Solar Belgium

My first thoughts of Belgium were of how cool a country it is.  While taking a train to Brussels from Amsterdam one can't help but notice all the solar and wind generation happening there.  Giant wind turbines were everywhere.  It was impossible to not see at least one in every glance out the window. And they are large; seaming much larger that those I've seen in the US.

More impressive was that nearly every building has solar panels .I would say that only one out of a hundred homes did not have at least a few panels on the roof.

I get questions regarding the efficiency of the solar panels I have at my house.  I have only 14 panels, but I'm generating over 25KW per day.  Even on a rainy day I'm generating at least 10KW.  I can go out before the sun rises and I've already generated 500 to 800 watts.

Brussels is at a latitude of 50 as we in Astoria are 46.  It seems they have no problem pumping out the power.  Panels aren't just on newly constructed buildings, they are on all buildings.  Even the structures that Van gogh painted now are decked with solar panels.

Another cool thing is that everywhere you go in Belgium you will find an opportunity to recycle things.  There are recycle bins everywhere.  There are kiosks for recycling on city streets.  It is amazing.

So here I was happy, delighted, overjoyed, to be in a country that was like-minded to the life style I am accustomed to, but then our visit ended and we got on a high-speed train from Brussels that was to pass through France, then through the Chunnel to end at St. Pancras Station in London.  I watched the farms pass by at nearly 200 miles per hour.  Still nearly every structure has solar panels with giant wind turbines across the distant farm land.  Suddenly we entered France and there was nothing in the way of power generation.  All the houses and buildings within sight just had plane normal roofs.  No solar panels, no wind mills.  It was a new reality that saddened me.

I will write more on the solar and wind energy of England in the near future.