ENERGY MATTERS

[Big Kev]

https://www.positive.news/society/scien ... you%20talk

A 40-strong team of researchers at the department of physics at Oxford University have developed a solar cell so thin that it can be applied to buildings, cars and everyday objects.

It means you could, in theory, devise a backpack that charges gizmos while you walk, or a phone that juices up as you talk. Or even an EV that recharges for free as you cruise down the motorway.

Could be a game changer.

[Stanley]

Good news for your neighbour then Kev.....

[Tizer]

More here on the perovskite solar cells developed by the company based on Oxford University research: Oxford PV

Originally the word perovskite referred only to a mineral which was discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia by Gustav Rose in 1839 and was named after Russian mineralogist Lev Perovski. The mineral is calcium titanium oxide, CaTiO3, and there are vast a mounts of it out of our reach deep in the Earth's interior and it's rare on the surface. The molecular structure of the mineral was revealed when X-ray diffraction became available in the 1940s. It was found to have unusual and potentially valuable physical properties but its rarity prevented commercial use. Fortunately scientists then found that they could synthesise similar molecules with the same specific structure and that's when commercial developments began, especially for improving solar cells. Now the name perovskite also refers to the class of chemicals having the same crystal structure as the original perovskite mineral but composed of different elements.

[Stanley]

It sounds too good to be true. I wonder how long it will be before we see commercial applications for it......

[Tizer]

In the case of perovskite I'd say very soon, there a lot of work being done around the world to get applications into production.

A couple of energy matters in the news today...
`Electric 'superhighway' approved between Scotland and England' LINK
A multi-billion pound subsea cable that can shift vast amounts of renewable electricity between Scotland and England has been given the go-ahead by regulators. SSEN Transmission says the energy transfer project is needed to move energy around the grid on days when the wind doesn’t blow or demand is high. The two 315-mile (507km) cables will run from Peterhead in Aberdeenshire to Drax in North Yorkshire and will initially work alongside a similar link down the west coast....

`China firm claims world's fastest-charging EV battery' LINK
Chinese car maker Zeekr says its new electric vehicle (EV) batteries charge faster than any of its rivals, including industry leaders Tesla and BYD. The firm claims its upgraded batteries can be charged from 10% to 80% capacity in 10 and a half minutes using its ultra-fast charging stations....

[Stanley]

I heard the report about the connectors Peter and thought "About time!"
As for the quick charging battery, the weight of current needed to transfer that amount of energy that fast is frightening!

[Tizer]

At last!...
`High Court Judge rules West Cumbria plan for coal mine should be quashed' TheBusinessDesk.com
Folk are led to believe that it's a small West Cumbria-based business but as I've noted before that's completely wrong: Note this: West Cumbria Mining is owned by Singapore registered Woodhouse Investment Pte Ltd, its ultimate parent company is Cayman Islands registered EMR Capital Resources Fund. EMR is chaired by mining veteran Owen Hegarty, former managing Director of Rio Tinto Asia and its Australian copper and gold business from 1989 to 1994.

[Stanley]

In these days of global enterprises it's a job to know who you are dealing with and it needs sleuths like you Peter to keep us informed and up to date. Thanks.
I suppose British Gas will be calling for another double bill this month as a result of the cap changing shortly, I forget the date.

[Big Kev]

The EV charger saga continues, Octopus are unable to fit a smart meter in the outside box ( I don't have the details why)...

The outside box isn't big enough and ElectricityNW won't upgrade the indoor meter to 3 phase.

The saga continues. No smart meter,
25p per kWh to charge instead of 7p and no sign of a resolution.
Next step is https://www.energyombudsman.org/

[Stanley]

Sounds like me and TalkTalk! What is wrong with these people. They have lost sight of why they exist, to serve others!!!

[Stanley]

Colin repaired my email just in time. BG asked for meter readings and I have my energy bill this morning for the last month back to 22 August. £85 for dual fuel. We can say the heating season has started and bills will now soar......

[Stanley]

I have been running my heating on a maximum temperature of 30C and decided yesterday that that was probably too low. I put it up to 35C and I think that was a good decision, the house feels more comfortable now.

[Big Kev]

I have been running my heating on a maximum temperature of 30C and decided yesterday that that was probably too low. I put it up to 35C and I think that was a good decision, the house feels more comfortable now.

Mine runs at 60 degrees, supposedly the most efficient for an older stone built house.

[Cathy]

Seriously Stanley 35C . Why so hot?

[Big Kev]

Seriously Stanley 35C . Why so hot?

I think he means boiler temperature rather than room thermostat. If I remember rightly Stanley's room temp is set to 20 degrees.

[Cathy]

[Stanley]

Correct Kev. The temperature that the boiler runs at....Sorry if I hadn't made that clear Cathy. 35C room temperature would be a bit excessive!

[Stanley]

One of the reasons I leave my thermostat alone to get on with regulating house temperature is that it is more consistent than I am but I am never sure if a setting is right until I have experienced it. My slight raising of the boiler temperature was a good move, the front room (North side of the house) was a steady 20C last night.....

[Stanley]

The last coal fired power station in the UK stops operations today
See THIS article in the Economist.
On September 30th water vapour will rise from the eight giant cooling towers at Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire for the final time. The closure of Britain’s last coal-fired power plant is the end, in effect, of an industry that has played a critical role in shaping the country’s economy over three centuries. It is also testament to a remarkably successful drive to stamp down on the dirtiest source of carbon emissions.

[Tizer]

The locals are campaigning to save the the towers from the proposed destruction - they're so used to them that it'll be a great loss from their point of view (literally). Surely a new use could be found instead? Have we lost our creativity and innovation?

[Stanley]

But think of the responsibility of maintaining enormous structures like that Peter. My vote would be drop them and if the protestors were asked to contribute towards costs and taking responsibility they would soon change their minds.....

[Tizer]

Offer them to Elon Musk for free and I bet he'd make them into a battery giga-factory or some other application!

[Stanley]

A redundant cooling tower is a peculiarly useless structure and they can be surprisingly fragile.

[Stanley]

We are into the heating season now and usage climbs gradually. My dual fuel charge 23 September to 22 October is £117.

[Big Kev]

Next door's EV charger saga is still ongoing. He has it in writing now that the non-smart meter, which just has the charger connected to it, will be on the EV rate (currently 7p) until the issue is satisfactorily resolved. At least he can charge his car up, at home, at the correct rate.