Author Archives: Alison Kidd
May to December 2016 – Domestic Solar Battery Data
“‘Tis the year’s midnight, and it is the day’s, Lucy’s, who scarce seven hours herself unmasks; The sun is spent, and now his flasks Send forth light squibs, no constant rays;” So, how has Bert, our Wattstor solar battery, fared … Continue reading
In a world without jobs, how do we prosper?
The concept of a universal basic income (if a way can be found to achieve it) could help address a combination of problems. It would replace the administratively complex, expensive and psychologically debilitating benefits system. It would avoid people doing … Continue reading
May to November – our solar battery data
The latest update – 7 months with Bert our Wattstor battery (May to November). November here in Wales has been pretty murky until the last week. We also lose the sun over the hill behind the house at around 2:30pm … Continue reading
Exploring value in Aldi
I am part of the experimental art group Larks and Ravens and we recently ran a Big Draw event where we invited customers in a Bristol Aldi store to draw what they valued on the shop windows! It was a … Continue reading
May-October – Our solar battery data
So, here’s our 6 month update of life with Bert our Wattstor battery (May to October). Every month we learn new things. As well as the shorter days, October has been rather misty and murky but still our 4 kW … Continue reading
1000 footsteps, foraging & mere exposure
Last Saturday night, I attended the inaugural 1000 Footsteps pop up restaurant event. Adele Nozedar is a foraging guru and her partner, Liam Fitzpatrick a chef. Together they are creating unique meals where the vast majority of the ingredients have … Continue reading
Living with Bert-the-Battery for 5 months
We’ve now had our Wattstor 6 kW battery (‘Bert’) for 5 months. The first chart shows our daily kWh averages and how they are changing as summer tails off into autumn. Our daily average demand (red) has remained relatively consistent … Continue reading
Is playing golf on a Friday afternoon such a bad thing?
Liam Fox recently told an audience of Tory activists that it’s the “duty” of our business leaders “to contribute to the prosperity of our country”. Instead, Fox complained, they are letting us down by choosing to play golf on Friday … Continue reading
Simply touching money makes us less helpful
I’m working on a project with the artist group, Larks and Ravens, on the topic of money – what is it?, where did it come from? what’s it doing? And how on earth did we get to a point where … Continue reading
Electric vehicles as storage – a psychologist’s view
“LONDON (UK) 10th May 2016: Automotive industry leader Nissan and multinational power company Enel, today confirmed plans to launch a major vehicle-to-grid (V2G) trial – the first ever carried out in the UK. The trial will work by installing and … Continue reading
The Prospectory 