More solar panels get installed plus why New Zealand's proposed carbon tax on cows is wrong
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
- Another 12kWp of ground based solar panels get installed by Homeco Energy but are they producing as much electricity as we hoped?
Plus why New Zealand has got it wrong with its proposed new carbon tax on cows and a look around the crops for harvest 2023
I agree with you 100% on the ruminants being blamed for the methane problem . Interestingly enough I also researched the historical size of the buffalo herd a couple of months ago as well . The proposed bans make zero sense .
And to think there are gas fields just venting methane to atmosphere all over the place, thoisoi did a video on one that’s at a camp site and said they are all over the place in his country (presuming Russia, not positive though, but Eastern Europe)
Do you enjoy eating beef?
that's why they want it banned
The ban makes sense if your goal is absolute political control of the population
When you consider that when they were vast herds they sustained a population of first nations across the American continent with all their most essential needs.The enormous cull was, of course, to remove those necessities and the people they sustained, they were also hampering the progress of the railroads, and the gangs needed feeding.Who would ever imagine a government culling the human population today. How's the bug production going I wonder?
I definitely don't want to provoke anyone, but if methane is a more potent greenhouse gas than CO2 (a factor of 23x is often quoted) then aren't ruminants "leveraging" the carbon within their little part of the global carbon budget?
Completely agree Harry. As a NZ farmer I’m fairly certain we currently produce meat and milk with the lowest carbon footprint in the world… if we reduce our production significantly this will lead to someone else filling the gap with less carbon efficient food. Thanks for making great content it’s nice to hear a farmers view from the other side of the planet.
It depends on how you calculate your carbon footprint, do you calculate the carbon footprint including everything that has to be shipped there (tractors, fertilizer etc.) or do you just calculate on an annual basis based on only what happens on-farm? NZ is so far from everywhere and has no local manufacturing, thus all purchased goods have a high carbon footprint.
I'm over in America and whenever I'm down in the dumps about our regulatory environment I watch your Farm channel and cheer right up. Great video as usual
You might tune into my Commifornia farming area for some serious uplifting. 😄
Are you a farmer as well, Roy?
No. I'm an investor in different businesses but none are in farming.
You guys better get voting for Mr T again. Get some sort of normality back into the world.
@@julianstafford7071 America doesn’t run the world, and most of the problems in America aren’t new. Not sure why people put so much stock in one businessman who’s ideas and policies put big business and profit ahead of people time and time again. Such a strange mindset.
Harry, please give Stanley a few seconds at the end of each episode.Thank you.....
Agree was expecting a few seconds of spinning Stanley at the end then ,and im not even a dog person 😆😀
I was thinking Stanley to have his own TH-cam channel
@@Da51lva yes please 👍 👍 👍
I'm not surprised it's not producing much, that panel angle is nowhere near what it should be for a UK installation.... Unless Harry's Farm is based near to the equator?
I would have raised them up a few feet or a meter at least, that one shot shows them in the shade for what looks like a couple hours in either the morning or evening
@@SilentRacer911 Hopefully the shading will have been a factor in the design and the array will have been split into appropriate strings maximising power output. Given the panel angles though it doesn't inspire confidence that design was a primary consideration.
Exactly, should be quite a steep angle in winter to catch the low sun.
Certainly if I was Harry I'd get a Timber frame made 2m high and make it the same angle as a House. It's way to low and as others have said the Winter Sun is to low so really needs Tilting more!!
My thoughts exactly will only work when above it say 1.5 hrs a day harry prop it up
hi Harry, when can we expect the next video? appreciate the farm quieten's down in Winter but would love to see some of the goings on and hear your thoughts on some of the agricultural current affairs 🚜👍🏼
I find your videos extremely interesting and informative. The way you take the trouble to explain and illustrate is highly commendable.
I know it takes ages to produce these....but I wish you could more of them!! I love watching Harry's Farm.
Thank you so much, and keep up the good work!!
A reason you are not getting a lot out of those panels may be the angle you have them set too which looks more suitable for somewhere just off the equator. There are calculators online to tell you the optimum angle for your latitude , I'm not exactly sure where you are but at this time of year I would have thought you should be something like 47 to 50 degrees off the horizontal.
Another benefit to having them on the ground on that flat roof frame: If a little basic engineering would do it, you could consider seasonal changes to the inclination to optimise them, at least for summer vs winter sun angles.
At this time of year when generation can be so marginal, it makes an appreciable difference.
I was going to say much the same. They look like about 15° from the horizontal to me, which is great for the summer but shite for the winter. I’ve never seen an installation that flat.
I was waiting for him to adjust a control that would raise the panels to a proper angle; they look like they are hinged at the front. Perhaps the actuators are back-ordered.
As someone with 10 years solar PV experience in a previous life....the comments about panel tilt Vs output are correct but only theoretically correct, not always in practice. When you increase the angle of a PV panel from 10 degrees to 30 degrees from horizontal:
1. You need much more space for the same 12kWp system. Spacing between panel rows goes from 400mm to over 1500mm.
2. Panels inclined more catch more wind, and need much more ballast. Bear in mind this was intended as a roof mounted system, it's always a compromise of wind loads Vs acceptable weight on the roof.
3. If you're looking for usable spread of electricity generation throughout the day, lower inclination can be better. Take the other extreme of a perfectly vertical panel facing due south. Fantastic generation when the sun is to the south, but as soon as the sun moves it is not hitting the panel at all. Farmers, manufacturers need power all day, not just at lunchtime.
So overall a good compromise, like everything in life. Harry, once you get the hedge down this will improve production. Thanks for sharing
If they were genuinely on a flat roof then UK planning law would dictate such a low angle, but as they aren't, then a more productive angle could be chosen. I suspect the installer just followed the rules and regs for a flat roof, which wouldn't surprise me at all given my recent experience of PV installers. Even on a pitched roof the panels are only allowed to extend beyond the top point of the roof by a small amount, although not usually an issue with a pitched roof.
Thank's Harry, always interesting, always a sensible rebuff to government idiocy! I'm happy we have Harry's Garage, thank you again Harry!
Thanks for the video Harry, speaking from NZ here. One crazy aspects of this tax is that the government hasn't recognised that our national herd has actually decreased by roughly 11 million stock units since 1990.
Your Govt also hasn't taken into account that before long there will be supplements to reduce methane etc from cows.
Don't worry, it's not about the cows, more like human existence.
Do you think Jacinda really cares about the truth?
@@douglasprovost768 No of course not. After all she's a liberal
"Dairy cattle numbers increased by 82 percent nationally from 3.4 million to 6.3 million Between 1990 and 2019" stats nz, what are you talking about ???
I've really enjoyed your videos and learned a lot about farming from them, but are you going to post any more?
Thanks Harry, Informative videos as always. My knowledge of Farming is completely transformed since subscribing.
Amazing how far 'off the ranch' most of us have become. :D
Born on a NZ farm, and still involved seasonally, I have mixed feelings about the proposed “burp tax”. NZ livestock farming was grass/clover based, with the main input being a bit of superphosphate laced with a few trace elements where necessary. Relatively low yield compared to more intensive systems, but low cost, and relatively low environmental impact (after the initial felling if forest to grow pasture more than 100 years ago). The sheep and beef sector still is largely so, but dairying is a different story, with amalgamation of smaller farms and conversion of land use into large landholdings, the sector has grown considerably over the past 2 or 3 decades, with the encouragement of some politicians and bankers. Heavily reliant on nitrogen fertiliser, clover has disappeared from dairy pastures. Whereas surplus spring pasture was conserved as hay and silage to feed cows over the winter now high producing annual ryegrass and maize crops are conserved to prolong the productive season. Supplements made using imported ingredients are now fed to boost production. That is a lot of burps that are not produced from permanent pasture, Fewer folks work the land, and increasing numbers of them are contracted imported staff, far from their families, on working visas. Farming as it is today is far from what it was. All this has had a big impact on the environment and rural communities. The “burp tax” seems to be a clumsy, big bro way of addressing things.
Interesting! Thanks
To many people.
@@themerrigans2734 For other species we would be looking to control numbers because of their impact on the environment.
Always fascinating onsite into farming which we see going on all around the countryside where we live. This is a great blog channel. Many thanks Harry.
Hi Harry, I love your videos, when are you going to do another one? I'm getting withdrawal symptoms!!
Is Harry’s Farm ok? It’s been a long time since the last update. I’m missing Harry’s Farm videos.
great idea, but that is the wrong angle for the UK. southern europe maybe. UK you really need a 35degree angle in the south of england
Thank you Harry .. it is great to see the farm growing so well.
No new videos for a while, Harry. I'm missing them!
Rather than get rid of the rumanants, get rid of people. That would really cut down on CO2. We are trying a seaweed additive in Australia. Great video Harry.
I very much enjoy this channel and learning about farming and the issues farmers are dealing with. Thanks Harry.
Thx Harry for speaking up for farmers, we need more influential people like you to
address this global attack on farmers !!
The panels are way too low an angle, especially this time of year, optimum year round angle for the UK is about 43 degrees, also part shadows from the hedge is not good.
The peak output of the solar panels will be with sun normal (90°) to the surface of the panels. Otherwise the power has to be multiplied by the cosine of the angle of the 🌞 rays to the surface of the panels
It is great to hear the farmer's side of the equation.
We live in a world where sadly lies become a norm.
Thank you, Harry for giving your point of view.
Another insightful and entertaining video. Thanks Harry.
Hi Harry, really missing the content recently. Hope you’ll be back soon.
Love your videos and your calm way of talking. My only complaint is that as an hay fever sufferer I hate oil seed rape which for me is a huge polluter.
Isn't it strange how the more wind and solar is installed into power grids , the more the power price goes up and up ,
when we were told all along that the price would go down because wind and sun is free.
Are we being conned ?
C´mon...we are all waiting for an update..Chilean farmer here dealing with summer fires, dammit!!
Harry, I hope you are ok. I have missed you updates .
sounds like uk gov't doesn't know what their doing about solar credits. lucky you can afford doing this and you have the land to install this. hope other people will survive the winter, when it gets really cold.
I have learnt so much in the short time I have been watching your videos. It's such an eye opener, not just in terms of growing crops or having cattle. But also the insanity of the bureaucracy imposed on farmers. I used to believe that this was "mostly" due to the EU, but it appears that western governments do not listen to farmers and have learnt nothing. Surely the ongoing war in the Ukraine proves we need to be as self sufficient as possible and maximise how we feed our own people?
As a farmer myself, the EU was the whipping boy for years, when in fact the real issue was how the U.K. enforced regulations.
Now that the U.K. has left the EU the issue has been exposed.
As always an interesting update on the farming world of which I have an increasing awareness and knowledge courtesy of Harry. The garage is not bad either!
Where I can possibly contribute is on eight years of domestic experience of Solar Panels. You are right, Harry, the effect of clouds on electricity production rival what your favourite beetle does when it comes to Oil Seed rape production. Based on my own results output June / July produce typically in excess of 475Kwh per month whilst December / January produce around 95Kwh per month.
Pity it's not there when you need it most, can't help wondering what over reliance on solar will do for the country's needs.
I've been looking into solar panels. I should have got them 2 years ago. Now the supply has gone, and inflation has put the prices up. But the most prohibitive thing is the regulations. Panels and inverters are not expensive but the installers will only install panels they have sourced themselves. It means you cannot choose the panels and when the installer produces a quote, it works out to be twice the price for half the installation. They claim it is so they can provide you with a regulators certificate. I'm certain the installers have created these regulations, not to improve quality, but so they can push the prices up. They don't even tell you how much they are charging for the panels.
@@altern8tive Prematurely failing panels are covered by the manufacturer warranty, or U.K law, not by paying more to the solar cartels. The installation of 'green' technologies is a racket and has been ever since the juicy government incentives were introduced.
@@altern8tive A warranty isn't much use when most installers go out of business within five years of start-up.
@ΝΟΜΛ what you describing is to protect the installer, not the customer. When the installation cost is 4 times what it could be, there is plenty of margin for me to replace failed panels.
Usual UK legalised rort. Never before has this country legalised so much theft from hard working people. Government want all this because they get their 20% VAT on everything. Less is More these days.
I felt much the same, had panels on my previous house and they earned a feed in tariff but 2 years after moving I was already thinking about it again just as electricity prices rocketed.
I looked into the options and spoke to local installers but one told me straight that I ought just do it myself. (I work in the renewables field already on large commercial installations, just not PV)
I wanted solar with battery and having located good s/h batteries already there was no way an installer was going to be interested as you say so did it myself as suggested.
I put 4.2kW of panels on the garage roof with the help of my builder/ roofer and have about 5.5kWh of useable battery capacity and a 3kW inverter. The same local electrician added the circuit and made the mains connections for me. The system is small enough to be G98 compatible so I declared it myself which takes about 30 minutes all in. Scottish Power accepted it, as they have to (I checked with them first). It cost time and effort on my part to research but there are a lot of options and several very good suppliers, choosing one depends on what you want to do and spend.
No, I can't get payment for exported generation without a MCS certificate but it's generally insultingly poorly remunerated anyway, even worse when you hear the spot rate is as high as £0.84/kWh As the battery absorbs a lot of generation anyway I am content to be benevolent and give any excess power away for free. Critically for me, it's made an enormous difference , still contributing on average 85% of our typical demand in early November.
I'd recommend looking at the part suppliers such as Bimble and Voltacon.
With the low angle of instillation you have in the winter it will be very low even on clear days because the angle is bad.
Make sure those panels aren’t shading each other as the sun is quite low this time of year. Partial shading will dramatically reduce your output! They should be quite a bit steeper too for the UK. And the wind will pick them up if it gets underneath, you could anchor the rails down with groundscrews rather than using weights.
84p !!!! That is five times what we are paying here in South Australia for peak and 7 times for off peak. Has Britain gone MAD???
Yup.
The lunatics have been running the asylum here for decades.
Most of Europe is going through a severe energy crisis this winter, many people are going to freeze, possibly to death, because of it.
@@SilentRacer911 There's no energy crisis, there's plenty of energy but the idiots have decided to put politics and virtue signalling before the basic needs of their population.
Not just electric either. A bag of smokeless brazier coal has gone from £10.50 in Feb 22 up to £17.50 now & a 'handy' sack of kiln dried logs from £15 to £21.95.
I saw a handy pack for £3.99 in Aldi, it pays to shop around
OMG. 84.37 pence per unit? That seemed like a lot of money so out of interest I checked my last BC Hydro bill here in British Columbia. The price I paid including taxes and all the other miscellaneous charges that these companies love to add to the invoice was 7.29 pence per unit. Looks like I'll stay here awhile longer!. Another great video as always. Thank you Harry.
There is an energy crisis in Europe at the moment because of Russia's attack on Ukraine. So energy prices are 10x or more what they were last year in some parts of Europe. I live in Norway, we have so much energy we only use hydroelectric power. We export all natural gas we produce to Europe and most of the oil. But now we even export our hydroelectric power to Europe to help - and prices have sky rocketed domestically. Even through the summer, the prices were many times over what used to be a high price in the winter season. It is insane. You are in Canada, pretty similar to Norway in many ways, think of your electric bill increasing 10x because you start exporting your hydro to the US to help them.
Over here it is all because of Putin, so we complain, but bite down, because winter is coming. Literaly. And Norway gets really cold in winter. It is going to be a really hard winter coming, many people with struggle all over Europe, but knowing that the worse the energy situation is, the more Putin fails - it is worth it. Ukraine needs to win, Europe needs to not fault in their support of Ukraine. It is Ukraine today, us tomorrow if they do not win. And then, energy prices will be the least of our problems.
@@EspenX I believe Norway had to cut back on hydro production due to very low rainfall during the summer.
@@EspenX if you believe it's even anything to do with Putin you need to do some research
@@DrFod There was talk of cutting electricity exports, but we didn't. We did cut back on hydro production this summer, but that is seasonal. Because of summer, we don't need that much electricity. And in the past month it has rained alot in the areas where the water dams are, so things are normalizing thankfully.
@@Ben-in6qh How are you guys doing at the Russian troll farm these days?
Always lookforward to a new episode of Harry's Farm - great stuff :)
I came for the cars and found farming much more interesting. :D
@@Mrbfgray Totally agree Bo, whilst I find his 'car restoration' videos interesting, this farming channel is far better :)
@@johnhaynes9910 Funny how that happens, and I'm a bit of a petrolhead in farther N. Commifornia farming region.
Thanks Harry, this was wonderful and you are spot on regarding climate change.
Thank you. It would be only a slight overstatement to say that I grew up assuming that food originated in the refrigerator cases and on the shelves of the grocery stores where I bought it. Your videos show the biological, climatic, and (most importantly) economic considerations and decisions farmers need to work through to stay viable. Although I live in the midwest of the USA, where more concentrated agriculture is the norm (here in Ohio there are millions of crop acres, 90% either soybeans of corn) the variables are the same.
I no longer think of farmers as ignorant dirt scratchers.
🤭
The main problem with cattle is not in the UK but in areas like Brazil where they are cutting down rainforest for grazing land, they then overgraze it, and then cut down more rainforest, this is happening at an alarming rate. I don’t think anyone could say that the UK cattle model is bad for the environment. What would be great though Harry is if you could show us what you do towards looking after the wildlife on your farm?
Rainforest land makes awful pasture so after a couple of years it dies and they need to cut down more and move them over.
@@wayfarer_1 Also the issue quite obviously isn't the cattle themselves in the original post. The cattle aren't the ones causing large ecosystem issues, it's the people creating those issues. Chopping down forrested areas is the issue, if you weren't chopping it down then there wouldn't be cattle eating it. Aside from that the oil and coal is the true problem. Coal and oil should've been viable for a few decades, not a century. Oil and coal money has and still is burying technical innovations because it'll eat into their greed. Electric cars isn't even a new concept, nor is the concept and proven models of other fuel systems. Other forms of energy should've been actively researched and implemented to take advantage of natural energies.
Enjoyed the update.
If I recall, you had geothermal installed in the house. I would be interested in a video that covers your experience with it.
If you have 60c plus hot rocks underground it works ok. We have at 200 feet. So borehole into the rocks plus pipes. Its well expensive. I dont think it will pay for itself longterm.
InsTallation. Surprised at the angle of the panels, for our northerly latitude I’d expect them to be at a higher angle as the sun is lower.
I love you, Harry. Wish you could visit James’ ranch. We’re smaller, but have similar problems and situations. NC, USA.
Hi Harry, look forward to your video’s. Your new solar panels, surely they would be more efficient if some if not all were angled at 52 degrees. Stefan
It's the WEF which needs recycling 6" under.
Apart from the hedge shading issue, the angle of inclination of the PV looks far too shallow for the latitude of the sunny Cotswolds ? Getting your protractor out and cranking up the angle ought to help productivity. And remember to keep panels clean, as dirt has a dire effect on output.
This is the trouble with relying on renewables - they just cannot produce 24/7 which is what we are all accustomed to...
Informative video Harry. Tough times for all, let’s hope we have a break from all the doom and gloom soon 🤞🏻
Harry, I understand your perspective and I partially agree that we should focus effort into removing fossil fuels from our economy (shale oil and fracking are to blame when it comes to the most recents spikes in methane) rather than removing cows.
However there is lot of misleading information as our meat consumption has accelerated.
Cows unfortunately release way more methane than other ruminants.
Methane is a tremendous greenhouse gas compared to CO2 and it's levels have risen tremendously on the atmosphere.
Buffalo are actually being considered because of their extremely low emissions for a meat producing animal.
Another inportant factor is how much of our habitable land has been dedicated to feeding animals (about 40%). That is heavily responsible for deforestation, as we would be able to produce way more nutrition with less than a quarter the land, from just eating plants ourselfves.
Anyhow New Zealand has some of the lowest beef emissiond in the planet so the tax might not make a lot of sense, and if it gets implemented it should be small.
Methane concentration has increased from 1.6 to 1.8 parts per million, co2 has increased from 280 ppm to 420 ppm.Water vapour the most important ghg averages around 4000 ppm. The wavelengths of outgoing ir radiation which methane can intercept are in the same spectra as water vapour, therefor a greenhouse effect dominated by water vapour(as earths Is)cannot be effected by such a tiny concentration of ch4.Will Happer of princeton university has done the most extensive work on this globally.
I think we must be realistic when thinking about the Kw's harvested from our panels. It is a bit like one of your supercars - it may have a top speed of 150mph, but the average speed that car is going to be driven is far less than the possible top speed.
Well said Harry, the narrative against meat and diary is out of control and being fed by lay journalism.
NZ cattle has been a big issue due to policy on farming as completely free market, no subsidies so cattle raised for Chinese beef market. Result is total pollution of NZ waterways. Where once they rejoiced in swimming in rivers, now rivers are too noxious and very few swimmable. CO2 tax is clumsy as it focuses just on the burping but they need to do something about poisoning of NZ
Are those Flat Roof Systems available at a steeper Angle ?
I was told that panels should ideally be at our approximate angle of lattitude - approx 51 degrees, to be as close to perpendicular to the Sun, for as long as possible.
Yours look very 'flat', - so fantastic around midsummer, when the sun is highest, but lousy during the winter, - even when it's not Cloudy ... (!)
I would think that a more accurate way of expressing a ewe’s gestation period is simply 5 months ( + or - a few days according to the breed) On the other hand 3 months 3 weeks 3 days is a much more accurate expression for a sow’s gestation period.
Mark Bennett BVSc MRCVS
Methane is, well, complicated. A cow tests out at 140 g/CH4/day and deer about 32. I think a lot of the role of the tax on cattle may be to avoid the “what about the cows” complaints from other industries. There were indeed millions of bison (and horses) around in the 19th C but not the billions of people and their cows like today. South America and Africa are great examples of how things have changed.
I really enjoy your videos and especially your farm ones. How you deal with the complicated rules and regulations in Britain is beyond me.
That was an interesting solar array. The angle was certainly not optimum for generation during the video, could they not be adjustable for the season since it is so easily accessible?
Thanks for quantifying Harry's poorly thought out attempts at equivalence.
Hi Harry, think your farm and garage videos are superb. Just wonder why ground mounted, and roof for that matter solar panels aren't adjustable like venetian blinds to capitalise on height of sun.
I don't know whether you have optimisers fitted and, in the lighting conditions in the video, it's clear that the bottoms of your panels are partially shaded by the tops of the "up sun" panels. This does not help output. You need to space your rows further apart so that this shading doesn't occur.
Good stuff! Any details on the wind turbine installation and integrating its output with the PV system?
Another brilliant video Harry thanks
Great video very interesting and you are right on the methane
Farmers need to stand up and get there point across about all the good practices they do for the earth
And of course the food they produce is first class
Would it be possible to mount that solar panel system on a sturdy metal frame above the ground ? You could then park say, a car underneath it and not lose part of your driveway?
In theory yes, I imagine it will bring about a planning related issue though (as that would become a structure)
Yes there are lots of solar carport options out there. This specific system Harry has is actually a flat roof system.
@@nickwills6042 the funny thing is that I’m not even allowed to hook panels up to my electrical system without first getting a permit for the structure that they’d be attached to
@@marcob1729 does that include the ground?
@@nickwills6042 yes. You need to prove that they will withstand the elements (wind, snow load, etc). Which makes sense, else it becomes a liability
I once read that putting one alpaca in with a field of sheep is a great way to protect against predators. The alpaca gets on well with the sheep, but is incredibly aggressive towards any threat. I think this is a trick they use in some parts of South America, and possibly New Zealand. I seem to remember is worked best (or only worked) if it was a single alpaca, not a group.
Donkeys, alpacas and llamas are herd protector animals.
Fantastic videos you’d be a breath of fresh air on countryfile
Sunday Morning Live 8/1/23 with actor Peter Egan referring to intensive meat farming. The BBC should really provide some balance in such important discussions.
Harry will you be sharing any Farm account information for last year? Simon.
Great video, thank you. It looks like your solar panels are mounted to flat to be very efficient in the six months between the vernal equinox and the spring equinox.
Excellent video Harry..as usual. The media really have taken to the notion of ruminants being a major problem. Your presentation of some facts will be ignored by the mob. I would love to see the identity of big business who are bankrolling this campaign, for that is what it is...a campaign. Ci Bono ? Look around and see who benefits from much reduced livestock farming. I would call on all business associated with livestock farmers to get the facts out there as farmers themselves have not got the means to do so.
Quite a low pitch on those PV panels. They are going to get dirty and stay dirty as they will not self clean in the rain. Maybe you get a lot of rain there though....
You’re absolutely correct Harry! 🇬🇧🇮🇹🇺🇸
Love your voice, like your narration,appreciate your explanations.
Let’s face it; Harry’s Farm is to die for!
I agree completely with you on livestock farming.
This is the result of public school and popular establishment media indoctrination, at least over here in the colonies. Vilifying the fundamentals of our existence.
Methane is a much worse greenhouse gas than CO2 though. And the argument about wild stocks is somewhat deceitful as we don’t really control these as we do farm stocks. General habits (ie meat consumption) need to change and farmers ultimately need to get paid more for less (sustainably farmed) produce. But I agree, discussions in the media are oversimplified and seldom balanced- all very difficult particularly in the current environment. Cheers from NZ and and love your content!
I always really enjoy these videos. Thanks Harry.
The panels need to be at a better angle. You’ll be losing quite a lot of output on such a shallow angle.
Enjoy watching your farm. Good year for crops in Southern Ontario, Canada.
In the late autumn and winter i find out system will chuck out a couple hundred watts and my system is just over 2kw so about ten percent on average during the colder months so for you to be get 1.0kw roughly makes sense.
You said there are 30mil head of beef in the US, while showing a report stating there are over 90 million head of cows/cattle in the US.
You made me very jealous watching you picking the mushroom. One of the greatest joys in my growing years looking and finding mushrooms.
Don't get the opportunity here in Sydney.
Brilliant keep up the good work
And keep standing on that soapbox
🇬🇧👍
Yay nice spin Stanley.
Usual class video, thank you Harry.
Very much a summer biased solar array. They need to be near vertical at this time of year for maximum output.
He's only just working out that they won't get any benefit in the winter, just when they need it the most!!!
Wait until they're covered in snow, and that little windmill's stopped turning because it's becalmed. 😂
I'm confused. At the beginning he said the rails the solar panels are fixed to are used in a roof installation. If it's installed on the ground instead of on the roof like it's supposed to be why is he so surprised when it doesn't produce much power? He's missing the added angle of the roof so of course it isn't going to be a good result. Take a look at the solar panels on WWOG or most other you tube channels; the angle of their panels is much steeper than his. His installation looks like an equator not UK installation angle.
Thanks Harry always look forward to your videos, I was chauffeur/ handyman for an arable farmer in Lincolnshire for a couple of years so it’s great to follow the farming calendar.
Natural gas is back to a reasonable price yet electricity prices are sticking near the price cap. Odd that isn't it.
Glad you got on your soap box about New Zealand, it is like they have detached their brains. Could you also invite Tom pemberton down to you garage, the ginger one has a tr5 and would love to come visit your garage, also Olly Bloggs
I'm puzzled as to why the solar panels are laid almost flat. I guess there is a reason, but right now the sun must only be around 30 degrees to the panel, not the optimal 90 degrees. I guess this is a side effect of being installed on a roof support system, maybe new brackets are in the pipeline? Otherwise that is a lot of power you are missing out on.
Very interesting today, Harry. I particularly enjoyed the Stanley spin! Thank you.
As always a great watch, thanks Harry you learn something from every video.
Good to see this after watching the 288 GTO video , had my petrol fix ! , thank you . I also have solar , off grid 28 panels and was surprised to see the panel angle so suited to the tropics ! The most productive angle is basically your latitude , around 51 for your area , is there a reason for this low angle ?
If we accept that Methane has a higher global warming potential than CO2, it's very straightforward to see why cows are a net emitter. Take one carbon atom absorbed by the plant as CO2 (GWP=1), have it eaten and processed into CH4 by the ruminant (GWP=20+) and you've significantly contributed to CO2-equivalents (-1 + 20 = 19) in the atmosphere.
Different species of ruminants have different methane emissions, and individuals of a species will have very different emissions depending on their diet. That's why the deer/bison comparison doesn't say much. I recall the average cow may produce between 2 and 7x as much methane as a bison would. I don't think serious people are realistically calling for a ban of all cows, but since they are significant contributors to anthropogenic emissions (>60% of ag emissions?), they'll have to cut down their emissions a lot.
Farmers and ag scientists are smart, they'll find out if the best results are achieved by a change in feed or change in methods or reduction in herd size or a combination of all that. However you can't just expect the sector to solve emissions out of the blue. That's why financial incentives (e.g. carbon tax, subsidies) and clear targets are necessary, just like in all other sectors.
Ethanol production dropping because of grain prices? How's that going to impact on pump fuel prices for E10 petrol in the UK?
I gave up with SSE a few years ago because they are inept! went to EDF no trouble with them. Might need to change supplier Harry👍👍
Harry, your system is set up for summer, due to the low angle of the panels required for ground mounting. It is therefore compromised for winter generation. Pitched roof mounting allows something close to ideal for year round generation. Solar power generation is all about light angle incidence (90 degree perfect).
Your video was shot early in the day (long shadows) - best power is obviously around midday. The third issue is that it’s winter - so the sun’s light incidence to the northern hemisphere is at a low angle and solar energy has to travel through a relatively thick layer of atmosphere at this time of the year.
Your 12 kW system has a peak power that you will only occasionally see in the UK (on sunny cool spring or autumn days - not summer because panels are too warm) - a bit like peak power rating of an ICE engine - rarely used in practice. The peak rating is important because everything in the system has to cope with peak output (like an ICE engine).
Your solar installation does not need clear blue sky to deliver good power. Clouds come and go - the power you make will be consistent over the year and every year. As a farmer, you are well placed to understand you are ‘harvesting’ energy, which is seasonal, like the other crops you grow.
Grass is an incredible plant , we'd be in trouble without it.
2:00 - Microinverters also give a slight advantage on cloudy days (or regions)
Totally agree about the methane issue Harry. Also, I’d be interested to know where you got the solar installation? Did the energy company put you “off grid” due to the size of your overall installation? I’ve been told that that’s a pitfall here in Devon.
Enjoyed your video Harry, interested in learning more about your wind turbine, have you done a video about it in the past?