards increasing the efficiency thus increasing the carbon offset for the manufacturing of the panels I’d be all for it.
Not just this, but when to orientation of the roof isn’t ideal for photovoltaic panels or solar panels, we need green roofs.
The biggest benefit to adding solar to every new build is the cost being absorbed into the house price.
We had to pay thousands to retrofit them to our house, it will take 5-7years to recoup the costs in savings
But adding £6k to the price of a new house will add a tiny amount to a mortgage repayment, probably much less than the savings
That’s a funny headline “industry thinks we should buy more of their product”
This is stupid. It’s cheaper to use economies of scale to build huge renewable energy plants away from residential areas. This is about being seen to do something.
I think heat pumps should a higher priority – currently all new houses should have heat pumps installed by 2025.
Why not now? in fact if you are buying now you are short changing yourself
While I agree with this 100%, we really shouldn’t ever listen to what X-industry has to say about X.
I mean, they’re hardly an unbiased source – but they have a point
I bought a new build less than 12 months ago, and not only does it not come with solar panels, but they weren’t an option even if we paid extra. That would have been such an easy win, since the house was being built and scaffolding was up etc anyway, electricians were already running cables through un-boarded walls, and sizing the consumer unit etc. that’s clearly the best time to do it
The worst part, though, is that we have a restrictive covenant preventing us from installing solar panels for 5 years. So not only do they not offer it, they’re actively hindering us from installing solar panels
So it would have been cheaper, plus we could have rolled the cost into our mortgage – rather than having to find £7-15k cash, we’d have needed £700-1500
Solar industry want to sell products!
While I agree with why this need to be done, the reality is lobbying in groups who will make profit from a positive decision should be no where near the decision making table.
The reality actually is they should should be dumping solar panals all over the housing/building stock in the south, due to higher solar radiation levels and then sending all the power further north.
Just like you build wind turbines off the North Coast of Scotland.
Putting a load of solar panels on a house in Kendal over one in Kent is just national incompetence.
Too true. There’s not nearly enough future-proofing added to new builds, it should be compulsory not an optional extra, if that.
No solar, no water collection storage, not always ideal insulation.
I’d even say air conditioning should be the norm as well with the more extreme heat we’re getting.
And high speed internet should be considered a utility and high priority before people are moved in.
Home Group tell me they dodmt want panels on our new build, because then they’d be liable for the brickwork.
In other news the petroleum industry emphasised the importance of driving more internal combustion vehicles and the tobacco industry emphasised the superior flavour of real cigarettes.
For the Dutch speaking redditors: https://youtu.be/YsvHeLUOoxs
I will be really surprised if they don’t emphasise it.
Morons will be screaming for purely renewable only future, but there are multiple reasons why renewable sources are not a simple panacea for electricity supply around the world:
* the weather-dependence problem,
* the energy storage problem,
* the end-of-life replacement and recycling problem (producing more waste)
* the land-area problem
* the materials-of-construction and scarcity problem
* Frequency problem -https://www.engineering.com/story/grid-frequency-stability-and-renewable-power
“Solar industry emphasises the need for them to sell more solar panels”. But seriously, yes it’s a good idea