I am doing some research on the costs of PV solar. Is there a scenario where solar PV becomes very very cheap? As cheap as say glass or wood. Could we get to a stage where solar is ‘dirt cheap’ and everyone starts fitting it to their houses?

What would happen then? The price of houses may rise compared to flats with no available space for solar PV. Demand for energy would fall - at least on sunny days. The demand for batteries would rise. The cost of scaffolding would rise. Planning permission would need to be waved so not to upset thousands of homeowners. Landlords including Local Authorities would need to respond to ensure no part of the community was disadvantaged.

Central power generation and the electricity network would need to be more flexible to meet the volatility in demand.

Oh what a world - so should we go for it? What say instead of investing billions in nuclear we invested in bringing down the price of solar PV and improving its efficiency.

What companies would benefit from such a world - the manufacturers, utility companies, installers, etc.

With a wholesale move to solar the world could be a very different place - not least in the view of the skyline across London.

We all know that saving energy makes sense - saving money, saving the planet, etc. we also know that there are loads of tips out there. My job now is to get all those tips - and a few of my own - in one place. Do you want to help? Whether the tips are for the home, transport or buisiness I would like to hear from you. So please post your tips below in the comments box…many thanks. Naturally everyone that contributes will get a free copy of my ebook.

India isn’t much of a solar user…so far. Its production made up just 1.7% of the world total for 2007. But it isn’t ignoring solar completely, but rather using it to make great strides in green housing. In an effort to meet its rapidly growing energy demands in an eco-friendly way, India has completed Rabi Rashmi Abasan , its first green housing project. If we thought Canada was cool , this project puts up some stiff competition. The new complex is located in Kolkata on 1.76 acres in New Town. Designed and installed by SunTechnics India, 26 PV systems using modules customized for the homes roofs make up the 58 KW housing project. Each home puts out 2 KW of power, which is enough to fulfill the energy needs of the complex as well as send extra power to the public grid. The home owner can also access the grid for power when needed. The system saves about .5 kgs of CO2 emissions for every kw hour produced. Every little bit helps in that smoggy place. As for the inhabitants, the homes’ design uses solar features to keep houses cool during summer, improve air circulation in the house, and provide hot water. To extend the green features, the complex has a shuttle system with battery operated vans, solar street lights, and a pool heated with solar power. Sounds like a pretty sweet place to live. Via Inhabitat , IndiaPRwire

I don’t think so….plenty of oil left but it is not always where the users want it….. Higher prices  - I guess so but let’s hope that demand growth is restricted and maybe demand will even fall.  As they say necessity is the mother of invention so the higher the oil prices the more likely that renewable energy will develop economically .

Faroun Lenz v2/Delta is basically taking lenz v2 and Delta's hard work and changing it to work with my twisted mind.... keep in mind that this one is easier to build than my Savonius. i kept it very basic. to build the turbine, you need the following material: -3 bicycle 29" wheels -12 lamm... By: faroun

That’s right, the sun can heat and cool your home and reduce its energy use. More importantly, the energy from the sun can make your home comfortable year round.
There are two types of solar design systems -passive and active.
Homes constructed as passive solar design use the natural movement of heat and air to maintain comfortable temperatures, operating with little or no mechanical assistance. It’s called passive solar because the design of the home maximizes the benefits it receives from the sun with standard construction features. Passive solar takes advantage of local breezes and landscape features such as shade trees and windbreaks, and uses a simple system to collect and store solar energy with no switches or controls.
On the other hand, active solar systems use mechanical devices such as pumps and fans to move heat from collectors to storage or from storage to use. Photovoltaic panels that collect solar energy, turning it into electricity, are also considered an active solar system.
Although, building a passively designed solar home takes careful planning, the task is relatively simple - if you use the five basic solar design principles:
Orientation
Overhangs and shading
Insulation
Windows
Thermal Mass
Actually, the first four principles shouldn’t be reserved for only the passive solar home - they work well with any home, custom-built or tract. Passive design features, such as shading or insulation, can be used to improve your home without major renovation. Windows and thermal mass, however, are best done during new construction or major remodeling.
Passive systems can be built with different configurations of energy-saving features and a variety of conventional and unique architectural styles. Rather than being totally different, a carefully designed and constructed solar home is more of a “rearrangement” of the same construction materials needed to build any home. Most new homes in California, for example, are constructed on a concrete slab - one of the basic design elements of a passive solar house.

Building to take advantage of solar energy need not cost any more than building a comparably sized non-solar conventional home. A home that is properly oriented, tightly constructed, well insulated, and has operable windows for air circulation is both comfortable for the occupants and easy on the wallet. You can call it passive design or just smart construction.

Yes I believe that the insurgency will end. Why? Well let’s look at history. There is no doubt that some areas of the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan, have a history of endless war and violence. But if we look at the more stable parts of the world for example Europe and India (the largest democracy on the planet) we can see that they too have a history of violence and war both civil and with neighbours.

Looking deeper we see that Great Britain was scared for hundreds of years leading up to the industrial revolution with endless wars between the small countries that now make up the United Kingdom - Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England. From those desperate conflicts we saw the rise of democracy, social welfare and equality. Not I am afraid in a few weeks or months but arguably over hundreds of years.

I think that the Iraq question is about how outside powers can create the right environment for social, political (and perhaps religious) development. We cannot beat the insurgence unless we kill them all and then kill some more. So we need to create the right political, social and economic fabric in which the people of Iraq can build their future.

We have seen the rebuilding of many war torn countries and regions Germany, Japan, Vietnam and the surrounding countries, Poland and India. Lets try to stop thinking about how to beat the insurgence think more about how we can build a society that meets the needs of its people and is at peace with its neighbours.

We have been looking up how different wood burns. I would suggest experimenting before buying a lot of wood in. some types are very smokey and leave a lot of ash. My books says Oak is best but doh! where would we get oak from?

Any thoughts on what make...

Not sure about the mercury but I  guess they last longer. and they are getting smaller so more able to fit into sockets with shades.

We have heard that there maybe some problems with some goji berry bushes introducing a disease. anyone had any experience? we called thompson and morgan where we got them from they said they hadn't heard of the problem and would ring us back  - nothing...

It’s not easy going green as they say but there are plenty of books to help you on your journey. We have listed four great books that contain detailed information from wind power to chickens.