Questions About Solar Panels
Yesterday, despite the temperature being about eight or nine outside, because the evil devil had switched the radiant heaters on, the temperature had risen to twenty-eight inside my house, due to heat coming in through my skylight and by radiation from the flat roof.
Now the flat roof has been relaid and insulated, so to make matters worse the heat once in can’t get out.
So I decided I’d had enough and have decided to do what I had already ascertained was to be the next steps.
- Put an electric shutter over the skylight.
- Fit solar panels to both generate electricity and shade my house from the sun.
Hopefully, I’d generate enough electricity to run the air-conditioner, when the sun is on.
I entered my details into a comparison site and they said they’d select six local installers.
Within half an hour, I had a call on my phone and as the guy was in his van just round the corner, he was in my house doing a survey within five minutes.
He was also very much a local supplier, as both his flat and office were within five hundred metres.
He quoted for a four kilowatt system with sixteen panels, which he said would cost £5,000 as standard including installation and VAT.
I could also have micro-inverters which would up the cost to £6,300.
He indicated that micro-inverters were more efficient and had a loner life. He also enclosed the data sheet for the Enphase microinverters.
So I asked myself what are micro-inverters and what advantages do I get.
I found this web page entitled Should I Get Micro-Inverters For My Solar PV System?
Read the page and you’ll find there are two kinds of inverters;string and micro.
With a string inverter, you have one device that converts the DC of the panels to the AC of the house. So it’s like having one charger for all your devices.
With a micro inverter, each panel has its own inverter.
So the number of electronic components probably explains the difference in cost.
But there are other differences.
- String inverters have typically a five year guarantee, whereas micro inverters have one of twenty-five. Only a madman would offer such a guarantee, if the devices failed regularly.
- String inverters gear their output to the poorest performing panel, whereas with micro-inverters each panel performs according to the sun it gets.
- If there is a chance of major shading, go for micro inverters.
- Failures do happen and surely if each panel is an complete system, if one should fail, it is a problem, which is easier to locate and remedy.
Now I’m no expert, but my electrical engineering training says that micro-inverters are a better bet.
Years ago, when I worked at ICI, some others in the office were working on automating a chemical plant. Up until 1970, traditionally each temperature, pressure and position sensor input went into a massive and extremely expensive analogue to digital converter to link to the computer. But in this development, every input had its own converter.
I ‘m not in automation these days, but I doubt they use a massive and expensive converter and each input is handled individually.
So with my panels, I’m tempted to pay the extra £1,300.
I’m still waiting for the other five installers to phone.
Barking Riverside Development To Get A Boost
BBC London is talking about a large boost to the development of housing at Barking Riverside. This article in Building entitled L&Q buys out Bellway at Barking Riverside, gives a lot more detail. This is a visualisation of the development.
Barking Riverside Development
It looks to be a lot of much-needed housing, a proportion of which will be affordable.
According to TfL’s maps and drawings it looks like Barking Riverside station will be a couple of hundred metres or so directly inland from the T-shaped pier.
Is Trump Fit To Run A Whelk Stall?
This article on the BBC web site is entitled US election 2016: Mitt Romney warns Trump not fit to run country.
It is one of the most amazing political attacks, I’ve ever heard by someone on a member of their own party.
Even Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, never had an attack like Mitt Romney’s on Donald Trump, from someone who is supposedly of the same political persuasion.
Look at the Wikipedia entry for Trump University or Trump Entrepreneur Initiative as it is now called.
And what about Trump Shuttle, Trump Mortgage, Trump Ice etc.?
What A Waste Of Valuable Land
I took these pictures as the train passed the Southall Gas Works site to the west of Southall station.
As can be seen these days it is mainly used as a car park for passengers using Heathrow Airport.
That is a terrible waste of a site, that could be cleaned up and used for much-needed housing. This Google Map gives an impression of the extent of the site.
Southall Gas Works
But things are happening and there is a web site called The Southall Gasworks, put up by the Berkeley Group, who are developing the site.
In this post entitled Could The Golden Mile In Hounslow Get A Station?, I postulated that the gas works site could be linked to Hounslow’s Golden Mile and the Thames by a tram and concluded by saying this.
I think that there are possibilities for a well-designed solution in the area to connect the Golden Mile to Southall station for Crossrail.
There are certainly possibilities to link everything together.
- Southall station will be served by Crossrail’s high-frequency trains.
- The Brentford Branch is an underused working railway.
- The Southall Gas Works development needs good public transport links.
- The Golden Mile needs rejuvenating.
I do think we’ll see lots of small-scale connectivity to Crossrail and this would be an easy one to build.
Combined Food And Power
I suppose it sounds too good to be true to produce both food and power from the same industrial process.
But look at this page entitled Combined Food And Power on the Orthios Group web site.
The company might have something.
Brexit Referendum Betting Odds
This is a log of the Brexit Referendum Betting Odds or Oddschecker.
- February 20th – Stay 2/5 – Leave 5/2
- February 21st – Stay 4/11 – Leave 5/2
- February 22nd – Stay 2/5 – Leave 15/8 – Boris comes out!
- February 23rd – Stay 4/9 – Leave 21/10 – Business leaders letter in Times
- February 24th – Stay 2/5 – Leave 9/4
- February 25th – Stay 2/5 – Leave 9/4
- February 26th – Stay 2/5 – Leave 9/4
- February 27th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 9/4
- February 28th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 9/4
- February 29th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 9/4
- March 1st – Stay 4/11 – Leave 9/4
- March 2nd – Stay 4/11 – Leave 9/4
- March 3rd – Stay 4/11 – Leave 9/4
- March 4th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 5/2
- March 5th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 5/2
- March 6th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 5/2
- March 7th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 5/2
- March 8th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 5/2
- March 9th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 5/2
- March 10th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 5/2
- March 11th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 12/5
- March 12th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 12/5
- March 13th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 12/5
- March 14th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 12/5
- March 15th – Stay 2/5 – Leave 9/4
- March 16th – Stay 2/5 – Leave 9/4
- March 17th – Stay 2/5 – Leave 2/1 – Budget on the 16th
- March 18th – Stay 2/5 – Leave 21/10
- March 19th – Stay 2/5 – Leave 21/10
- March 20th – Stay 3/8 – Leave 2/1 – DLS Resigns
- March 21st – Stay 3/8 – Leave 2/1
- March 22nd – Stay 7/19 – Leave 2/1
- March 23rd – Stay 4/9 – Leave 15/8 – Brussels Attacks
- March 24th – Stay 4/9 – Leave 15/8
- March 25th – Stay 4/9 – Leave 15/8
- March 26th – Stay 4/9 – Leave 2/1
- March 27th – Stay 2/5 – Leave 15/8
- March 28th – Stay 2/5 – Leave 15/8
- March 29th – Stay 2/5 – Leave 15/8
- March 30th – Stay 4/9 – Leave 15/8
- March 31st – Stay 4/9 – Leave 15/8
- April 1st – Stay 2/5 – Leave 15/8
- April 2nd – Stay 2/5 – Leave 2/1
- April 3rd – Stay 2/5 – Leave 2/1
- April 4th – Stay 2/5 – Leave 2/1
- April 5th – Stay 4/9 – Leave 2/1
- April 6th – Stay 4/9 – Leave 2/1
- April 7th – Stay 4/9 – Leave 2/1
- April 8th – Stay 4/9 – Leave 2/1
- April 9th – Stay 4/9 – Leave 2/1
- April 10th – Stay 4/9 – Leave 2/1
- April 11th – Stay 4/9 – Leave 2/1
- April 12th – Stay 4/9 – Leave 2/1
- April 13th – Stay 4/9 – Leave 2/1
- April 14th – Stay 4/9 – Leave 21/10 – Corbyn comes off the fence
- April 15th – Stay 4/9 – Leave 21/10
- April 16th – Stay 4/9 – Leave 21/10
- April 17th – Stay 4/9 – Leave 21/10
- April 18th – Stay 4/9 – Leave 21/10
- April 19th – Stay 1/2 – Leave 21/10 – Gove speaks
- April 20th – Stay 1/2 – Leave 15/8
- April 21st – Stay 4/9 – Leave 2/1
- April 22nd – Stay 4/9 – Leave 2/1 – Obama speaks
- April 23rd – Stay 4/11 – Leave 12/5
- April 24th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 5/2
- April 25th – Stay 1/3 – Leave 13/5
- April 26th – Stay 2/7 – Leave 3/1
- April 27th – Stay 1/3 – Leave 5/2
- April 28th – Stay 1/3 – Leave 5/2
- April 29th – Stay 1/3 – Leave 5/2
- April 30th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 5/2
- May 1st – Stay 1/3 – Leave 5/2
- May 2nd – Stay 4/11 – Leave 5/2
- May 3rd – Stat 4/11 – Leave 5/2
- May 4th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 12/5
- May 5th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 23/10
- May 6th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 9/4
- May 7th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 12/5
- May 8th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 12/5
- May 9th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 13/5
- May 10th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 13/5
- May 11th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 13/5
- May 12th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 13/5
- May 13th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 13/5
- May 14th – Stay 1/3 – Leave 12/5
- May 15th – Stay 1/3 – Leave 12/5
- May 16th – Stay 1/3 – Leave 5/2
- May 17th – Stay 3/10 – Leave 11/4
- May 18th – Stay 2/7 – Leave 11/4
- May 19th – Stay 2/7 – Leave 16/5
- May 20th – Stay 2/7 – Leave 15/4
- May 21st – Stay 2/9 – Leave 4/1
- May 22nd – Stay 2/9 – Leave 15/4
- May 23rd – Stay 2/9 – Leave 7/2
- May 24th – Stay 2/11 – Leave 4/1
- May 25th – Stay 2/11 – Leave 4/1
- May 26th – Stay 2/11 – Leave 9/2
- May 27th – Stat 1/6 – Leave 17/4
- May 28th – Stay 1/6 – Leave 4/1
- May 29th – Stay 1/5 – Leave 4/1
- May 30th – Stay 1/5 – Leave 4/1
- May 31st – Stay 2/9 – Leave 4/1
- June 1st – Stay 3/10 – Leave 16/5
- June 2nd – Stay 3/10 – Leave 11/4
- June 3rd – Stay 1/3 – Leave 11/4
- June 4th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 5/2
- June 5th – Stay 1/3 – Leave 5/2
- June 6th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 12/5
- June 7th – Stay 2/5 – Leave 9/4
- June 8th – Stay 1/3 – Leave 5/2
- June 9th – Stay 1/3 – Leave 11/4
- June 10th – Stay 3/10 – Leave 11/4
- June 11th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 9/4
- June 12th – Stay 2/5 – Leave 9/4
- June 13th – Stay 5/12 – Leave 2/1
- June 14th – Stay 4/7 – Leave 7/4
- June 15th – Stay 8/13 – Leave 7/5
- June 16th – Stay 6/11 – Leave 13/8
- June 17th – Stay 1/2 – Leave 13/8
- June 18th – Stay 8/15 – Leave 7/4 – The assassination of Jo Cox
- June 19th – Stay 4/9 – Leave 9/4
- June 20th – Stay 4/11 – Leave 12/5
- June 21st – Stay 1/4 – Leave 3/1
- June 22nd – Stay 2/7 – Leave 3/1
- June 23rd – Stay 3/10 – Leave 10/3
I shall let the figures do the talking.
Will We Vote For Cameron’s Deal On Europe?
I don’t know the answer and there are probably only a couple of people who can predict the result with any certainty.
I’ve just looked at the reliable Odds Checker web site for their Brexit Referendum Betting Odds and as I write this post, it is 5/2 On to stay in and 5/2 that we’ll leave.
If I vote and I probably will, as the first time I voted was for the EU Referendum of 1975, it will probably be to stay in, as I am a committed European in habit and probably culture.
I also think that we should be in a reformed Schengen Area and that we need a more flexible payment system.
Schengen is an ideal, but in the modern world of terrorism, international crime and immigration pressures, it falls down a deep hole.
What could replace it, I know not, but surely we can find something, that is better than what we have now.
Flexible payments will happen, as cash is replaced by contactless payments on cards and mobile phones.
How long will it be until I look at my credit card statement and see real -time transactions in pounds despite spending them all over the world in euros, dollars and Ruritanian groats?
We will be moving inexorably towards a World electronic currency, that appears to everybody as the one they want to use.
Let’s face it, it’s only software.
The currency merging will be led by the Anglo-Saxon English-speaking triumvirate; the US/Canada, the UK and Hong Kong/Singapore.
The Eurozone will be unable to keep the Euro out of this juggernaut.
Europe’s biggest problem is migration and despite what you read in the Mail and the Express, because of our island status, we are isolated from the worst excesses of uncontrolled migration into the European Union.
I think it will have further effects after it destroys Schengen in its present form.
There are elections in a lot of European states soon!
Will we see fruit-cake parties campaigning against more migration and for a renegotiating of their relationship with the European Union, as David Cameron has just done?
You bet we will!
David Cameron has truly opened Pandora’s Box!
Putin And Europe’s Far Right
There was a headline in The Times yesterday of Le Pen’s party asks Russia for €27m loan.
So I searched for Putin’s links to far right parties and found this article in the Guardian entitled We should beware Russia’s links with Europe’s right. This is said.
It sounds like a chapter from a cheesy spy novel: far-right European party, in financial trouble, borrows a big sum of cash from a hawkish Russian president. His goal? To undermine the European Union and to consolidate ties between Moscow and the future possible leader of pro-Kremlin France.
Europe isn’t the problem! It’s Putin and Russia!
Did The Tailor Of Bexley Come From Koningsberg?
My paternal great-great-great grandfather; Robert, was a tailor from Bexley, who I wrote about in The Tailor Of Bexley. I said this in that post.
My father once told me, that his grandfather, who must have been William, once told him, of a first hand account of Robert the tailor of Bexley, who was his grandfather.
He said that he was German and that he didn’t speak any English. Because of my coeliac disease, which is quite common in East European Jews and his profession, we can probably assume that Robert; the tailor of Bexley was Jewish. My father also told me that the family name was Müller, which had been Anglicised.
I know little more of him and his place of birth is not known to me. All I know is that he had a son; Edward in 1816, so that would put his birth in the late eighteenth century.
My trip to North-East Poland got me thinking, as I saw the branches of the Prussian Eastern Railway and discussed the history of the area with Piotr; our excellent Polish guide from Gdansk.
I also searched the Internet for Koningsberg and learned more details of its history in the late eighteenth century, with the Napoleonic Wars and the various partitions of Poland. I also read how Koningsberg was a large and cultured city. Wikipedia says this.
A university city, home of the Albertina University (founded in 1544), Königsberg developed into an important German intellectual and cultural centre, being the residence of Simon Dach, Immanuel Kant, Käthe Kollwitz, E. T. A. Hoffmann, David Hilbert, Agnes Miegel, Hannah Arendt, Michael Wieck and others.
But with the Second World War, the elimination of Jews from the city by the Nazis and the eventual takeover of the area by the Russians, the recent history has been less than a happy one.
Knowing myself, it sounds like the sort of city that I like, as my three favourite cities are Hong Kong, Liverpool and of course London.
Hence the question that is the title of this post!
My family is very ambitious and opportunistic and as Koningsberg was a major port, exporting goods from the area all over Northern Europe, I can imagine Robert deciding in his twenties to get out of the city to avoid yet another war or partition and taking a ship to London to find fame and fortune. He might even just have finished his apprenticeship as a tailor.
From arriving in the London Docks, he didn’t need to go far to end up in Bexley. A few years later he moved to Shoreditch, just a mile or so from where I live now!
I think Robert could have given me two characteristics, other than the ambition and the coeliac disease.
- His Jewish religion, but not its philosophy and values, seems to have been abandoned. I am very much a confirmed atheist with what I think, are fairly sound moral values, shared with most mainstream religions.
- He also endowed me with genes that enable me to endure the cold.
It may not be a correct tale, but even so, isn’t it a reflection down the centuries of today’s streams of refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea and other places.
Nothing changes!
Except the religion!
A Barbecue In The Snow
I’m not generally a lover of barbecues, as I’m not a lover of burned underdone meat. But in my time, I’ve had a few good ones, where a whole animal has been properly spit-roasted.
- At University in Liverpool, during Panto Week, a team roasted an ox on the steps of St. George’s Hall. It had one of those tastes that you’ll remember for ever.
- A farmer, once roasted a pig for members of Ipswich Flying Club.
- Once, we were driving back from Crete to London through Yugoslavia and when we stopped for petrol, found that a sheep was being roasted in a service station. It gave a whole new meaning to motorway food.
When it was suggested there would be a barbecue in the snow, it was something I could take or leave, but my heart rose, when I saw that a wild boar was going to be spit roasted.
I’ve had wild boar in the past and on most occasions, it would have been better, if it had gone through a food processor first, but this method of cooking brought the meat to the same sort of tenderness and quality of previous experiences of spit roasting.
So don’t ask me to a barbecue unless you’re spit roasting a whole animal.
The Anonymous Widower 