BBC Interview – Terence Eden’s Blog

Solar Efficiency and High Temperature

@edent — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 21:12:04 +0000

I spoke, briefly, to BBC journalist Tom Singleton about our solar panels and how they're coping in the heat.

The good news is that solar panels work when it is sunny (duh!) - but the bad news is that electronics are generally less efficient when it is hot.

Here are a few examples.

July 16th was a few days before the heatwave:

A beautiful summer's day. Not a cloud in the sky. And it generated over 25kWh of electricity.

So how did the soaring temperatures change things? July 19th was the hottest day on record. Here's how the panels performed:

Not bad at all! Around 12% lower on the hotter day than the cooler day. You can see from the graph that the maximum generation at solar noon is lower on the hotter day.

I don't regularly monitor the weather - but perhaps I should! It is on cooler days that our panels can hit their maximum generation. In May, because it is cooler, the photovoltaic conversion is more efficient:

As you can see, the panels clip off just under 4kWp. That above example has a lot of cloud cover. Let's take a look at July a few years ago. A a few clouds in the sky, with the temperature hitting about 19°C:

Significantly better energy generation!

So, based on all my data, it's apparent that solar panels continue to work well in the new extreme heat that we have. They work better when it is colder.

Well, OK, not in the extreme cold!

Talking Solar Batteries With BBC Click

@edent — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 16:53:17 +0000

A few weeks ago, I had a delightful chat with the BBC about our solar battery storage.

You can watch it on iPlayer starting about 7m 30s in.

Community battery technology is here. It is feasible. And it just works. The solar panels on our roof generate more power than we can use - so we store it and share the rest. Yes, even in rainy England, solar panels work!

Storage is expensive now - but it won't be long before it is as common as loft insulation or energy efficient light-bulbs.

It's always fascinating to see the hard work that goes in to making 30 seconds of TV. Impressively, the BBC crew was the presenter and a single camera operator who also did lights and sound. Different from the old days when it seemed like it took a dozen people to film a segment.

Talking SmartHome tech on Radio 2

@edent — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 20:35:42 +0000

After hearing my interview on Radio 4, the Jeremy Vine show asked me to talk about my smart home tech for Radio 2.

But! There was a twist. Could I demo some of my tech on the radio?

Most IOT kit is portable - but is usually tied to a specific WiFi network. I wondered about the logistics of reconfiguring several bits of kit to work with the BBC's guest WiFi network. Setting up the gadgets can be a laborious task even under optimal conditions. And I'd only have a few minutes to get into the studio to prepare.

A brainwave struck! I'd seen Sam Machin present some home automation hacks at #BathCamp - he'd cunningly used a portable MiFi. All his toys connected to its WiFi, and then used the mobile signal to reach the internet. Genius!

So that's what I did. The night before broadcast I reconfigured a Lifx bulb, a WeMo switch, a cheap IP camera, and my Roomba to teather off my mobile phone. Everything worked! Well, after a bit of bodging.

The Lifx needed to be connected to my main WiFi first in order to get a firmware update - then it happily connected to the phone. The Roomba was a bit temperamental - and is quite bulky - so I dropped it from the list.

Of course, that was at home. In the true spirit of Tomorrow's World, I was sure that something would go wrong! The phone signal would crap out? The configs would reset? The power would blow up?

The technology spirits were smiling on me that day! All the bits and bobs worked flawlessly! The lights dimmed, the power toggled, the camera swivelled! Hurrah!

You can listen to the broadcast - it starts at about 1 hour, 41 minutes in.

🔊

💾 Download this audio file.

If you'd like me on your show, podcast, or event - please get in touch.

Radio 4 IoT Talk

@edent — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 12:42:38 +0000

Off the back of my ThingMonk talk I was invited on to BBC Radio 4's PM programme to talk about the Internet of Things in the home.

Listen to me on BBC Radio 4 - about 47 minutes in

🔊

💾 Download this audio file.

Want me on your show or podcast? Give me a call!

You can read more about my IoT adventures, including:

Thanks to Chris Vallance for inviting me to one of the BBC's top secret recording locations.

My solar batteries on BBC's You & Yours

@edent — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 12:48:48 +0000

Always a delight to be interviewed by the BBC again. This time, talking about our Solar Batteries.

You can listen again on the BBC iPlayer.

The solar stuff starts at 14m 30s, with my interview at 17 minutes. You can also hear my electric car being charged :-)

🔊 Solar Power, Free-range Eggs and Mattress Recycling

💾 Download this audio file.

A curious new mobile phone scam

@edent — Tue, 12 Apr 2016 10:05:54 +0000

Last week I was contacted by the BBC's consumer affairs programme "You And Yours" for my expert opinion on a new type of mobile phone scam.

Several people had contacted the show to say that they had missed calls from the number "08454290015" or "08439800142" - despite not answering the call, nor dialling it themselves, they'd been charged significant sums of money for receiving the call.

In once case, a couple had been charged over £300 for a twelve-hour call!

I did some digging on this. While it is hard to gather solid evidence without access to billing systems, I think I can see what is happening. Sadly, at the moment, there is no way to prevent this scam.

Firstly, I went to the regulator. According to Ofcom's data, the telephone number range is allocated to Red Telecom Solutions Ltd. They're a reseller of telco services - in this case, I think they are blameless. They've just rented the number to the scammers - and it would take a court order or Ofcom investigation to get those details.

Normally, dialling an 0845 number from a mobile is expensive, but answering it shouldn't cost anything.

Based on other complaints I've seen, it looks like people are being stung by a "reverse charges scam". On a normal reverse / collect call, the person answering the phone is asked to press a number on their keypad to accept the charges. In this case, customers are played a message like "You've won an iPad! Press 2 to find out more!" they're then played a longer message while the reverse charges rack up.

Finally, in the case of the couple who supposedly made a 12 hour call (without noticing and without the phone's battery dying) - the only explanation I can come up with is that someone has submitted mistaken or fraudulent call records to the mobile operators.

I spoke to the You and Yours team about this on Monday (17 minutes in):

🔊 Bin collections, Care home inspections, Mobile phone scams

💾 Download this audio file.

As I was in the BBC Oxford studios for the interview, the local radio team asked if I could pop on the Nick Piercey afternoon show - where I said more-or-less the same thing.

🔊 BBC Radio Oxford
🎤 Terence Eden

💾 Download this audio file.

How To Prevent This

Sadly, as a consumer, there's not much you can do to prevent this sort of scam. It is up to mobile phone companies and the regulator to crack down on it.

That said, here are my top-tips to reduce the likelihood of falling prey to these sorts of scams.

Don't answer phone calls from numbers you don't recognise. That's not always practical, I grant you.
If you do answer a call and it asks you to press a number on your keypad, just hang up.
Don't dial back missed calls unless you recognise the number.
Use the PhonePayPlus Number Checker to see how much the call will cost you.
Register your mobile with the Telephone Preference Service. This will prevent reputable companies from phoning you with marketing drivel. Doesn't stop the disreputable ones though.
Run anti-virus on your phone to make sure that you don't have any malicious apps on there which could dial phone numbers without your knowledge.
Use an ad-blocker. Some adverts can trick your phone into dialling premium rate numbers. Typically they require the user to manually hit the dial button, so such scams aren't too successful.
If you're really worried, consider switching to a pre-pay / PAYG service. You won't be able to lose more money than you currently have in your account.
You can see if your phone has been set to divert calls to a premium rate number. Most phones will have a menu in the dialer for this. If you can't find it, dial *#21# to see if you have diverts set up.
It is possible to check whether your voicemail has been redirected to a premium rate number. Again, check your phone's menus or dial *#61# and *#62# and *#67#. Check with your mobile operator to make sure the details are correct.
Finally, always check your bills! If there's something suspicious on there, contact your operator straight away. If they refuse to help, complain to Ofcom.

At the moment, most UK operators won't place a cap on how much of a bill you can rack up. My personal opinion is that needs to change. A cap exists for roaming charges and stolen phones, so it is technically feasible.

In the mean time, stay sceptical and keep checking your bills!

Talking about SMS Spam with Radio 4

@edent — Tue, 05 May 2015 10:49:09 +0000

Earlier this week I appeared on BBC Radio 4's "You And Yours" to talk about the scourge of SMS Spam.

You can listen to it on their website - or, if it has expired, I've grabbed an audio clip for your listening pleasure.

🔊

💾 Download this audio file.

I've asked the Direct Marketing Associate to create a "Do Not Text" list - so that people can opt-out of spam SMS. They already operate the Mail Preference Service and the Telephone Preference Service for opting out of junk mail and calls.

The DMA argues that there's no need for such a service because spam SMS are already illegal. That strikes me as odd. It is quite clear that there are networks of personal data brokers who are careless with your personal data. Creating a universal suppression file would allow text marketers to be sure that they are not inadvertently breaking the law.

The DMA know that there's a problem with SMS Spam - they have a whole page dedicated to it!

The DMA offers a service to opt-out of spam faxes! Surely it can't be beyond their wit to create a similar system for text messages, can it?

If you've received a Spam SMS, please complain to the DMA and ask them to add SMS to their list of preference services.

Interview on BBC Radio 4

@edent — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 13:00:35 +0000

While I was at the National Hack The Government hackday, I was interviewed by Chris Vallance - an amazing radio producer with the BBC.

We spent quite a while talking about my findings of unsecured Government websites. It was a wide ranging chat, looking at spam, security, and the long term future of .gov.uk and .nhs.uk.

He did a marvellous job of compressing it into a 5 minute piece which should be relatively easy for the lay audience of Radio 4 to understand.

You can listen to the interview on the BBC iPlayer.

Or listen to it here:

🔊 26/03/2014
🎤 Terence Eden

💾 Download this audio file.

Derby Silk Mill Interview

@edent — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:20:34 +0000

It's always a delight to be interviewed by the BBC - even if it is on a subject I know very little about!

As part of the Wikimedia Derby Backstage Pass a group of participants were invited around the mothballed Silk Mill Museum.

You can hear the full interview on the BBC iPlayer

As the iPlayer removes shows after a week, I've liberated the clip of me chatting away.

🔊

💾 Download this audio file.

Thanks to Mark Ansell for performing the interview.

A couple of pictures of odd signs hidden away in the museum. More photos available on Richard Mackney's blog.