Comments by "Xyz Same" (@xyzsame4081) on "Two Bit da Vinci" channel.

  1. in the temperate climate zone the thermic solar panels last easily 30 years. Same for the tank (that should last longer than that). The frame is wood and with a metal cover, it is not really high tech (no electronics - as opposed to PV). And the absorptive layers also help up well. If the termites do not get to them on the roof a wooden under a metall sheeting (with some space for aearation of course) should also hold up in semi-arid areas. of course that was German engineering so unthinkable ! to use plastics forthe frame ;) There is a consumer protection agency that does tests, who would have ripped apart a company that manufactures like that, or a solateur (plumber) who is cluless enough to work with such materials.
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  2.  @TwoBitDaVinci  hi, good video. One question: if during a blackout the panels are cut off from the grid BUT they are getting a lot of radiation - don't they overheat ? (this is one reason batteries would be good). The other aspect. During a severe and longer blackout - are the installations completely independent ? Does the system have enough energy, and is it installed in a way to get that from the battery ! to support the electronics and THEN it can harvest. if think that is called cold start capability. Was a point of discussion when Europe had 2 fairly close calls in January and in May 2021. I mean, it was not as bad as in Texas in Feb.2021 (a few minutes away from a big blackout) but it was still worrying. In January the European grid split in a Southern and Norther part (so the safety measures worked) one grid with too high voltage (the South) that had solar power but could not supply to the North, and one with too little. Took them around 20 minutes to get back into fairly safe (voltage) territory in both regions. From what I understood many wind turbines and solar panels would not be able to do a cold start, they would need to have a battery and the control electronics would need to be able to get power ALSO from that battery and not exclusively from the grid. Sooner or later we will get a large solar storm and I do not think the solar panels (or other infrastructure) is built to withstand it. The last one in ? 2009 or 2011 blew erupted not in the direction of planet earth. The one that did hit the earth killed some telegraph components. But else there was not much electricity used, so not much it could destroy. Hydropower (rivers) and pumped storage are able to do it. Nuclear power plants on the other hand need the grid. They have emergency generators of course and they are even supposed to work.
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  3. Confirmation bias. Whenever a person makes a larger investment they either feel buyers remorse (typically one day after signing - "Did I do the right thing") and / or they seek to justify the decision (also to have arguments for the naysayers). The tools to monitor the performance are also great from a psychological perspective, they confirm to the buyher that he / she did not spend their good dollars in vain, they are working for them. I know also other people that still like to check their installation and there is still mild joy involved. Compare that to a yacht, or a car, or furniture. It is the cost cutting on annoying cost, being proven right, and being a person that protects the environment in a forward thinking manner. A perfect storm. Whenever the panels have paid for their investment, they make a profit, that can be considerable (if they continue to be low maintainance and work for 8 years more .....Tesla power wall will not live quite as long as panels). He has also helped to get economy of scale effects for panels and batteires. That 2011 installation made the panels and batteries cheaper for the future buyers. Whenever globally installed capacities are doubled the production prices per kWh (of the new panels available for the masses) go down by 20 %. With wind it is only 14 % because it contains more mature technology. For instance construction, logistics, and concrete. (for processors that effect is more), but every mass produced product has it, and it is most dramatic when the tech is new and becomes mainstream (then the doubling of global volume is much easier to achieve). See smartphones, computers, .... So the installations sold in 2000 or 2011 or 2016 ..... helped to bring prices down later.
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  4. Thanks for the tip, will check it out. - it is a pleasure to see how many people from all over the globe are having a indepth, polite, and nuanced discusssion here. Let me add what I heard from an expert in material research (Dr. Eicke Weber Fraunhofer Institute, Germany, a speech he gave in March 2017): since the 1980s there is a reliable trend for PV, every time installed panels (kW) double globally, the prices for the kWh drop by 20 %. That trend has nothing to do with passing of time, only with what is sold (and the incentive it gives to R &D). That explains the price drop in the last 8 years or so. The phenomen is normal in industrial production and is measured in that way (with double output what price reduction can be expected). - the price decrease will be different per article of course. Now waiting for the battery prices and TECHNOLOGY to move in a major way, that is the next frontier. And will mean the breakthrough
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  5. They sold a lot of PV panels to India even before the price drops. Better hotels did not want ot be affected by the regular blackouts.
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  6. Well done - actually I think England may not be a good location for solar - foggy, lots of rainy days. so a shout out to you for doing it anyway.
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