View Full Version : Renewable Energy in Schools
skytalker
15-Jul-11, 16:09
I read with great interest about Wick South School and its Wind Turbine and it got me wondering.
Who put in the Wind Turbine – the school or was the money for it raised by the parents and children?
Does the school qualify for FIT? (Feed In Tariff). If it does, what will the money generated be used for?
If it does qualify for FIT, why is the Government not spending money on putting Wind Turbines and Solar Panel onto all its Schools, Hospitals, Public Buildings, etc. When you think about it, these places use a considerable amount of electricity, especially hospitals which are open 24/7.
I read with great interest about Wick South School and its Wind Turbine and it got me wondering.
Who put in the Wind Turbine – the school or was the money for it raised by the parents and children?
Does the school qualify for FIT? (Feed In Tariff). If it does, what will the money generated be used for?
If it does qualify for FIT, why is the Government not spending money on putting Wind Turbines and Solar Panel onto all its Schools, Hospitals, Public Buildings, etc. When you think about it, these places use a considerable amount of electricity, especially hospitals which are open 24/7.
Aye - and who pays for the FIT? We all do; through higher electricity charges so it's another tax by stealth. If we must have all this green energy technology - fine. But it is grossly unfair to expect all domestic electricity users to contribute to anyone's Feed In Tariff.
But it is grossly unfair to expect all domestic electricity users to contribute to anyone's Feed In Tariff.
I think it would be grossly unfair if anyone was denied the opportunity to have their domestic electricity paid for by other domestic users.
I think it would be grossly unfair if anyone was denied the opportunity to have their domestic electricity paid for by other domestic users.
And your justification for increase charges/ tax by stealth to pay for someone elses investment is?
And your justification for increase charges/ tax by stealth to pay for someone elses investment is?
There are two scenarios
a) We let renewable energy systems compete with fossil fuels with no special incentives and let market forces determine who uses what to power their homes, as time goes on fossil fuels will become spirallingly expensive and then we have to go all out for renewables but it may be too late for the planet in terms of Global Warming.
b) We make it so attractive to have renewable energy systems in our homes that anyone who refuses to take up the incentives will be seriously out of pocket. The net effect is that there will be less demand for fossil fuels, less demand will mean lower prices for those refusing to switch over to renewable energies and so there may be a sustainable supply for fossil fuels which may be taken up by the Earth's carbon sinks.
I understand where you’re coming from Rheghead but my point is the unfairness of the system you appear to so staunchly support.
There are people hereabouts living in scattered rural settlements where if their plot is big enough they can invest in a domestic wind turbine and get paid for generating electricity through the FIT. Yet there are people living in housing estates in Wick and Thurso who will never (in the foreseeable future) be allowed to hoist a wind turbine in their back garden to gain those same benefits.
My point is why should those who will never be allowed to generate their own electricity subsidise those who do, through higher electricity charges? Surely there must be a fairer way?
I'm all for renewable energy but very wary of placing wind turbines anywhere near a school or any populated area.... the dangers are too obvious.
There should be more emphasis put on conserving our energy; the waste around our country is atrocious. There many buildings wasting heat and water and its occupiers dressed in t-shirts and others with their window/doors open to cool the buildings down.
Many folks leave their electric items switched on, i.e. tv, computers, lights etc. A great saving can be made if people would only pay attention to all the energy they are using unnecessarily.
If all items not in use were swiched off instead of on standby, a great deal of energy would be saved and bills cut accordingly. Are we all so lazy that pressing a switch is just too much effort?
Sorry for going off topic slightly but it seems to be more desirable to spend fortunes on new methods rather than conserve and protect what we have. A healthy respect for what our world gives us seems to be too much to ask. We have fallen into the trap of accepting and taking for granted what we already have and using it whether we need or not.
Our ethos of living for today has become the norm and let's grab it while we can and to hell with those who will come after.
P.S. Oops, seem to be ranting again, time to take my medicine; carry on folks....:roll:
Aha, I have the answer! Let all of us sitting in front of a computer use pedal power; seriously! Many of us eat too much (again a waste of our precious resources) and put on weight and are spending fortunes on expensive diet regimes, gyms etc., and costing the NHS so much dealing with the aftermath.
We spend a lot on getting fat, we spend a lot on trying to lose it, we spend a lot on holidays abroad when we haven't seen the whole of our own country.
This mad race for gratifying a need that is superfluous to leading a contented life has got out of hand. Time for each and every one of us to take stock and redefine what is necessary to be happy; enjoy what we have.
O.K. I'm off back into my box now..... :lol:
O.K. I'm off back into my box now.....
Back into your Box Torvaig?
You dont live in Portgower by any chance do you?
You got me scared now.......:eek:
C3......:roll:;)
Back into your Box Torvaig?
You dont live in Portgower by any chance do you?
You got me scared now.......:eek:
C3......:roll:;)
Somebody's gotta live here and keep the hounds fed.....
perhaps we shouldn't allow cars anywhere near schools if we are concerned about safety?
I can understand your concern Torvaig but I haven't heard of a community wind turbine that has collapsed and caused any injury in this country yet. IMHO the risks are minimal.
I see the need to move away from fossil fuel generated electricity and welcome the green alternatives as described by Rheghead BUT funding the change must be done in a fair and equitable way.
In the near future roof mounted micro wind turbines might populate people's roofs as much as satellite dishes do today.
Even Chance
18-Jul-11, 15:03
In the near future roof mounted micro wind turbines might populate people's roofs as much as satellite dishes do today.
I look forward to that day! I'd have one if it was affordable to purchase initially!!
perhaps we shouldn't allow cars anywhere near schools if we are concerned about safety?
Quite right Rheghead; let the pupils walk to their schools (within reason of course) and they will be much healthier for it. Just as teachers head up and follow behind a group of pupils when going outwith the school grounds, parents could do the same to and from the schools. Where there is a will there is a way.
Just as teachers head up and follow behind a group of pupils when going outwith the school grounds, parents could do the same to and from the schools. Where there is a will there is a way.
They tried the 'Walking Bus' idea in the village I lived in in the Central Belt. Starting at one end of the village picking up the children on the way to the school at the other end. Unfortunately there was never enough volunteer parents (they all needed Disclosures because they were supervising children other than their own) so the idea died. Everyone reverted to bringing traffic to a stanstill outside the school while Mums practiced their ten point turns in front of the school gates. Great fun to watch!
"The Walking Bus" - I knew there was a name for it! I can see how the disclosure system could be cumbersome and probably there are rules to cover giving your neighbours child a lift to school.
"Ten Point Turns" yes, we have something similar except it is more to do with parking; parking on the pavement, parking on corners; parking one car on one side of the street with another on the other side; parking half in and half out of the car park (which remains practically empty) and mums having a good chinwag while the odd child risks running out in front of the traffic to get to the safety of mummies car which is parked right on top of the "safety" sign which indicates to the children that it is a SAFE PLACE to cross!
skytalker
20-Jul-11, 12:51
What makes the whole thing ridicules is that - the more of the electric that you produce that you use the more money you get paid but if you produce electric and just put it into the grid the less you make.
20plus pence per unit you use as opposed to 9ish pence per unit you put into the grid.
What really gets me though is that you HAVE to use MCS certified installers and equipment, which is extortionately priced.
Look anywhere on the web and you can find how to make your own Solar Panel and the cost of making your own is more than less than half the price of buying one. So maybe the schools could be making their own and reducing the cost of the electric they are using. The have plenty of free space on their roofs for it.
As for Wind Turbines, one school in Dorset has had to switch theirs off as the head master had to be in school before anyone else to pick up the dead birds before the pupils arrived at school.
Skytalker you're right. Its these very reasons why many people view the whole green energy movement with scepticism. The people who thought up the current bureaucracy didn't do so to save the planet, they did so to create a new industry with a revenue stream.
What makes the whole thing ridicules is that - the more of the electric that you produce that you use the more money you get paid but if you produce electric and just put it into the grid the less you make.
That is not my understanding, my understanding is that you get paid the FIT tax free for every kWh whether you use the electricity or not. If you opt to have a export meter fitted then you will be paid an extra 3.1p per KWh that you produce. If you decide not to fit an export meter then the Govt will assume that you only use half the electricity that you produce and you will be paid the 3.1p on top of the FIT for the other 50%.
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