Good time to install off-grid generation

... If you live in the UK. Before the election, the tories told us that they'd make planning changes to allow new nuclear build to be in place by 2017.

Their decision announced yesterday to decline to support Sheffield forgemasters leaves just one company in the world equipped to produce the necessary parts. Their capacity is 10 per annum.

I'm not keen on nuclear power, but amongst electrical engineering circles it seems to be the consensus that there is probably no real option.

Now, where's the forum section for candlemaking ??

You could always start one!!

Ours is not off grid.....I wish it were!

We looked into going off grid. The cost of the batteries and back up supplies soon showed us that if we wanted to continue as we are we need to use EDF nuclear reactor down the road as our "store". In France is pays to feed in and just take what you want. It will pay for the system in 5 years as the pay more for your electricity than charge for theirs (but how long will that last?)...if you can get the loan or have the money to invest.

I'm totally against nuclear power and always have been as I know the full costs of the mining cycle, and the reactor cycle and the waste cycle are not accounted for in the figures produced that "proves" that nuclear power is cost effective. That is on top of the "incorrectness" of producing and playing with the atomic reative matter! It is beyond most humans ability to understand what we are doing and then adding in the profit motive it is a recipe for big problems that our children and others down the line will have to deal with.

What is the point of going off grid unless you are remote?
Yes, install your own generation facilities and backup, but why disconnect?
The grid is surely the most effective store for your surplus power.