Farm renewable energy

bagenal said:
The shed here is 45' x 30' portal framed, one side faces the rising sun and the other gets the afternoon/evening sun. I'd be very interested in having panels on it even if they were only for heating the water.
Has anyone any recommendations for reputable installers?
@Marooned75 who did you get to install your system?
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I've only noticed this evening that my neighbours are after getting a similar size shed to yours done. Looks very neat and knitted in around clear sheets in the roof and so on.

If I remember it next time I'm talking to him, I'll ask.
 
masseyhead2022 said:
Just reading back through this thread…..

I can’t understand why the greens haven’t made more of using farm buildings for developing renewable (solar) energy…. The country is filled with sheds which wouldn’t look worse for being covered in panels…..I think when you hear of these 40 acre solar panel farms that it’s honestly a waste of good land but if we all put them on our sheds…. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Regarding the setup costs, etc- I do believe selling back to the grid is going to become a thing this year. People who are installing solar panel units at the moment (in houses anyway) are being told not to bother with batteries due to this. That’d at least cut down on the setup costs.
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farmersjournal.ie

Farm shed solar panels could power 500,000 homes – MREF

The Micro-Renewable Energy Federation (MREF) has made a series of recommendations to Government on solar panel PV in its budget submission.
farmersjournal.ie farmersjournal.ie
 

Possibly not the right thread for this but are these ad plants not madness? Is there many of these in the south?Seems like a awful inefficient way to produce half a megawatt of electricity.
 
eire23 said:

Possibly not the right thread for this but are these ad plants not madness? Is there many of these in the south?Seems like a awful inefficient way to produce half a megawatt of electricity.
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In my mind there needs to be some serious rule changes to make running them om waste easier.

It's a serious minefield of regs as it is.
If a bit of food waste wound up in an agri digester the spreading tankers would have to change over to white diesel from red. Its that kind of madness causing unnecessary complications.
 
Like so many things they'd be a great idea if used for their original intent, waste processing.


The idea of biofuels is that if we're going to burn hydrocarbons then let's have a growing crop capture atmospheric carbon and then when burned the co2 is released back into the atmosphere, it's a zero sum game much like the natural carbon cycle.

The idea falls down when you have to burn a huge amount of dino fuel to create these bio fuels which greatly reduces their benefit (maybe even eliminates it?)

Then add in the large scale monocultures that they encourage and the impact of that on biodiversity and you have to wonder
 
13spanner said:
The Indians also used to scalp people. Doesn’t mean you have to. 😋
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😂


Back on topic has anyone put in solar ?
I’ve a 64x30ish side of a shed sloping south. Very tempted to put solar on.

Waiting for possible grant aid on it and what company would be the most reputable to go witt
 
Johndeere3650 said:
😂


Back on topic has anyone put in solar ?
I’ve a 64x30ish side of a shed sloping south. Very tempted to put solar on.

Waiting for possible grant aid on it and what company would be the most reputable to go witt
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All the New Lidls have Panels on and there is a EU scheme on energy saving for businesses where the installer profit shares with the businesses but it involves more than Panels . I know Hotels that have put smart valves on Radiators and panels on new restaurants .


lawlersustainability.com

Retail Lighting Upgrade and Energy Savings in Kilkenny, Ireland - Lawler Sustainability

This retail lighting upgrade and energy savings project will save Meubles approximately €20,000 per annum.
lawlersustainability.com lawlersustainability.com
 
My only issue putting them on a shed roof is the day you need to do a small repair on the roof is it not a major job with the panels on top??
 
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Rebelman said:
My only issue putting them on a shed roof is the day you need to do a small repair on the roof is it not a major job with the panels on top??
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Well our shed would be pretty new.... but why not get a builder to look at the shed and if a job needs to be done to it in the next 5 years or needs to be painted in the next 5 I would just do them jobs now and install panels then.
Panels could last 25 years or more
 
Rebelman said:
My only issue putting them on a shed roof is the day you need to do a small repair on the roof is it not a major job with the panels on top??
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Another issue is how are you meant to clean the panels a couple of times a year when they are up on a high roof?
 
greenhorn said:
Another issue is how are you meant to clean the panels a couple of times a year when they are up on a high roof?
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Not really any different to being on the roof of a 2 story house, if anything I’d be more comfortable going to the shed roof than the house roof…. Also will they really need cleaning that often? It probably depends on what’s in surrounding area(tall trees etc). They have some panel in work I think about 3 years now, I’ve said about cleaning them but they have never actually been done
 
Don't know if there is a better thread for this but nearly keeled over when I got my last electric bill a couple of weeks ago for 1640 euro.when averaged with the previous one so covering march April may June it's averaging 550 per month.
According to them i am using 18000kw a year or the same as four average houses.
We have no electric shower or tumble drier.
Our glamping site is running it but has gas for water heating and oil for most heating.
We would use a few 600w heaters but only two nights a week.
Could my meter be wrong??
I joined bord gais a few years ago and the usage seems to have climbed since, though obviously they would not have changed the meter
 
Seedsower said:
Don't know if there is a better thread for this but nearly keeled over when I got my last electric bill a couple of weeks ago for 1640 euro.when averaged with the previous one so covering march April may June it's averaging 550 per month.
According to them i am using 18000kw a year or the same as four average houses.
We have no electric shower or tumble drier.
Our glamping site is running it but has gas for water heating and oil for most heating.
We would use a few 600w heaters but only two nights a week.
Could my meter be wrong??
I joined bord gais a few years ago and the usage seems to have climbed since, though obviously they would not have changed the meter
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How many spots for camping have you running off our house , what KVA do you have coming to your property
 
Mayo man said:
How many spots for camping have you running off our house , what KVA do you have coming to your property
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I don't know the answer but think there is myself and another house of one transformer,15 or 20 KVA
We don't have camping spots just 7 different accommodation units 4 of which use small electric heaters, outside of summer they are generally only occupied at weekends
 
We been hounded recently to sign a new electric contract even though we’ve 12 months to run,a quick calc showed we’d be £14k a year just for running the vacuum pumps,milk cooling will be similar again then we heat water using electric,so before you know it your paying a grand a week for electric,f**k that!
 
Seedsower said:
I don't know the answer but think there is myself and another house of one transformer,15 or 20 KVA
We don't have camping spots just 7 different accommodation units 4 of which use small electric heaters, outside of summer they are generally only occupied at weekends
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It all adds up , a heater here and a kettle there , you could be gone over you’re minimum import capacity, depends how it’s all set up , it sounds like you have a lot off a domestic supply,
 
Mayo man said:
It all adds up , a heater here and a kettle there , you could be gone over you’re minimum import capacity, depends how it’s all set up , it sounds like you have a lot off a domestic supply,
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Do you mean minimum or maximum import capacity?
I have never heard of either
 
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