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Solar Electricity

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We decided to investigate solar PV panels last Autumn. I’d vaguely thought about them before but my interest had been revived when I become aware of the guaranteed Feed-in Tariff (FiT) that was introduced in Spring 2010. At current installation prices solar panels would take a long, long time to pay for themselves just in saved electricity but the FiT guarantees 41.3p per kWh unit generated for the next 25 years – that’s more than 3 times what we currently pay per unit for electric – AND you get to use the electricity as well as being paid for it. Jane agreed it was worth looking into and not long after we were chatting with the rep from Solar PVE.

In for a penny in for a pound so I specified ‘as many as you can safely get up there’. The Solar PVE surveyor reckoned 14 180W panels, 7 each on our south east and south west facing roofs. I like to get on with things so we planned to get the panels installed in December, unfortunately our roof was buried in snow so this was impossible. But mid January the scaffolding went up and a week later the roofers arrived.

First they had to install roof bars which were secured to our rafters via solid looking roof hooks that passed underneath our old, fragile and rather mossy tiles. The roofers came equipped with spare tiles to deal with any breakages, a couple of which they used. It poured with rain the Monday morning they arrived but after sitting in the van for a bit it cleared and they managed to get all the bars up Monday and the panels mounted on Tuesday.

Meanwhile the electrician installed 2 1500W inverters in our attic. The panels generate around 24 volts DC per panel at quite high current, like a load of car batteries wired together. The inverters convert this to 230 volts AC which is then fed – via a generation meter, 2 safety isolators, a 16A MCB and a 30mA RCD – into our existing electrical installation. For safety the inverters are ‘grid-tied’ which means they cannot feed power into your installation unless they detect existing power from your electric supplier. So they won’t work in a power cut which is a pity but they won’t kill an electrician who isn’t expecting 230V coming the wrong way down the wire which is a good thing.

I get back from work Wednesday to find a note saying it’s all up and running, job done apart from removing the scaffolding (which is blocking in our wheelie bins so we’ll be glad to see the back of). I don’t like heights, when I was a lot younger I did a bit of roofing and don’t remember being scared, but somewhere along the line I’ve gone the other side of cautious. Still I doubt I’ll ever get a chance to have close look at the panels again so up I go with the camera. They don’t look like they’ll be falling off in a hurry!

All that remains, apart from a bit of tidying that I say I’ll do as Jane has had enough builders for the moment, is to claim our tariff. It is a requirement that both the panels and the installers are MCS certified, the certificates for both are emailed to me on Friday so I download the form from Southern Electric’s website and put our application in straight away. If I understand correctly it’s now just a matter of us giving them a quarterly reading and them giving us a quarterly cheque. The FiT is not government money, it is paid by the electricity supplier who will no doubt pass the cost on to the majority who are indirectly polluting by purchasing power generated by non-renewables – sneaky eh!

The Numbers

The area adjusted SAP (Standard Assessment Procedure) figures we’ve been given by Solar PVE estimate we will produce 2147 kWh units per annum for which we would get, tax free and index linked, £837 FiT + £32 for electric exported + £107 saving on our bill. From this they estimate the installation will pay back the £11,750 inc  it cost in 11 years. It is guaranteed for 10 years with output from the panels guaranteed for 25 years and a predicted useful life of 40 years. It’s also supposed to reduce our CO2 footprint by 1.2 tons a year.

Now I’m not a total fool – I bought an endowment once and that woke me up to the ability of salesmen to lie through their teeth without the authorities protecting Joe Public. So taking a look at figures from elsewhere I find that the figures from PVGIS predict a similar output, 2060 kWh per year and also that they predict an output almost 5 times higher in the summer meaning the average 2kWh per day so far in January is about on target.

So far we are pleased with the decision to have them installed, the guaranteed rate for new FiT claims will probably be reduced by 2013 so we may well have got in at the peak. Installing solar power is not going to sort out global warming or save our scarce fossil fuel resources from being wasted but at least it’s a tiny step in the right direction and, importantly, a chance to nudge the mindlessly lumbering ‘free market’ in energy in the right direction.

Installing Linux On An Old Laptop

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I don’t actually have a need for a linux laptop you understand! I just have an ageing Toshiba Satellite Pro 4300 PIII which can’t cope with the endless XP updates and whose battery only lasts 3 minutes nowadays. My attempt to flog the thing on ebay got no bids despite starting at £9.99 so I thought I’d spend a bit of Friday morning satisfying my inner geek.

I’ve been very impressed with the free OpenOffice software and it seemed to me that if the more recent versions of the free Linux operating system were equally user friendly it might be fun to install a version and have a play with it. A bit of a Google and it seems I need to download a bit of Debian and burn it to a CD then boot the laptop from the CD with the network plugged in and it’ll do the business. Easy!

But the darn thing keeps booting into XP. I find out how to get into the BIOS and prioritise CD boot but still XP. So how do I get rid of XP? Google, I need the installation disk which I fortunately have a copy of so in I go and format C: Bye bye XP, but not hello Debian as it still won’t look at my CD. I try another version burnt on another CD, nothing. I think the CD drive works as it read the XP installation disk so don’t think that’s the probem.

Stuff Debian, I’ll try Ubuntu which looks quite pretty on the website. They have instructions for dummies which alert me to the need to do a special CD write to produce the necessary ISO boot disk, just writing the file like I’d done with Debian won’t work. I download a little freeware program that does the business and make an Ubuntu disk.

Progress, the screen says ‘Ububtu’ and has 4 little dots going red and green under the word. I’m getting computer head so go and have tea and think it’s time to go for a run before lunch. The screen eventually moves on to a sploge of colour that might be a design or might be a fault. About 40 minutes after booting up I get an irrecoverable error message.

Well I wasn’t sure the Toshiba could cope with Ubuntu anyway so I go back to Debian this time making a proper ISO disk. It works!

But no Graphical User Interface. I am not even vaguely interested in regressing to an operating system which requires me to type in commands. A bit of a Google and it seems I need to ask it to download Gnome or KME so I type in said text but get a can’t do that error. I try various versions of apt-get install this that or the other to no avail.

If I get going now I can do 5 miles and be back for a 1pm lunch. I’ll just stick that Ubuntu disk in again while I get changed and have a drink. It gets as far as the splodge screen but seems to stall, a wiggle of the mouse starts it rattling away again. A couple of icons appear at the top of the splodge, I can’t resist clicking on what looks like a speaker. Now the mouse has frozen, impatient fool me. I power off, 30 secs, power on. and leave it to it.

It’s chilly out but not too cold, muddy underfoot so I’m glad of my trail shoes. Along Lye Valley, Rock Edge, through the churchyard, over the bypass and climb up through the CS Lewis Nature Reserve. Tracy Chapman on the ipod. This is more like it, I’ve been playing with that darn laptop for almost 3 hours. My ITB, somewhat strained at last weeks marathon, doesn’t start giving me gip till I’ve done 3 miles, it started up after 1 mile on Wednesday so definite progress. I take the last couple of miles easy though.

Back home, lunch in the oven. Laptop has not even reached the splodge by the looks so I reboot again. By the time I’ve eaten it’s displaying a screen offering me the option of installing or just trying it out. This is real progress, I’m sure if I can actually get the program onto my hard disk it’ll all work hunky dory, I go for install and select option for Ubuntu to be the sole operating System. Rattle rattle, I have a quick bath, I return to an error saying some other program is squatting in the kernel. I guess that’ll be Debian and I should have selected the parallel operating systems option.

Reboot, 20 mins later I’ve not even reached the splodge. Reboot, I get the splodge but there it stays. Turn off, give it a few minutes, turn on. I need to get out to the shops before it’s time to start cooking dinner. If I keep trying I’ll surely get that install option screen back.

I return from the shops to find a blank screen, not even the 4 dots. Reboot, I get to the splodge and the icons but there it hangs. I reboot and get the potatoes on and chop the onions. A look upstairs and it’s doing nothing, reboot. Jane gets back from Oxfam. Dinner is almost ready to go in the oven. I take a look and fail to find any optimism even though I’m back to the splodge, I just leave it.

In the oven with the vegan shepherdless pie, crack a bottle of beer. Another look and still the splodge. Enough is enough. Out comes the CD. Back in it’s bag goes the laptop that I’ve no use for anyway. I do the washing up and drink my beer while dinner cooks, rejoicing in my decision not to waste any more time on this project.

Coming soon on this blog: ‘Make Your Own Fun with an Old Laptop and an Airgun’ .

An Introduction to Audax

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(Copy of an article written for Vegetarian Cycling & Athletics Club’s Vegpatch Feb 2010)

 

So what is Audax?

Audax United Kingdom (AUK) was formed in 1976 to enable UK cyclists to qualify for the classic Paris Brest (PBP). Since then AUK has grown a membership of over 4000 and has spawned various challenges requiring not just distance but climbing (AAA), riding fixed wheel (FWC), riding all year round (RRTY) and so many other competitions that AUK has been said to offer more badges than the boy scouts.

These cycling challenges are all built on the same foundations though, the brevet. A brevet (which is actually a card the rider gets stamped and is then validated) is awarded for completing a pre-entered ride usually at a speed between 15kph and 30kph including stops. To prove the distance has been covered proofs of visiting pre-determined ‘controls’ must be gathered en route, these were traditionally stamps on the card itself but now often take the form of till receipts etc. Rides vary from 50k to over 1400k with ‘serious’ audax riding starting at 200k.

Kidderminster Killer 2003

AUK record all validated rides but do not record the time taken. A rider who takes 20hrs to complete The Elenith 300 is as worthy of merit as one who takes 14hrs. The challenge is between the rider and the route.  Champion audax riders look to increase the quantity and distance of their rides, not to beat the next man into the finish.  An Audax is not a race.

Ok, how does this work in practice for the 1st timer?

A good way for an experienced cyclist to get a feel for audax is to enter and ride a local 100 (kilometres, audax is always kilometres).  To view the AUK events calendar go to the AUK website where a listing of rides can be found with details of start location, facilities, climbing etc. It currently (Feb 2010) offers 207 events in the next 4 months, about half of these will be 100s. Have a read of the FAQ on the AUK website while you are there.

So say I’m thinking to ride Dustman Dave’s Doddle 100. What do I do?

Ok, well I’ve never ridden one of Dave’s rides but I’ve ridden with him and he is an experienced club rider and a fine chap who I’m sure won’t mind me using his ride as an example. The calendar entry tells me that parking, toilets, luggage storage and refreshments are available. I also see that the minimum speed is (unusually) reduced to 10kph which allows the ride to be treated as a leisurely day out. He gives no further information via the calendar entry but a look at last year’s results, also available on the AUK  website, tells me he had 72 finishers which is a reasonable field for a 100 so he must be doing something right. Note that Dave Saunders is the organiser not AUK.

At least 2 weeks before the event you need to print out and complete an entry form and send this off with the required SAEs and cheque. In return you will be sent a route sheet and other information. The route sheet is essential, there will be no arrows or marshals. Usually it consists of a list of instructions such as ‘L at T sp Dunhill’ (go left at T-junction signposted Dunhill). There should  be an instruction wherever the route deviates from the road you are on.  A good route sheet is easy to navigate from once you’ve got the hang of the format and abbreviations. Many riders trace the route through on a map and some will convert it to a GPS track to navigate by.

Ok so far, so now I’ve just got to ride it?

So you are at the start and parked up at least 15 minutes early with your bike in good repair and all your usual spares and rations. You will need some way of reading that route sheet on the move. Map holders are often used but I’ve seen all sorts of improvisations – the route sheet needs to be in front of you, legible and protected from rain. Make sure you collect your brevet card from the organiser and fill in the back, the brevet card will be your proof of passage and will also give any questions you need to answer at Info Controls such as ‘Distance on signpost to Marlborough?’.

Riders usually start as a group which gradually splits into smaller bunches as the ride progresses. Unless you are one of them you best avoid starting at the front with the fast riders. Informal groups often occur but don’t expect riders to wait while you fix a puncture. There will be no sag wagon to bail you out if bike, body or soul fails. Keep a close eye on that route sheet and always try to have the next instruction in mind. There should be at least one control offering food, a café or a village hall maybe. Many audax riders are vegetarian and I’ve not had a problem finding vegetarian food but as a vegan I now carry my own food and just have coffee at cafés if I want a rest.

Expect some challenging terrain and road surfaces. Organisers like to treat riders to the quietest of back lanes and rarely miss a chance to show off the view from the top of their favourite hill. If you find the going tough or start getting disillusioned remember this is all part of the challenge and your aim should just be to complete the ride before the cut off point.  On longer rides it’s best just to focus on reaching the next control in time as telling yourself ‘just another 476k to go’ is not always comforting.

Always carry a little something ‘just in case’!

At the finish ensure you have filled in your card and supplied any required control proofs then sign the back and hand it to the organiser. He will get the brevet validated and recorded by AUK then you will get the card back in the post. There may well be tea and cakes and maybe hot food on offer.

I sort of enjoyed that, what now?

Well have a look at that calendar for your next ride, maybe you’re up for a longer one or a hillier one.  Riding audax through the night can be a fine adventure.  If you think audax is for you then you should consider joining Audax UK. Membership entitles you to Arrivee, a well produced quarterly magazine with loads of photos, ride reports and temptations to new challenges. Membership also gives you access to a whole range of motivating awards. Many, but by no means all, of these only count rides of 200k and above, and only rides over 200k will go towards the VCAC club total recorded by AUK.