All Activity

Didn't bother with the eclipse, decided to continue with a series of shots of the ECML

Interesting video, I did notice that most of the examples shown seem to be arrays for the farmers' own use rather than what we currently see here in the UK where they are a commercial producer of electricity, as shown in the screenshots taken from Google Maps. Also the panels used for the agri use all appear to be mounted at some height above the ground. Quick observation also suggests many obstacles to the use of mechanised machines with the need to avoid all the panel structures and the electrical wiring and connections. But I can see how, subject to the right considerations and the mechanical construction of the system, to withstand high winds etc they could be used in the right conditions. When we had high winds recently, the 2-panel-wide solar farm I showed, panels mounted low to the ground, suffered considerable damage, with many panels being ripped away from the system. So does that mean that we have stronger winds than Australia, I wonder, or inadequate construction strength?

Mine went in for 4 update 2 major 2 minor now on latest 2768 problem still there even i asked for the module change thay went for another failed update am waiting for a call with customer service manager to tell my why thay didn't change. Hopefully that's the next step as this has been going on since December.

Its called Agrivoltaic farming and has been happening for many years. Grapes seem to be a favourite crop to work with but I have seen others. Below Youtube vid is a specific example. Dozens of others throughout thew world and 15 commercial ones running in the UK as per the link at the bottom... 4 million Euro investment with 6,000 solar panels to protect and enhance his grape crop which are for Cognac production. The Times of IndiaA French winemaker spent €4 million on 6,000 solar panels...A cognac grower in western France has voluntarily given up the right to call his wine cognac, all so he could build a solar canopy over his vineyard. David Moreau planted four hectares of ugni blanc gSolarPanelsForFarms.ukAgrivoltaics UK 2026 | Solar Grazing, Crops + SFI ExplainedAgrivoltaics in the UK — solar panels plus sheep grazing, pollinator strips or crops. ~15 commercial projects operate today.Agrivoltaics — also called solar sharing or dual-use solar — is the practice of designing a solar PV installation so the land beneath the panels remains productive for grazing, pollinator habitat or even compatible crop cultivation. It is the most credible answer to the food-vs-energy land debate that has politicised large UK solar farms since 2023, and it has become commercially attractive for UK farmers in 2026 thanks to Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) payments that stack on top of solar generation income. Is agrivoltaics actually used in the UK?Yes — and the evidence base is now solid rather than speculative. A CMS Law expert guide (2025) reported around 15 commercial operational agrivoltaic projects in the UK, most of them small at roughly 1–5 MW. Sheep grazing under panels is the most-evidenced use-case: a 2025 Applied Energy study (Neesham-McTiernan et al.) treats UK solar grazing as already deployed and models national land potential for dual-use solar. The national-scale picture is just as supportive. University of Sheffield research (February 2025) found agrivoltaics could help the UK hit its solar PV targets without sacrificing farmland, naming East and South-East England (Cambridgeshire, Essex, Lincolnshire) as optimal regions. The gov.uk Solar Roadmap (June 2025) explicitly recognises dual-use and agrivoltaic solar as part of the route to the UK's 2030 solar ambition.

are these still for sale?

Long time, no see - the last one is still for sale - if someone is interested.

Hello, I need some help with VCDS/OBD11 Pro please, I just got my Skoda and am ironing out the issues to be the best car it can be. I am based in Belcoo, Fermanagh so preferably not too far away, I need a neutral position sensor relearning, shouldn't take more than a couple minutes and I will bring some cash or alcohol for the trouble, your choice. My car is a 2017 Skoda Octavia SE L 1.4tsi manual, if there's any more information I can provide please let me know, Thanks.

There are quite a few former airfields now being converted to solar farms here as well. However, farmers are complaining about not being allowed to grow food on their own land, leading to more imports, which seems counterproductive in reducing emissions.

awaiting delivery of my elroq SEL60. any tips??

Thanks for sharing the file!

Everything is an issue. Everything needs thought about and blue sky thinking. OUT OF THE BOX. Places are planting trees to cool rivers because of the loss of fish. Lots of Old Coal Mines and Bings about, lots of derelict Runways and lots of land where there was nuclear plants and will be decades before ever built on.

Now that's an idea, although that would possibly also create additional issues of maintenance and damage through moisture-laden air playing havoc with the connections etc? Wouldn't the rainwater make its way back into the storage pond naturally?

Climate Change. Maybe time in the UK that there are areas of solar panels providing shade on river banks, canals and water reservoirs etc. Protect the water from the sun and protect land from flooding by collecting rain with a channel like on roofs and take the water to the storage pond, lake or whatever covered by solar panels.

Yes, we have sheep farms down here as well, still not seen sheep and solar together California is not the UK. There are over 25 complete fields near me that have become solar farms, with many more being constructed, and the lion's share of them are made up of rows of panels, 2 panels wide with a single panel gap between rows, which get more shade on the ground than would be ideal for growing, etc. That being said, there is one solar farm (covering many fields) where the rows are 4 panels wide, with some better spacing between them, but here again, there are fields laid out as 3 panels wide and a 1-panel gap. As you will see in the 3-panel photo, that one is still being built and so happens to be on the same farm, adjacent field to the 4-panel, but again with that very narrow gap between rows. The construction frames for the panels are clearly visible, awaiting the arrival of new panels. The aerial shots show these.

Can you provide a link please..

Not on a fabia but a Seat. The grommet that you mentioned thats too tight on mine had enough rubber at edge to push a length of fencewire through to engine bay and then taped cable to it and pulled it back through. You could also try snipping end off arrow marked and feed cable through there if it has one. Use vaseline etc to make cable slide easier or as I did stiffer wire first so you can pull it through.

Numerous articles, not difficult to find. California doing much of this work ie lessening evaporation from irrigation channels by covering then with solar panels.

Re Solar farms and agricultural use for grass or animals, then yes there is productivity at some. You are not going to have sheep in regions where there are not sheep being reared. But there might be times like winter when sheep are wintered in regions with less severe weather. As happens lots in Scotland. There is also Wildlife to consider and a better use of land than just Set Aside as there is money paid for all around England to have land out of Agricultural use. Plenty unproductive land around that solar can go on, those that farm know what is the best economically for them. Lots of Slipper Farmers about earning as an energy company and could not care about feeding the public who want food cheaper than it costs to produce.

Skoda asked me to try E5 and if anything it was worse on E5! Mine generally stops when it is out of gear (first instances were slow approach to a junction where you are guessing which gear to be in so you can slot into a gap, but the engine stops without warning leaving you stranded) so there is no load on the engine at all. If I stall it the SS takes over and restarts the engine!

Škoda StoryboardHow the Škoda Octavia reached 365 km/h - Škoda StoryboardOver the 30 years since its debut, the modern Škoda Octavia has achieved a number of remarkable milestones. However, one accomplishment stands out among them. Looking back to 2011, this is the story oŠkoda StoryboardPractical, fun, stylish. 5 reasons to choose the Epiq - Š...The new Škoda Epiq has a number of advantages that makes it a great electric car for a wide audience. Its affordability—without compromising on technology—plays an important role, but its qualities do

I can get down to the floor but its the getting up again for me. Glad you got it sorted and it was a simple fix. Alasdair

Absolutely right, people's experiences will vary widely according to the local terrain.

@lol-lol while there is some truth in what you say, the same is also true for all cars as regards to hypermiling. However I think you missed the point, if the grid struggles and they disable chargers at night time as reported by @Evolution13 then only those like you, able to charge at home would be OK. Fact is there are more unable to charge at home then those that can. Unless the grid can dramatically increase it's resilance then those concerns will not be dispelled. As EVs increase year on year should the grid struggle then power cuts, and restrictions will be coming to everyone regardless of what type of car they drive, including you with your home charge and storage would suffer. This is always going to a major concern/problem when relying on a single energy source. Incidentally I notice you have not given me any evidence of the farmers actually using space between solar arrays for food crops, or animals in the shelter of them. Is it because this is not what is actually happening on the ground? I certainly have not seen any examples to date anywhere on my travels.

Hi all. I'm midway through a project involving installing aftermarket amp in the boot of my Fabia Mk3 (1.0 TSI, RHD). However I can't for the life of me find a suitable, accessible grommet to route my 4 gauge power cable from the battery to the interior. I've removed the glovebox and kick panel, but still can't find a grommet. I've tried the one underneath the scuttle panel on the passenger side, but the seal is way too tight to accommodate an additional cable. If anyone has successfully routed such a cable on their RHD Fabia, let me know what grommet you used and if anything needed to be removed to gain access! Any advice would be really massively appreciated Cheers

I get 20+ miles for what looks like only 1 or 2 kWh when i descend from Glenshee, the Lecht or down Cairn 0 Mount. I use quite a bit of energy climbing to the highest point before the coming down. Same as with an ICE vehicles really and the fuel use. Using less regen and coasting works better than slowing the vehicle all the time, just use the extra regen as you would the brakes or lower gear, so as and when.