UK Breaks Yearly Record For Rooftop Solar PV Installations
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Solar Power Portal.
This is the sub-heading.
The 2025 rooftop installation figures represent the fifth consecutive year of year-on-year increases in rooftop solar deployments, according to MCS.
A few nuggets from the article.
- The UK has seen rooftop solar installations increase year-on-year since 2021.
- UK rooftop solar PV installations have hit 206,682 so far in 2025, a record for the sector that has pushed the total number of certified small-scale solar installations in the UK to 1.85 million.
- This is according to the latest figures from the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) Their web site is here.
- Somerset and Cornwall leading the country in installations, with 3,741 and 3,726, respectively. North Yorkshire (2,780), County Durham (2,668) and Wiltshire (2,545) make up the rest of the top five.
Great Britain is described as a very mature market. It certainly seems healthy too!
My Solar Panels
I have solar panels on the flat roof of my house.
In the last twelve months I have been paid.
- 29th November 2024 – £129.66
- 24th February 2025 – £31.58
- 27th May 2025 – £46.27
- 29th August 2025 – £114.63
Note.
- This is a total of £322.16
- There has been no servicing or charges from my energy supplier.
- My solar panels appear to have been installed in April 2016, according to the date on My Solar Panels Are On The Roof.
They’ve certainly been no trouble,
New Mersey Ferry Takes To The Water For The First Time In Historic Moment
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Merseytravel.
These bullet points act as sub-headings.
- Painted in traditional colours, first sight of the new Mersey Ferry in over 60 years
- Royal Daffodil floated on the River Mersey’s incoming tide
- Vessel then towed into Cammell Laird’s basin for further work to progress
- Proud moment for Mayor Steve Rotheram and Wirral shipbuilders
These three paragraphs add more detail.
The new £26m Mersey Ferry took to the river for the first time today in an historic moment for the Liverpool City Region.
Painted in the fleet’s historic red, white and black colours and with windows fitted, the first new Mersey Ferry in more than 60 years emerged from Cammell Laird’s giant construction hall on the banks of the Mersey early Thursday morning.
In a carefully managed 24-hour operation, the Royal Daffodil was moved to the river’s edge to allow the incoming tide to slowly lift her clear and float the vessel for the very first time. She will then be tugged to the shipyard’s test basin where engineers will carry out further work ahead of full sea trials early next
I would have thought that given Merseyside’s love of the spectacular, they would have launched the ferry in more dramatic fashion.
There is though, this YouTube video of the safe and steady launch.
I have a few thoughts.
The Ferry Was Built Quickly
According to the Wikipedia entry for the Royal Daffodil, the construction dates were as follows.
- Laid Down. 10th January 2025
- Launched. 6th January 2025
It is planned to be in service next year.
Perhaps, the Scottish Government should have asked Cammell Laird to build their recent ferries?
Toyota Announce The Hydrogen Hilux
This article on MSN is entitled Toyota Just Revealed The New Hilux And It’s Changed In Every Way, Except One.
This is a paragraph.
First thing’s first: all of this is subject to change, as Toyota has stated. Toyota has issued several worldwide press releases detailing the specifics of the new Hilux, including a Toyota Australia-designed exterior and interior package, an arrival date for the hydrogen FCEV Hilux set for 2028, and sales scheduled in Europe and the U.K. for mid-2026 with diesel hybrid and all-new BEV variants available.
The 2028 date for the hydrogen FCEV Hilux gives Toyota three years to sort out the hydrogen supply.
Who Could Develop A Network Of Filling Stations For Hydrogen-Powered Vehicles?
By 2028, there could be several groups of hydrogen powered vehicles on the market.
- Toyota’s Hilux FCEV
- Wrightbus will have launched a hydrogen-powered coach.
- I suspect that JCB will have launched a hydrogen-powered digger.
- I also suspect, that at least one hydrogen-powered truck will have been launched in the UK.
- In an article on electrive, the Wrightbus CEO is pracmatic about hydrogen.
Someone will need to develop a network of hydrogen filling stations.
HiiROC claim they have scaleable technology to create an electrolyser, that can generate hydrogen, where it is needed from any hydrocarbon gas.
- The HiiROC electrolyser separates the carbon out as carbon black, so HiiROC can be considered zero-carbon, if the carbon black is used or stored.
- The long range of hydrogen vehicles probably means hydrogen filling stations don’t need to be as numerous as conventional filling stations.
- HiiROC could probably put one of their Thermal Plasma Electrolysers at any location with a natural gas supply.
- HiiROC is also well-backed by Centrica and others.
HiiROC is certainly one possibilities, but there may be others.
Data Centre In The Shed Reduces Energy Bills To £40
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
An Essex couple have become the first people in the country to trial a scheme that sees them heat their home using a data centre in their garden shed.
These three introductory paragraphs add some detail.
Terrence and Lesley Bridges have seen their energy bills drop dramatically, from £375 a month down to as low as £40, since they swapped their gas boiler for a HeatHub – a small data centre containing more than 500 computers.
Data centres are banks of computers which carry out digital tasks. As the computers process data, they generate lots of heat, which is captured by oil and then transferred into the Bridges’ hot water system.
Mr Bridges, 76, says keeping his two-bed bungalow near Braintree warm was a necessity as his wife has spinal stenosis and is in “a lot of pain” when it gets colder.
I think this simple idea is absolutely brilliant and very technically sound.
Here are some further thoughts.
It Would Be Ideal For A House Like Mine
My house is a modern three-bedroomed house with a garage and when I asked Google AI how many UK houses had garages, I received this answer.
Approximately 38% of dwellings in England have a garage, according to a 2020 report. While a specific UK-wide figure is not available, extrapolating this percentage to the total number of UK dwellings suggests there are over 10 million houses with garages, though the actual figure may vary across different regions.
Looking at the picture in the BBC article, I feel that this HeatHub could fit in my house.
I would expect that any house with a garage, a small garden or a big enough boiler space could accommodate a HeatHub.
Obviously, the house would need.
- A boiler, that provides heating and hot water.
- A good broadband connection.
My house has both.
Would My House’s Heating System Need To Be Modified?
It looks like it’s just a boiler replacement, so I don’t think so, but it may need to be moderbnised with digital controllers to get the best out of the system.
Will There Be Other Systems Like Thermify’s Heat Hub?
Some of our electricity suppliers seem very innovative and the market is very competitive.
Would they just sit back and let coompetitors take their customers? I doubt it!
So I suspect there will be other systems, each with their own features.
I have already, written about heata, which uses similar principles to give affordable hot water in British Gas Partners With heata On Trial To Reuse Waste Heat From Data Processing.
The BBC article gives some examples of data centres used to provide heating, so it is worth reading the full article.
Can A Broken Humerus Affect Your Hand And Wrist Long Term?
Sixty-four years ago, my left humerus was broken at school and I don’t think the local hospital fixed it too well. I also don’t think I had the best of physiotherapy, after some of my experiences with physios since my stroke, which have been of a generally very high-quality, from both the NHS and private physiotherapists.
The wrist has not been misbehaving itself recently, so I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this post and received this reply.
Yes, a broken humerus can affect your hand and wrist long-term, especially if a nerve like the radial nerve is injured during the fracture or surgery. This can cause temporary issues like wrist drop, which is the inability to extend the wrist and fingers, often improving with therapy. In rare cases, if nerve recovery is incomplete, surgical procedures may be necessary to restore function, though most fractures have an excellent long-term outlook with proper rehabilitation.
Note.
- I certainly didn’t have proper rehabilitation in 1961 at Highlands Hospital in Winchmore Hill.
- I wonder if I have actually suffered from wrist drop in recent years.
- I suspect that now there are better treatments available.
Google seem to have scraped the article from the respectable Cleveland Clinic.
Why Has My Left Humerus Got Worse In The Last Few Months?
I wonder, if it is new BYD buses on route 141.
- I always sit or stand downstairs, as at 78, I don’t want too risk climbing the stairs.
- The buses are more pokey and the seats are narrower than say a Routemaster or other British bus.
- On Routemasters and other British buses, I usually sit on the far-right seat to protect the humerus.
- It is getting increasingly knocked if I sit in the left-hand seat of a right-sided pair, by peoples’ backpacks.
- The seats are narrow on the BYD buses, and if sitting in a left-hand seat of a left-sided pair, my left humerus rubs against the outside wall of the bus. This is worse with a large person in the right seat.
- If I sit in the right-hand seat of a left-sided pair, it’s usually better, but if there’s a large person in the left seat, because of the narrow seats, the arm get knocked.
- On the BYD buses, there are no forward facing seats downstairs on the right side.
- There are some forward facing seats at the right side at the back, but they are difficult for me to climb into.
- The corridor from the front to the back in the bus is narrow and I sometimes bump the left humerus.
- I met a lady with a pram, who finds the corridor narrow for her pram.
- The step-up and down into the bus is higher and puts strain on my knees, unless I get it right.
I do wonder if the BYD buses were designed around smaller oriental people.
I certainly never had these problems, when I was riding on on Routemasters and other British-designed buses.
For the next few works, I will avoid travelling on the BYD buses unless I can sit in the right-hand seat of a pair, by myself.
I can also stand, if the bus isn’t too full. Looking back, I feel, I don’t mind standing on the buses.
I will now be forwarding this post to those that know me well.
A Thought On Trump v The BBC
Nearly twenty years ago, I shared a train journey between Cambridge and London, with a delightful black lady, who was probably in her seventies. It turned out she was a New York State Supreme Court Judge, who was doing a bit of week-end sight-seeing, whilst at a legal conference at Cambridge University.
One of the big regrets in my life, is that I didn’t exchange cards with this wonderful lady, as it would be so revealing to ask her opinion of Trump v. The BBC.
But, I also feel it is too late, as my research indicates, that she might be now giving judgments in a higher court.
But if that lady is typical of the quality of US Supreme Court justices, at both Federal and State level, then I am fairly sure, that anybody who appeals to their court will get a fair hearing according to the law.
Could that be a difficulty for someone with Trump’s personality?
Why The East Of England Can Be An Offshore Hydrogen Leader
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Eastern Daily Press.
This is the sub-heading.
The East of England’s connected energy system puts it in prime position to be a key player in the offshore hydrogen economy, says Anne Haase, chair of the Hydrogen East Industry Advisory Group.
These two paragraphs add a level of detail.
The East of England’s energy story is increasingly being written onshore. The region is re-writing the playbook for how a sustainable, connected energy system could take shape and deliver. The region isn’t just about tourism – we have a whole industrial ecosystem dwarfing that sector.
We are a net energy exporter to the rest of the UK. We transmit more than 30% of gas, and our infrastructure offers supply security and sustainable energy to not just our region, but to London and the South East.
This is very much a must-read article.
UK, French, And Irish Ports Join Hands In Global Floating Wind Collaboration
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The UK’s Associated British Ports (ABP) has teamed up with France’s BrestPort and Ireland’s Shannon Foynes Port to establish the Global Floating Offshore Wind Ports Alliance (FLOW Ports Alliance) to help bring together major floating offshore wind ports across the world and unlock the technology’s full potential.
These first two paragraphs add more detail.
The FLOW Ports Alliance aims to recruit ports in Europe to collaborate on FLOW port design, standardisation, and best operational practices.
It plans to strengthen and accelerate compliant knowledge and experience exchange between ports, share best practices as they emerge through demonstration projects, and share innovations to the benefit of the global FLOW network.
Surely, a global network of ports that can handle construction, operation and maintenance of a range of floating wind platforms, is an excellent idea.
Why Is The Highway Code Only A Code And Not A Law?
If you ask Google AI, the question in the title of this post, you receive this answer.
The Highway Code is not a law in itself, but a collection of rules and guidance for all road users. While it contains some legally enforceable rules (marked with “MUST” or “MUST NOT”), and breaking them is a criminal offence, it also includes non-binding advice. The “code” serves as an authoritative source of information, making it easier for people to understand the law and helping courts to establish liability by using the advisory rules as evidence of a standard of expected behaviour.
So why is it just a collection of rules and guidance?
Coming home yesterday on a bus, a smartly-dressed elderly lady sat next to me and we got talking.
Something must have triggered it, as she told me why the Highway Code was just a code and not a law.
Apparently, her father had written it and he had insisted that it should not be made into law and the government of the day in 1931 had agreed he should have his way.
I asked Google AI, who actually wrote it and received this answer.
The Highway Code was written by the UK government, with the first edition published in 1931 under the authority of the then Minister of Transport, Herbert Morrison. The code was created as a result of the Road Traffic Act 1930, which required the Minister of Transport to issue the guide for all road users.
It looks like as Herbert Morrison’s daughter has passed on, he didn’t write the Code himself.
The Anonymous Widower 