Solar panels on Commercial /warehouse roofs

pochase

Are you serious? Let's spend a few additional billions before we spoil a scenic view?

If you look at the example I have given above the solar farm is on the land of a former mine, for sure that would have been a great view.

I have seen quotes here that just the combined land used currently by golf courses is enough to build solar farms that can generate enough energy for the UK (while the sun is shining). 

MattMattMattUK

MWT said:

pochase said:

...but it takes years (10 plus) to break even on the cost for the installation.

That calculation is changing a bit with the way prices are heading at the moment...

Somewhat, but the price (and availability) of solar panels seems to mean that the payback period is roughly the same now as it was last year. 

Astria

Kenrw8 said:

I think that the electricity energy companies along with the government should work on the idea of installing Solar panels on the Commercial /warehouse roofs. There must thousands and thousands of usable square metres available.

Or we could put solar panels in car parks - loads of space available, wouldn't have to worry about the capability of the building, and would have the added bonus of being a roof/shade for vehicles parking underneath them.

Tesco tried similar with wind turbines in car parks, but I believe they ended up saying the cost of maintenance outweighed their benefit, I can only assume some other company actually provided them.

MattMattMattUK

pochase said:

Are you serious? Let's spend a few additional billions before we spoil a scenic view?

If you look at the example I have given above the solar farm is on the land of a former mine, for sure that would have been a great view.

I have seen quotes here that just the combined land used currently by golf courses is enough to build solar farms that can generate enough energy for the UK (while the sun is shining). 

The other example is that less than 6% of all the combined land used by golf courses would be enough to supply us with nuclear power all year round, including at night and in winter. Roughly the same amount of land used for tennis courts, a fraction of the space used for football etc. Although the land used for nuclear would need to be at the cost, not spread around inland. 

oap71

Astria said:

Kenrw8 said:

I think that the electricity energy companies along with the government should work on the idea of installing Solar panels on the Commercial /warehouse roofs. There must thousands and thousands of usable square metres available.

Or we could put solar panels in car parks - loads of space available, wouldn't have to worry about the capability of the building, and would have the added bonus of being a roof/shade for vehicles parking underneath them.

Tesco tried similar with wind turbines in car parks, but I believe they ended up saying the cost of maintenance outweighed their benefit, I can only assume some other company actually provided them.

Good idea, this is now a brain storming post.

Coffeekup

pochase said:

You don't even need roofs, you can just use fields.

Solarpark Meuro is a 166 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic power station located in Meuro and Schipkau, Germany. The plant was built on a former lignite mine[1] and is the country's largest solar park.[2][3] It was named POWER-GEN International solar project of the year in 2012.[4]

The PV system uses about 636,000 solar panels provided by Canadian Solar and 20k-string inverters from REFUsol. It is also the first solar park to use a 690VAC gridvoltage for some of REFUsol's 333k HV central inverters.

That's a good idea... 

Use the space where we could.... grow crops, use for cattle grazing, plant trees or have as wildflower meadows.

It also adds to the urban heat effect, along with the aluminum roofed 500,000 square foot + warehouses.

Coffeekup

peter_the_piper said:

I'm surprised that building regs dont insist that panels are put on all new homes.

It was voted out by the Cameron government in 2016.

QrizB

Coffeekup said:

pochase said:

You don't even need roofs, you can just use fields.

Solarpark Meuro is a 166 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic power station located in Meuro and Schipkau, Germany. The plant was built on a former lignite mine[1] and is the country's largest solar park.[2][3] It was named POWER-GEN International solar project of the year in 2012.[4]

The PV system uses about 636,000 solar panels provided by Canadian Solar and 20k-string inverters from REFUsol. It is also the first solar park to use a 690VAC gridvoltage for some of REFUsol's 333k HV central inverters.

That's a good idea... 

Use the space where we could.... grow crops, use for cattle grazing, plant trees or have as wildflower meadows.

It also adds to the urban heat effect, along with the aluminum roofed 500,000 square foot + warehouses.

You still can use the land for all those things.

Can you provide a link to evidence that solar farms add to the "urban heat effect"?

Coffeekup

Kenrw8 said:

I think that the electricity energy companies along with the government should work on the idea of installing Solar panels on the Commercial /warehouse roofs. There must thousands and thousands of usable square metres available.

I agree with you warehouses should be made to have solar panels along with rainwater harvesting, so they can power what's inside for some or most of the day along with use of flushing toilets etc.

Yes it'll be expensive project on each build but these warehouses are whipped up cheaply in no time at all, then added 100's if not 1,000's of or car park space's....

Been past this site a few times still amazes me the space wasted for solar, and rainwater harvesting..

Coffeekup

QrizB said:

You still can use the land for all those things.

Can you provide a link to evidence that solar farms add to the "urban heat effect"?

As for land yes we can use other areas, but the UK is small and if Brexit/covid has taught us anything about food supply, we don't have enough land to grow what we need to feed ourselves if thing really went down the pan.

Solar panels on houses can reduce the urban heat affect as roof tiles and bricks won't soak up that heat and radiate during the night.

Solar farms can be 3-4*C warmer than than surrounding areas. 

Here is a link of many links out there...
https://phys.org/news/2016-11-solar-island-effect-large-scale-power.html