I feel like I always think of solar punk as a macro thing where a lot has to change but there are still smaller wins we can implement, what have you been doing?
I feel like I always think of solar punk as a macro thing where a lot has to change but there are still smaller wins we can implement, what have you been doing?
I’ve been lucky enough to be able to get a rooftop solar set up and battery for my house. I absolutely love it. We’ve barely used the grid since it’s gone up, only our electric shower draws too much for the inverter/ battery to provide it all, everything else runs off solar. It’s been especially good in the UK recently with the weather because it means I can run my (also recently purchased) portable aircon without feeling guilty. Makes me feel happy every time the sun is shining.
I keep thinking about getting a ground rod installed so I can run totally off grid.
We’re trying to eat less meat and having at least a couple meals per week with veggies or fish as the main. We’ve reduced how much landfill waste we produce and are recycling more.
I’m also from the UK. Could I ask for a recommendation and price range for your panels? I love the idea of it and know the upfront costs are high but haven’t actually looked into it.
Of course. We have been with Octopus for a while now for our energy and went with them for solar because of good offers and finance deals. The price dropped quite a lot in the year or so we were looking. In March this year we got 10 panels a 10kW battery and a 5kW inverter for a little over £9k. We also picked a finance deal which worked out about £300 a month so it was affordable for us, that’s not including the electric buy back or the fact we don’t have an electric bill currently so it’s actually cheaper. For comparison we looked about 8 months before and they had 10 panels a 5kW battery and a smaller inverter for £13k admittedly on an interest free finance deal, our current one is not interest free. So the prices keep coming down.