Unlimited, free
energy! Yes it’s true, once you have paid for your
investment, there is genuinely, unlimited, free energy from
solar power, well, at least for the next few billion years,
if Professor Brian Cox is to be believed anyway!
Solar PV is the
abbreviated name for photovoltaic solar modules (panels).
The term photovoltaic means that the modules generate
electricity when exposed to bright light. Many people think
that solar power is a bit of a joke in the UK, this is not
the case, particularly where solar PV is concerned.
Photovoltaic modules work best in diffused sunlight, so they
are ideal for the UK weather as they are less affected by
overcast conditions, than solar thermal panels,
which really need bright sunlight to achieve their full
potential. If photovoltaic modules get too hot, their
performance will decrease somewhat, though this is not a
major consideration in the UK most of the time.
Because of the
government's need to meet its’ obligations in relation to
cutting carbon emissions, they have introduced Feed In
Tariffs as part of the Micro-generation Certification Scheme
(MCS). For more details on scheme see our
Feed In Tariff
page.
There are some
things that need to be taken into consideration if you want
to fit solar PV modules. The roof really needs to be South
facing, have a reasonable slope and not be over shaded for
most of the day. The roof surface area needs to be big
enough, as a rough guide, you need approximately 8 square
metres of roof space for every kilowatt hour output of
modules you install.
Each
installation tends to be different, depending upon size,
height and orientation of roof, surrounding structures,
layout of electrical services within the property, etc. As a
result, if you are interested in finding out more about a
solar PV installation, please contact us, so we can arrange
to visit you and carry out a free, no obligation quotation.
