lol-lol

I personally favour dropping percentage targets and moving to lower vat on EVs which is what it can partly viewed as. So I "pay" £3750 vat but just get a £1500 EV grant. Better just to make EVs 10% VAT rather than 20% to encourage EVs but as we see the technology sells itself ie much lower running costs with both energy and servicing.

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.

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

EVs are very good at hypermiling. Whilst we tend to see between 3.5 and 5 miles per KWh if one goes in to hypermiling mode and can get close to 10 miles per KWh if one really tries. When Bjorn Nyland does his drive to they die tests he takes with him lithium battery box which has 2.2 KWh and an additional slave battery to feed the main battery / inverter box so he has about 4 KWh. Also sometimes takes a portable solar panel array if it is day time and that can add to the electricity able to go into the EV should one be standed. One can take a jerrycan of fuel but that is a smelly and potentially dangerous option. The EV options are more than the ICE options in my view and these options are improving, as with EVs, at a staggering pace as the performance is rising fast and cost falling equally fast. When I have had a tough choice, only twice in 5 years, once I drove many miles past 0% SOC with no problem and second time just rerouted down the B roads where the route was shorter and economy very much better ie about twice, so got home no problem and topped up on the super cheap home electricity. Far more likely, especially with the current situation with diesel fuel, that diesel drivers will increasingly struggle to get hold of that type of fuel. Electricity is available in over 10M places and can be home stored and generated to put into ones EV.

They, and other electricity users, are being restricted mainly because the country's power plants are not able to continue producing full electricity they would normally do because the rivers they draw cooling water from are running dry. This is happening in many European countries. France has almost 50 nuclear power stations but the ones that draw from rivers like the Loire just are not able to draw enough water to operate. Whether gas turbine, coal, nuclear they are only about 35% - 45% efficient and hence need vast amounts of colling water to recondense the steam etc. Fortunately in the UK we don't have this problem as I think all or almost all our power stations use sea water as they are positioned on the UK's massive coastline. This will be another factoring in of replacing all these power sources as they become unreliable in hot weather. Romania in big problem as the big nuclear reactor that pulls cooling water of the Danube is having to throttle back big time, it provides 20% of Romania's power. Another problems is these big rivers are becoming unnavigable, Danube and Rhine the big barages are having to carry less cargo or go aground. I think Europe we look at this summer, the fires, the power losses and the massive extra heat related deaths and redouble its effort tto operate in hotter climates in a more resilient way as well as further bear down on reducing their input into the atmosphere of carbon. I was shocked when the UK Grid guys came to my house to oversee my house fuses being derated from 100A to 80A due to global warning when I had my second EV charging box fitted ie UK houses electrical system will not cope with these higher ambient temperatures !!

Some rain due here Monday and today only suppose to hit about 30c after yesterday's 38c. I have never known anything like it in this country as the feel of the temperature here was more like Southern European weather. 1976 was the year Punk started rather than 1977 that many think. Anarchy in the UK was out and we had The Damned and The Ramones starting to knock out their hits. Last year of senior skool for me and already planning my escape to run away to sea to see the world. The Repperbahn, back forth across The Pond, Basrah, Oz and many other places on visiting route. Hope we don't get standpipes as part of water use restriction as that is a pain.

The Sun shining on the righteous. Here one can now smell burning in the air. Stourbridge is only 19 miles away but I gather there are fires in Pershore too which is only 7 miles away. Wind us from the West currently so perhaps the fire that can be smelt is out west somewhere ie farm land or houses out to the west. Some of the grass is turning black as if self combusting.

I tried to use less than normal but I use very little in daytime as I am mainly using solar. App says it is calculating so don't know if I am judged as using less, presumabky find out tomorrow or Saturday. On Agile Saturdays half hours are predicted to be about 11p per kwh whereas Sunday is close to 20p per kwh so an hour of zero cost leckybwould be welcome. Here in Worcester eclipse was covered by dark cloud. It got dark early ie from about 7 pm and did not recover until morning sunrise. Bit of a loss of solar generation but I don't count on much after 1900 BST / 1800 GMT anyways when one is nearly 2 months from the summer solstice.

70p for 22 KWs, presumably 3 phase AC same as the 11 KWs, is a bit of a rip off. 11 and 22 should be same price and 7 KW a buf cheaper as the single phase AC chargers are much cheaper to make / buy. 22 KW AC seems to be diminishing as less cars can use as more cars come with V2L, V2G etc the download AC rate seems to be more oft 11 rather than 22 KW AC. Still yet to put our Mini on public charging but will need to when take to Cambridge next month. Will be a better experience tgan the Zoe with its 45 KW charging maximum and is known to be even worse at or above 40c ambient as air cooled battery pack comped to 5, mini and Scdnic liquid cooled packs.

But it was not a gamble as he could have gone many miles beyond zero no bother. Push it to the extreme, sort of well past 20 miles past 0% SoC then he might have risked conking out but a few odd miles, no worries. Tesla model 3, in BJ's run until it stops did show model 3 did somewhat quit rather abruptly which showed Teslas, like him, are not quite a clever as some might think. LFP chemisty does seem to act a bit differently to NMC lithium.

I tend to find just cruising with the trucks, safe distance but bit of aero assist so around the 56 mph they are doing. Would not do 50 mph and mess up the trucks by forcing them to pass. False economy, better to do 56 in their slip stream. You don't work 25 years in logistics, and have an uncle who owned/ ran 50 Artics, and have lots of sympathy for truckers. I like trucking and I like to truck.

He is not as smart as he thinks he is. Tesla are known, like Renaults, for having substantial sub 0% buffers. He makes too much of being a few miles short of range to charging station. He recently moved from a S to an 3. According to Bjorn Nylands testing and did over 30 miles past 0% SoC. Drama queen who should know better.

The new T pylons are some much less obtrusive. Shorter, squat. Saw a row of them from the M5 which are in place to take power from Hinkley C to the high voltage national grid. If tol many complaints then bury them like in Snowdonia. I gather Belgium is burying electricity lines as a national policy now.

It's not giving up it is help protecting both the land and the waterways. Just leave gaps between the solar arrays and crops will grow better and animals have some. shade. Over waterways the panels vastly reduce evaporation and preserve water for the dry periods. The power generated can be used to help with the irrigation needed to counter act climate change in part being brought about by the increased levels of CO2 furthering the Greenhouse effect we are increasingly suffering from.

Always the worry and especially during half times on big football matches which is where Dinorwig would be in standby to go from tickler to full 1.8 GW in about 20 seconds. Something powerstations with either gad or steam turbines cannot do due to thermal stresses. Hopefully the Gren Glen hydro will be on stream early in the next decade. If not brownout could become a thing.

Indeed, more of an OZ, US thing. Chiba seems to be quickly rolling out full electric trucks with no ICE onboard. Perhaps we will get smaller, shorter, lighter unit in Europe.

Yes a bit of a gimmick i suppose. Just makes people think is the plan. UK Solar currently can add add about 6 GW in ideal conditions and time but not at 1800, 1900, 2000 hours, even my tracking arrays are getting much than at 1300 BST, 1200 GMT but I think home solar is adding maybe a GWh at that time. All across the world the amount of home solar and home batteries is growing much quicker that Grid silar farm and BESS plants. Electricity is oft cheaper than the weekdays and has been negative for us tracking tariffs but is not due to be super cheap this Sunday looking at Agike Predict so an hour of free is welcome and I may put 2 or even all 3 EVs on charge whilst keeping an eye on total current draw. Heat water ad well jf enough headroom. Duller days head after this heat wave it is reckoned. May go back to GO night time cheap tariff.

Unit elecricity price on Agile going to over 60 p per kwh during eclipse tomorrow ! 17p in the afternoon. Use less than normal and get an hour free on Sunday from Octopus 🐙

Good solution which probably works better in the US, Australia etc thanks the cramped roads of Europe but might work for trunk operations like my old company did from Morocco thru Spain and France. Might work for 20 foot container trailers better than 40 foot or High cube 40 foots. 30 mpg for a truck is an operators dream.

This seems to be the way (This is the Way). Use different models incluidng this Chinese one in the vid below. Waymo is a Google company. Some yjousands of imports into the US despite the over 100% Ad Valorem tariff. Arriving in many US cities,as well as London and Tokyo. Thirty Chinese cities have driverless taxis, not Waymo but local brands, as well as projects in Singapore and some ME Gulf states. South China Morning PostChinese robotaxis race Waymo to take driverless cars globalBaidu’s Apollo Go, WeRide and Pony.ai are outnumbering their US counterparts with more projects in various stages of commercialisation.https://waymo.com/waymo-in-uk/

Another 5+ hours of negative priced electricity on Agile tariff. Two EVs to top up inreadiness for trip to Silverstone on Sunday. Sad no longer any Moto e, maybe back again in a couple of years. Looking forward to the super quick Formula e cars for later this year.

Off to the British MotoGP on Sunday. Crowds will be a fraction of F1 unlike other meets where bikes exceed car crowds. Yamaha gave me 20% discount. Looking forward to the 850 cc Pirelli era next year.

Most of these models I would agree with that there are better models in there performance / size class. I would like to have seen more Nissan Ariyas and I want to pop along to Nissan to look at the Ariya and the LEAF, 3rd iteration. The Ariya is the cousin of my Scenic which was European Car of Year Year 2024 and some interesting iterations of it ie they still do the 63 Kwh version and there is the Nismo version with over 400 hp. Pricing has been weird and part from the LEAF, built in Sunderland, I dont think they get the full £3750 EV Grant. Ariya 87 kwh gets 438 mile WLTP range on 19inch wheels, new face lift model due shortly and if avoids expensive car tax might get some sales but Nissan brand seems toxic at the moment as if it may be in trouble.

One would expect a full range of vehicles including cars or vans with the ability to have mobility scooters to be able to be loaded and unloaded. One family member obsessed with cars or van with side opening side doors, battle between VW Buzz and Kia PV5. Being 6 and a half feet tall adds to requirements !

Thanks George for the info about Fort William. Will be interesting to visit their again as last time, several decades ago, it was as part of my Officer Character Training, we got a "white out" on Ben Nevis, it was mid spring and snow line was at about 2k feet so 2.6k feet to climb and descend in snow. Oddly back in to Fort William at 2300 in time to catch the Chinese Restaurant opening times. Surreal. I don't think that that form of one's residence is not going to matter ie home charging availability in the near future. 36 million cars, 42 million vehicles, not including motorbikes etc, is probably a peak and as Self Driving cars become a thing then those that hold a driving licence, I reckon, will have one or no cars. Maybe a small car to do the trip to the shops, or hairdressers etc. Journeys of any length will be mostly done by a FSD car being summoned from the local car hire company and it will arrive in your road and you will pop yourself in the back. In some cases, longer journeys, this FSD car will take me to the Solihull Birmingham interchange station where I can get on a train that does two or three times the speed of a car on UK roads. The near future travel concerns, i reckon, is not having one's own car as that will become increasingly difficult and expensive, but weighing up the cost of which hire company to order ones FSD car from and whether to do all the journey in a hire car or a hire car and train journey combo. Funding it for UK citizens will be an issue looking at the UK's general lack on money. Welfare state under stress, Uk industry largely destroyed in the 80s. The Triple lock is already being questions, several political parties wishing to cut the UK Welfare bill so travel maybe more of a social divide not on driveways but a UK society that is more frugal with its welfare money it hands out and less tax reliefs, and more taxes, meaning less people can travel as much as cannot afford it. I started with nothing, a £25 loan from my Dad which I repaid in a couple of months. Technology will solve no driveways but by FSD cars, BEV of course.