Re: Renewable power at no cost to the consumer

In message <J42dnS1sn-TLMuHZRVny1w@xxxxxx>, Keith Starsmeare <minusdot-news@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes

I've visited several websites of companies that install solar/wind
technology domestically. All say that they are economical viable, some
suggesting that your investment can be returned in 10 years using technology
that should last for 20 to 25 years. This sounds great, but of course
there's the problem of the initial capital investment.

:) Though also ultimately, problems of not investing.


We see many power companies starting to go a little green, setting
themselves targets to generate percentages of their power from renewable
sources. But these tend to be large wind farms (which get all the locals,
ramblers, ornithologist etc upset) miles from anywhere, which then need
special pylons

What's special about them ?


(more complaints) to get the power back to the grid.

Wouldn't it be a sound investment for a power company to install and
maintain these technologies domestically?

Possibly, though who gets the income ? The roof owner or the equipment owner ?


If there really is an eventual
return on investment, then couldn't they be encouraged to set up a scheme
where they pay a one of cash reward to the house owner to be allowed to
install said technologies.

That would be a huge up front cost for them. How would you propose they finance this ?


They would own and maintain them, but you grant
them permission to install and access the equipment. You continue to pay
your power bills, at the same rate. So the savings go back to the power
company. The house owner gets a couple of hundred quid and a nice doing
their bit feeling, and the power company gets to meet their own green goals,
generate power where it's used, reduce the demand on the grid and possibly
even generate extra power.

Seems like a crap deal for the householder who has to put up will all the mess and disruption of the installation so somebody else can get an increasing income from their site.


I think this sounds like a good idea. I'm probably being naive.

I think so.


But if you
guys don't convince me that it's daft, then I'd like to write to my MP and
the local power company and I hope others might too.

Let's say a 1kWp PV system (pretty small, 13 panels) costs £6,000 and 10,000,000 households want to install them, that's a lot of up front cash.

When you're not in business, it's easy to assume that business has infinite reserves to draw on, but this is generally not the case.

And when you're a small business, , it's easy to assume that big business has infinite reserves to draw on, but this is generally not the case either. For an extreme case of a power company, apparently awash with cash, see Enron...

Do you fancy going to the city to get £60bn so that half the households in the UK can have a "nice doing their bit feeling" ?

Problem is, that in the UK most business look for payback in 18 month to 5 years. The payback time for PV without grants is probably still over 20 years, so you're not going to get the attention of the bulk money lending community. And who pays the grants anyway ? Ultimately the tax payer.

But PV isn't necessarily the best place to start for all sorts of reasons.

Solar thermal is perhaps a better bet for most people, and spontaneous uptake is certainly increasing fast.

Co-gen / micro CHP also seems to have public support, somewhat beyond the capacity of the industry to supply it right now.


Cheers, J/.
--
John Beardmore
.

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