A Conversation about Solar Panels

[Bob Crowley]

By the way, to save energy, water heaters only have to be 50°C (122°F) to kill bacteria, and reduce scalding, instead of 60°C (140°F). Americans are weird, and set the water heater temp to 120°F (49°C) according to the EPA, eww, 49 ends with a 9 and not a zero.

A study on 49°C (120°F) water heating: Residential water heater temperature: 49 or 60 degrees Celsius?

Source: 3 Reasons to Set Your Temperature to 50°C - AOS Bath Singapore

It is getting late here, but we can discuss more about clean energy and efficient appliances tomorrow.

Without going outside to check I think our HWS is set to 55 Centigrade.

The following graph gives a breakdown of the main household uses of electricity in Australia. Climate control uses the most (about 40%), followed by appliances (25% with the fridge probably using the most, but I don't know the actual figures for all of them - washing machine, occasional dryer use, dish washer, TV's, and computers in the main - hot water supply (22%), lighting 8% and cooking a mere 5% so our magnetic induction stove wouldn't save much power really. It's convenient though as it heats up quickly and the stove top only gets hot from transferred heat from the pot or pan, not from the magnetic induction field itself.

We haven't used a heater or reverse cycle air conditioner in years. We just put on a bit more clothing, a rug or whatever as it doesn't get cold enough to bother. But we do use airconditioning in summer sometimes.

It would be a different story if we lived in Canberra where it gets quite cold in winter.

 

[AlexB23]

German solar potential is about the same as Alaska and even in the South the number of hours of sunshine is rather low. That said we are using what we have and integrating it into the national supply grid. It represents about 12% of supply at the moment. Wind potential is greater and that gives about 32%. With the improvement of the national grid wind energy in the North can complement solar potential in the South quite nicely. There have been days in Summer when the bulk of electricity production has been from renewables. The biggest issue is supply stability overnight and on windless and sunless days. Core supply cannot come from nuclear as that is being shut down. The current coalition is fans of green hydrogen as the stop-gap supply but that is expensive compared to fossil fuels. One major issue is that a lot of components for solar panels are made in China, not least rare earths crucial to the current designs. They have not been very cooperative with Green demand from Germany since the Ukraine war began.

Everything sadly comes from China, so there is nothing we can do about that, but yes, solar panels use rare earths, but this is a heck of a lot better compared to burning coal. Anything to get off of Russian gas and oil. Would geothermal be a viable option?

 

[AlexB23]

Without going outside to check I think our HWS is set to 55 Centigrade.

The following graph gives a breakdown of the main household uses of electricity in Australia. Climate control uses the most (about 40%), followed by appliances (25% with the fridge probably using the most, but I don't know the actual figures for all of them - washing machine, occasional dryer use, dish washer, TV's, and computers in the main - hot water supply (22%), lighting 8% and cooking a mere 5% so our magnetic induction stove wouldn't save much power really. It's convenient though as it heats up quickly and the stove top only gets hot from transferred heat from the pot or pan, not from the magnetic induction field itself.

View attachment 350225

We haven't used a heater or reverse cycle air conditioner in years. We just put on a bit more clothing, a rug or whatever as it doesn't get cold enough to bother. But we do use airconditioning in summer sometimes.

It would be a different story if we lived in Canberra where it gets quite cold in winter.

You might want to lower the HWS to 50 Celsius, as that would save you a bit of electricity. Climate control uses the most of my electricity also, as my dehumidifier and A/C run a lot during the summer (it is almost summer in Wisconsin). So, do you guys use LED lights? My place has LED lights, several non-smart LEDs in the bathroom, entrance and kitchen, three 2700K (incandescent colored LEDs) from a cheap Chinese company called Sengled, and one color changing light from Wiz.

For heating, I rarely use the furnace either, as I am on the third floor. Heat rises, and my dehumidifier (set to 35-40% during the winter) generates heat during the winter. So, my place rarely drops below 18-20 Celsius.

Speaking of cooking, my toaster oven is used a lot during the colder months, and even warmer months, as I rarely need to use the full size oven (which is sadly gas). Perfect for making fish or chicken, or even a small batch of banana bread. Have yet to make cookies in the toaster oven, as cookies are made in larger batches.

Anyways, I have got to make some breakfast, and watch a short church service as it is kinda raining here.

 

[AlexB23]

So, @mindlight , what is your air conditioner setting in the summer in Germany? Mine is 25°C (77°F) during the day, though I have it on eco mode when I am gone (28.5°C or 83.3°F). To save electricity, 25°C makes plenty of sense. At night, my place does not have good ventilation from the outside, so, I set my A/C to ~23°C, or run it for 20-40 minutes before bed, then set it to eco.

 

[AlexB23]

Alright guys, in a few days, if I have time this week, a part 2 to the OP will be posted in the tech subforum of Christian Forums named "A Conversation about EVs - Tesla vs. Legacy brands". This will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of Tesla, and compare the company to Toyota EVs and other legacy brands such as Chevy. We will also discuss batteries and may touch on solid-state technology and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

 

[Bob Crowley]

We have a hybrid car (and another older conventional vehicle). We're not thinking about an electric vehicle.

I'm hoping that by the time we trade in the petrol car (gas for Americans) that there is sufficient infrastructure to consider a hydrogen vehicle, if we can still afford it in our old age. Possibly in the early stages we could use the hydrogen car locally and the hybrid for longer trips.

Elon Musk ridicules hydrogen vehicles but that's just his opinion.

There's definitely potential use for heavy transport and bus companies. They can fill up in about the same time as they can now with fossil fuels, and go a long way on a single top up. They wouldn't lose much hydrogen though leakage as they would use their fuel too quickly.

Hydrogen-powered trucks primed to roll out in Australia

The first prime-mover powered by hydrogen will hit Australian roads within months after PepsiCo revealed plans to trial the vehicle technology in Queensland.

theqldr.com.au

My guess is that four of the five proposed refuelling stations will be in Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns. I think they would need another one at Childers which is about haflway to Rockhampton from Brisbane as it's a long haul (630 Kms). Childers is also out the back of what we call the Wide Bay area, so there would be some incentive for locals to consider a hydrogen car.

Gladstone would possibly be another centre as the state government is "investing in hydrogen-equipment manufacturing facilities" in that town.

That would allow heavy transport to drive from Melbourne in Victoria to Cairns in North Queensland, assuming that the Victorian and New South Wales governments do their bit.

The Queensland government is also investing in hydrogen-equipment manufacturing facilities in Gladstone, and will roll out five hydrogen refuelling stations in the state as part of its contribution to an East Coast Hydrogen Super Highway with NSW and Victorian governments.

The other inter-city stages are shorter and similar to each other - Rockhampton to Mackay 335 kms, Mackay to Townsville 386 kms, Townville to Cairns 347 kms.

It would also be suitable for buses as they can fill up at base, do their run around the place and return to base to fill up. There is already one regional bus line which might be doing just that.

Hydrogen to fuel Emerald buses for miners and school kids

 

[AlexB23]

We have a hybrid car (and another older conventional vehicle). We're not thinking about an electric vehicle.

I'm hoping that by the time we trade in the petrol car (gas for Americans) that there is sufficient infrastructure to consider a hydrogen vehicle, if we can still afford it in our old age. Possibly in the early stages we could use the hydrogen car locally and the hybrid for longer trips.

Elon Musk ridicules hydrogen vehicles but that's just his opinion.

There's definitely potential use for heavy transport and bus companies. They can fill up in about the same time as they can now with fossil fuels, and go a long way on a single top up. They wouldn't lose much hydrogen though leakage as they would use their fuel too quickly.

Hydrogen-powered trucks primed to roll out in Australia

The first prime-mover powered by hydrogen will hit Australian roads within months after PepsiCo revealed plans to trial the vehicle technology in Queensland.

theqldr.com.au

My guess is that four of the five proposed refuelling stations will be in Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns. I think they would need another one at Childers which is about haflway to Rockhampton from Brisbane as it's a long haul (630 Kms). Childers is also out the back of what we call the Wide Bay area, so there would be some incentive for locals to consider a hydrogen car.

Gladstone would possibly be another centre as the state government is "investing in hydrogen-equipment manufacturing facilities" in that town.

That would allow heavy transport to drive from Melbourne in Victoria to Cairns in North Queensland, assuming that the Victorian and New South Wales governments do their bit.



The other inter-city stages are shorter and similar to each other - Rockhampton to Mackay 335 kms, Mackay to Townsville 386 kms, Townville to Cairns 347 kms.

It would also be suitable for buses as they can fill up at base, do their run around the place and return to base to fill up. There is already one regional bus line which might be doing just that.

Hydrogen to fuel Emerald buses for miners and school kids

Hydrogen buses would be a great idea. And of course, Elon Musk ridicules anything that does not help his profits. I watched a few videos on hydrogen vehicles, and yes, they can fill up in around the same time as a fossil car. The tech blows me away. It is good that you guys stay away from BEVs (battery electric vehicles) as the technology is not there yet. Hydrogen cars have much more range, and petrol hybrids even more so.

Plus, hydrogen cars can run at the same speed as gasoline cars (180 km/h or 112 mph). Battery EVs can do the same as well. This is a Toyota hydrogen car:

 

[Bob Crowley]

I don't think I'll be driving at 180 kph on Australian roads as per the Autobahn video. I think the highest Australian speed limit is 130kph somewhere in the Northern Territory (NT).

Some years ago the NT had no speed limits on a stretch of the Stuart Highway which runs from Darwin to Alice Springs and on to Port Augusta in South Australia, with a death toll of young drivers to match.

Two years ago my wife and I were in Darwin and spent a couple of days in Katherine about 300kms south as we visited Katherine Gorge.

On the return trip we bumped into a young lady with a couple of kids at a roadside station. She lived in Darwin but she'd grown up in Katherine and to our surprise had been to boarding school in Brisbane, which is our home town area. She'd attended a school called Clayfield College if I remember rightly.

She told us the NT had no speed limits at one stage, and commented that almost every year she and her former classmates were going to a funeral of one of their fellow school pupils, mostly if not all male, due to high speed jinks on NT roads.

 

[AlexB23]

I don't think I'll be driving at 180 kph on Australian roads as per the Autobahn video. I think the highest Australian speed limit is 130kph somewhere in the Northern Territory (NT).

Some years ago the NT had no speed limits on a stretch of the Stuart Highway which runs from Darwin to Alice Springs and on to Port Augusta in South Australia, with a death toll of young drivers to match.

Two years ago my wife and I were in Darwin and spent a couple of days in Katherine about 300kms south. On the return trip we bumped into a young lady with a couple of kids at a roadside station. She lived in Darwin but she'd grown up in Katherine and to our surprise had been to boarding school in Brisbane, which is our home town area. She'd attended a Clayfield College if I remember rightly.

She told us the NT had no speed limits at one stage, and commented that almost every year she and her former classmates were going to a funeral of one of their fellow school pupils, mostly if not all male, due to high speed jinks on NT roads.

Yeah, most of the world is like 120 km/h or something, maybe 130 km/h. The USA is 70 mph (113 km/h). That is sad how people died on Australian roads. Germany might have higher safety standards compared to the Land Down Under, but I am not sure.

 

[Bob Crowley]

I think the German autobahns would be far better roads than Australian highways, and they do have speed limits on some sections near more heavily populated areas.

After I read the bit about the NT having 130 kph limits on some parts of the Stuart Highway, I remembered we were driving at times in 130 kph sections to and from Katherine. The reason that it didn't come to mind more easily is that we stuck to about 110kph, and it seemed to me that most drivers were content to do the same.

Which meant that it wasn't much different than for us to drive to the Sunshine Coast for example where some parts of the highway have a 110kph limit.

There were the occasional fast drivers, but most people kept their speed down. It's more economical for for a start and I think a bit safer.

The most difficult vehicles to pass were the road trains. There were stretches of one lane each way but fairly regular passing stretches where a second lane had been added for a kilometre or two on one side or the other.

 

[AlexB23]

I think the German autobahns would be far better roads than Australian highways, and they do have speed limits on some sections near more heavily populated areas.

After I read the bit about the NT having 130 kph limits on some parts of the Stuart Highway, I remembered we were driving at times in 130 kph sections to and from Katherine. The reason that it didn't come to mind more easily is that we stuck to about 110kph, and it seemed to me that most drivers were content to do the same.

Which meant that it wasn't much different than for us to drive to the Sunshine Coast for example where some parts of the highway have a 110kph limit.

There were the occasional fast drivers, but most people kept their speed down. It's more economical for for a start and I think a bit safer.

The most difficult vehicles to pass were the road trains. There were stretches of one lane each way but fairly regular passing stretches where a second lane had been added for a kilometre or two on one side or the other.

View attachment 350389

I do agree on the fuel economy part. However, if we lower speed limits to 55 mph (90 km/h), people would complain as well, so 65-70 mph (110 km/h) seems like a good compromise. Yep, around 40% of German autobahns have speed limits, especially parts near cities.