Environment at home
Environment at home
It is important how we use the environment around us. In the past it has sometimes been more about abuse that use. We are now more aware of the environment around us, in several different ways.
- the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates
- the natural world, as a whole or in a particular geographical area, especially as affected by human activity.
In this section, I look at not the wider environment around us nor climate change, but our home. Of course the wider environment impacts the local environment of our home, and the things we do within it, hopefully in an Environmentally Conscious manner. In and eco friendly and sustainable way.
Solar PV and Battery Impact
I have been watching the development of Solar photovoltaics (PV) for many years.
Initially as part of a design project for a all terrain expedition vehicle / motorhome. A roof predominantly covered with PV panels and a bank of 10 deep cycle batteries. I also went to a Caravan and Motorhome show and saw a PV panel mounted on a devise that looked like a satellite dish support, but instead of having a dish, it had a PV panel. It tracked the sun, to maximise power generation.
The Oyster SunMover System is an intelligent GPS controlled solar tracking system. It can automatically track the suns path throughout the day and adjust as necessary to maximise solar energy capture making it more efficient than standard fixed solar panels.
The system itself consists of a 75W solar panel attached to a specially designed electronic mechanism which is controlled internally via its own control system in the roof unit making installation simpler. On average the system is capable of harvesting approximately three times the power of a 75W fixed solar panel on its own. This is even more important in the winter months where the angle of insolation (the angle of the suns rays on the earth) is much greater i.e. the sun is effectively lower in the sky. The Oyster SunMover can adjust the elevation (the angle of the solar panel) to maximise energy harvest throughout the year.
This was a long time ago, and I can't remember if the make was Oyster or the price. However, at over £2000 before being discontinued, for just one panel, it was not directly pursued.
Subcategories
Water Harvesting Article Count: 3
Water Harvesting
Home heating and insulation Article Count: 14
How to improve the home heating, domestic hot water, draft proofing and insulation in a stainable way to reduce our impact on the environment.
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Renewable energy Article Count: 1
The use of renewable energy at home to cut cost, reduce CO2 output, and to save the planet, one step at a time.
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