Why do people get such strong feelings over electric cars and solar panels etc.

[Gillstay]

On the subject of solar panels, it always occurred to me...
I nearly had mine done maybe 15 years ago and got cold feet. Iirc after 20 or 25 years, they become your responsibility and that bugged me, what are you going to do then, have to pay to get them repaired, replaced, removed ? A bit short sighted I admit but it is a relevent point.
And then I look across the road to people that had theirs done maybe 5 to 10 years ago...covered in mildew or lichen. Their efficiency must be down 30%
It's not all black and white, it's not all win win.

I just get out a bucket of water and my extension poles and give them a clean. Takes about 20 mins.
The Eco washing up liquid is quite expensive though and may run out one day despite buying 5 litres.

 

[mistyoptic]

I don't think I've seen any panels with lichen on them and I'm a keen panel spotter. I'd not worry about that.

Possibly not but there are houses near us where the installation is under the chimneys which have aerials on. Pigeons/other birds sit on the aerials and the panels are very not clean…

Possibly council installations and tenants don’t care?

 

[gbb]

After 25 years they'll have paid you back what you paid for them at least twice. So use some of the profits to see if you need to replace them. You probably don't - you don't guarantee something for 25 years if they can only last 25. They use solar panels on the space station so they're pretty hardy and long lasting.

I don't think I've seen any panels with lichen on them and I'm a keen panel spotter. I'd not worry about that.

You missed out.

I know. I wa caught in a moment of uncertainty and backed out, I shouldn't have with hindsight.
If I think on, I will get photos of the panels opposite mine, it's really quite bad.

 

[gbb]

What else do you ever buy that is guaranteed for that long?

Even the standard NBC guarantee on a new house is only 10 years.



I don't think it affects the efficiency that much - and they can be cleaned.

These seem more like reasonas to justify the decision you already made to not buy than actual arguments against buying.

I suspect you're Interpreting it as a reason to justify my former decision, but its not. Iin the same post, I already stated it was the wrong decision with hindsight so I'm not trying to fool myself I made the right decision. Nevertheless It is a reality, at the end stage they need money spent to remove or replace and while you don't think their efficiency isn't effected by lichen buildup...I'd respectfully disagree.
It was the wrong decision nevertheless, I always kinda rue not going ahead.

 

[Tenkaykev]

Possibly not but there are houses near us where the installation is under the chimneys which have aerials on. Pigeons/other birds sit on the aerials and the panels are very not clean…

Possibly council installations and tenants don’t care?

I had a wander around the local housing stock prior to my install so I could get a better idea of sizing / asthetics. On a couple of parallel streets with the same orientation to the sun there were rows of semi detatched and short terraces ( 4 houses ) The semi's had a central chimney stack, the terraces of 4 had two chimney stacks, one for each pair of houses in the terrace. What was common to them all was that the panels adjacent to the chimney stacks on the right hand side were showing some degree of moss, some to quite an extent. All the panels to the left of the chimney were completely clear. As all the panels saw the same traverse of the sun I think that the prevailing wind must be an influence.

 

[Tenkaykev]

I suspect you're Interpreting it as a reason to justify my former decision, but its not. Iin the same post, I already stated it was the wrong decision with hindsight so I'm not trying to fool myself I made the right decision. Nevertheless It is a reality, at the end stage they need money spent to remove or replace and while you don't think their efficiency isn't effected by lichen buildup...I'd respectfully disagree.
It was the wrong decision nevertheless, I always kinda rue not going ahead.

I thought about it seriously when they first had the FIT tariff but in the end I wasn't sure which way my life was going at the time. In the end I estimated what the cost of a solar installation would be and invested that amount in shares in the National Grid. I sort of rationalised that I'm still investing in Electricity and the annual dividends would be a sort of " Feed in Tariff ", I'd still have the capital which should hopefully keep up with and even exceed inflation, and I could eventually sell the shares to fund my solar install when I felt the time was right.
I possibly made the correct decision because in the interim panels have both increased in efficiency and longevity and also fallen in price. That coupled with the affordability of home battery storage have made my recent installation look really promising.

 

[Alex321]

I suspect you're Interpreting it as a reason to justify my former decision, but its not. Iin the same post, I already stated it was the wrong decision with hindsight so I'm not trying to fool myself I made the right decision. Nevertheless It is a reality, at the end stage they need money spent to remove or replace and while you don't think their efficiency isn't effected by lichen buildup...I'd respectfully disagree.
It was the wrong decision nevertheless, I always kinda rue not going ahead.

Fair enough.

I didn't say the efficiency would be unaffected, I said it wouldn't be as much as the 30% you were suggesting.

They will only need money spending after 25 years if you decide their output has deteriorated so much it is worth replacing. No need to remove them if you don't want to replace - they are very unlikely to just stop working, but will gradually deteriorate in output.

 

[Chislenko]

I don't know anyone with strong feelings about solar panels, I would go as far to say most people I know and have met in my life have never expressed feelings of any sort towards solar panels.

 

[icowden]

I don't know anyone with strong feelings about solar panels, I would go as far to say most people I know and have met in my life have never expressed feelings of any sort towards solar panels.

I'd really like them. I can't afford them at present, but I'd really like them.

 

[CXRAndy]

EV sales have bounced back in February. Tesla model Y best selling car in many European countries

 

[cougie uk]

Anyone see the story of the runaway ev the other day?

Well it's looking to be not quite the story.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-68557652.amp

 

[Slick]

Anyone see the story of the runaway ev the other day?

Well it's looking to be not quite the story.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-68557652.amp

Cops aren't buying it.

 

[cougie uk]

Cops aren't buying it.

There's been a few cases I've seen of cars doing this before and at least some of them have turned out to be the driver just lying about things. Muppets.

 

[Slick]

There's been a few cases I've seen of cars doing this before and at least some of them have turned out to be the driver just lying about things. Muppets.

It was some years ago now, but there was a case when a truck was barrelling down the motorway with its throttle jammed open and its brakes burnt out. The "hero" driver eventually managed to drag it into a barrier without anyone getting hurt. Turned out of course there was actually nothing wrong with his truck and he was just a fantasist.

 

[classic33]

It was some years ago now, but there was a case when a truck was barrelling down the motorway with its throttle jammed open and its brakes burnt out. The "hero" driver eventually managed to drag it into a barrier without anyone getting hurt. Turned out of course there was actually nothing wrong with his truck and he was just a fantasist.

We'd a similar case years ago. Just before the testing station off J24 of the M62, The driver reported his brakes had gone, police closed the six lanes and emergency services were on standby at J25. He ran onto the the roundabout at the slip road.
Brakes were found to be working okay when tested. And many lorry drivers couldn't at the time understand why he didn't use the gearbox to slow himself down.

Believe he changed jobs and became a driving instructor.