Projects

The Bright Ideas page is just a fun page which allows owners to vote on whether they think a particular idea is a good one or not. In this Projects Page we look at more significant projects which will invariably be the subject of an EGM.

1. Solar Energy

We've all heard of solar panels but have we considered how this could be of benefit to La Trinidad?

We do not want them to be an eye sore or distract from the beauty that is La Trinidad. Its probably impractical to mount them on top of block roofs or the indoor pool roof. But how about over the Deli kitchen area and the shaded seating area? The kitchen is not in the open air, neither is the seated area - the shade we now have is a welcome break from the heat of the sun.

The gas bill JUST for the indoor pool heating is almost €50,000 a year, EVERY YEAR and gas prices are going up. Initial calculations suggest that an investment in Solar Panels, Batteries and Inverters to heat the pool would be much less than one years gas bill. So every year the community is at least €50,000 better off, a real cost saving.

See https://earth.google.com/web/@36.50305802,-4.93851519,33.02502928a,439.46202481d,35y,-36.64391122h,20.49818387t,-0r/data=CgRCAggBOgMKATBCAggASg0I____________ARAA (you may need a Safari web browser). Try and envisage the panels in place......

There is 40m2 over the kitchen area. It is 55m2 over the current shaded deli seating area. 95m2 total.

In Marbella, a commercial space of 95 m² could potentially generate a significant amount of solar energy. Assuming an average of 7.93 kWh of daily energy production per kW of installed capacity (as stated by profileSOLAR.com), and a panel efficiency of 20%, you could expect approximately 13,700 kWh of energy per year from the 95 m² of solar panels.

Detailed Calculation:

Ideal Output:

A solar panel under ideal conditions (1000W/m²) can generate 1 kW of power per square meter. Therefore, 95 m² could theoretically produce 95 kW of power.
Panel Efficiency:

Solar panels typically have a 15-22% efficiency rate. We'll use 20% for this example. This means 20% of the theoretical 95 kW is actually produced.
Daily Production:

The average daily energy production per kW in Marbella is 7.93 kWh in summer, 4.72 kWh in autumn, 3.10 kWh in winter, and 6.16 kWh in spring according to profileSOLAR.com.
Annual Production:

To estimate the annual production, we'll use the average daily production over the year. Let's calculate the yearly average by taking the average of the seasonal production: (7.93 + 4.72 + 3.10 + 6.16) / 4 = 5.95 kWh per day.
Total Yearly Output:

Multiply the daily output by the number of days in a year (365): 5.95 kWh/day * 365 days/year = 2170 kWh.
Final Calculation:

Now, multiply this annual production by the number of panels and their efficiency: 2170 kWh/year * 95 m² = 206,000 kWh per year.
Therefore, based on these calculations, a 95 m² solar panel installation in Marbella could generate approximately 206,000 kWh of electricity per year.

Important Notes:

This is a simplified calculation. Actual production will vary based on factors like panel tilt, shading, and weather conditions.
The 20% efficiency rate is an average. Some panels have higher efficiency, which would result in higher energy production.
The estimated annual production is an average. Actual production will vary from year to year.

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