Author Archives: cMcall
Fast Solar Panel Installations
The government has confirmed today that the feed in tariff is to be cut by around 50% in December. The only amendment made from the leaked document cited in our previous post is that this is going to happen from the 12th instead of the 8th December. If you are going to be able to make use of the full feed in tariff rates, therefore, fast solar panel installations are going to be necessary. With a 14 day installation from Solar Energies UK you still have time to do that, so get in touch on our freephone number for a free quote.
With fast solar panel installations you can still utilize the feed in tariff's highest rate.
Feed In Tariff Reduced
The top rate for the feed in tariff, which is currently at just over 43p for installations up to 50kW, is to be cut to 21p. While a reduction was anticipated, it was expected that this would come in April next year, and it would not be so severe. The government has cited a number of reasons for this reduction, including the cost of solar installations coming down and the price of conventional electricity going up. This, they state, means that the returns on the feed in tariff at its current rate is unsustainable.
The reason that they have had to reduce the rate is really down to the fact that they are running out of money in the budget for it. That is why, in February, the declared that the rate for larger solar arrays would be reduced significantly from August 1st this year. However it turns out that this was not enough, since using solar energy became such an attractive proposition that their budget could no longer handle the increased demand.
In fact, every other country in Europe which has introduced a feed in tariff has already had to cut the rates at which it is offered due to increased demand, so it should not have come as too much of a surprise. However this is not the only change that is due to come in to effect, you are also going to have to meet certain energy efficiency standards in order to qualify for the new top rate.
This means your property is going to have to get an Energy Performance Certificate of at least level C. The rating you get is going to be based on the amount of energy that your home uses every year, and so how much carbon dioxide it causes to be emitted. If you haven’t already had work done to your property to make it more energy efficient, then some work will probably be necessary in order for you to get a level C.
What the Changes Mean
At the feed in tariff’s current rate, which you can still get with fast solar panel installations, it normally takes around 10 years to pay off your installation costs. However with the new rate it is more likely to take 18 years. This should still allow you at least 7 years of profiting from your solar panels, but clearly it is not as good as having 15 years. You will also have to take in to account the cost of any work needed to get your Energy Performance Certificate of course, although making your home more efficient should also save you money.
Solar Energies UK
If you are thinking about utilizing solar energy for your home, it’s going to be necessary to get fast solar panel installations. You can get one in 14 days from Solar Energies UK, so there is still time. To get a free quote, get in touch on our freephone number.
Solar Thermal Panels – Evacuated-Tube Or Flat-Panel?
If you’re interested in getting solar thermal panels for a hot water system for your home, one of the decisions you’re going to have to make is whether you want to get evacuated-tube solar thermal panels, or flat-panels. There are a few thing that you have to consider in this regard, but on the whole the evacuated-tubes are going to be better.
Evacuated tubes (left) and flat panel (right).
Efficiency
One of the most important factors when it comes to which kind of solar collector is better is efficiency. That is, how much of the solar energy collected actually gets converted to useful heat energy for your water. And in that, the evacuated-tubes win.
The reason is that it is simply a better design. With a flat-panel you have the collector plate running across the bottom and transferring the heat up to the water that is running through it. With the evacuated-tubes though, the collector plate is running all the way around the inside of the tubes. This gives it a larger surface area, so there is more heating opportunity. Also, it means that whatever angle the sun is shining at, there are going to be portions of the collector plate which are getting the full effect. With flat-panels, at certain angles there are going to be parts of the collector plate which are in shade.
The “evacuated” part of the tube also helps with efficiency because it prevents the heat captured from escaping, and it also stops the cold weather from decreasing the level of heat within the tubes.
Reliability
It also tends to be that using evacuated-tubes is the more reliable method of collecting solar energy to heat the water for your home. Really though this comes down to whether it is a direct or indirect system, it’s just that the indirect system tends to be used more with the evacuated-tubes. The reason that is better is that the water is not going to the panels directly, which has a couple of advantages.
First of all it means that you are not going to get any deposits from the water building up over time and causing blockages down the line. Instead, a heat-transfer substance is used, which just circulates around the panel, heating and cooling, transferring the heat to the water. This is also a better way of doing it because it means that if the system stagnates for any reason, you are not going to have the trouble of trying to get the water out of your solar panels.
Cost
The only aspect where the flat-panels are better is in terms of cost. They don’t cost as much as evacuated-tubes, so if your budget is tight then it is worth considering them then. They are certainly not a bad option, they are simply not as good at utilizing solar energy as the evacuated-tubes are.
Solar Energy UK
If you would like more information about solar thermal systems, or a free quote for a solar installation, get in touch with Solar Energy UK on our freephone number.
Feed In Tariff To Be Cut Soon?
Government ministers are currently in talks about how much to cut the feed in tariff by. It was always the plan to reduce the amount available by a certain amount, however there are now fears that due to the unprecedented success of the scheme, the rate is going to have to be cut significantly in order to remain on budget. Any reduction will not affect anyone who is already on the higher level however, so if you are interested in getting solar panels for your home, now is certainly the time.
Now is the best time to get a solar installation.
Feed-in Tariff
The feed-in tariff was introduced in April 2010 as a way of incentivising installations of solar panels as well as other ways of producing electricity through renewable means. The most popular option did turn out to be solar energy though, with 97% of the funds available being used for solar power. It has also led to a doubling of the number of solar installations since June, with the level now being at 85,000.
Clearly then this is a very successful scheme, in fact it has been too successful. They have a fixed budget available for this, and most of it has already been used up according to reports. This means that while it was always intended to reduce the amount that is offered for each unit of electricity produced by your solar panels, it could be that the amount is slashed by a lot more than was anticipated. There is talk that the top rate could be reduced by 75%, to around 9p per kilowatt hour from around 43p per kilowatt hour.
For the consumer it means that now is definitely the time to get involved with solar energy if you want to make the most amount of money. Remember, once you have your rate fixed it will stay at that rate and any cuts made by the government will not affect you. In fact, you can expect the rate to go up each year as it keeps track with inflation. That means that it will also retain its purchasing power.
Financial Benefits
Right now the financial benefits that you can get from taking advantage of the feed in tariff by producing solar energy often amount to around £1,000 a year. This means that you should be able to pay off the cost of the solar installation in around 10 years, and after that you will actually be making money with your solar panels.
This is also going to protect you from the rising costs of conventional energy, and with inflation continuing to increase they are likely to keep going up for a long time.
Solar Energy UK
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of having solar panels installed, or you are ready to get a free quote for a solar installation, get in touch with the knowledgeable and friendly advisers at Solar Energy UK for a free quote.
Should You Accept Free Solar Installations?
Every now and then you will hear about a solar company which is offering to install solar panels on your property for free. It’s not a council or government scheme, it’s a for-profit organisation offering to give you free solar panels. This should immediately be viewed with some suspicion of course.
It actually makes more financial sense to pay for your solar installation.
Why for Free?
The question you should be asking is why they are willing to let you get your solar energy for free. It will cost them money to get the solar panels and do the installation, so where are they going to be getting their money from? What makes it worth it for them?
The answer is the feed in tariff. That is a government scheme which pays you money for all of the solar energy that your solar panels produce. This scheme has been introduced because, on savings on energy bills alone, the returns are not very good on solar panels. So by getting extra money for the energy that is produced, in effect this makes solar panels in to a much better investment.
The companies that are offering their solar installations for free, therefore, are going to demand that you give up the feed in tariff payments in return. It usually takes around 10 years for the payments made on feed in tariffs to pay off installation costs, so after that time the solar company is going to have around 15 years of making profits off your solar panels.
Is it a Good Idea?
So is this a good idea for the people who get the solar panels? Well the truth is that it depends. If you can afford to get a solar installation, even if it requires that you take out a loan, then in the end it’s not going to be a good deal for you. That’s because you could get a better return by using the feed in tariff yourself.
On the other hand though, if there is no way that you could afford a solar installation in the first place then really you have nothing to lose by getting it for free. And you’ll still be making savings on energy bills of course, so you are going to be saving some money by doing that.
On the whole though, if you can get the money together in order to purchase the solar panels yourself and get them installed then that is the best way to go about it. It’s more expensive in the short term, but in the long run you’ll be making a lot more money that way.
Really it just goes to show how impressive the feed in tariff scheme is that there are solar companies which are willing to do the solar installation for free just so that they can make use of it. If you can then, it’s much better if you make use of it yourself.
Solar Energy UK
If you would like to find out how much a solar installation costs and the amount of money you can expect to make with one, get in touch with Solar Energy UK today for a free quote.
Solar Panels Installed On Yorkshire Caravan Site
The owner of a caravan site in Yorkshire has decided to make use of solar panels in order to lower energy costs and help the environment. The South Carolina Caravan Park has installed solar panels that amount to 27kW of solar energy.
Solar panels used to power caravan park.
Helping the Environment
One of the aims of this project is to help the environment. The way this works, of course, is that for all of the solar energy that is produced, a corresponding amount of energy from conventional sources does not have to be created. This means that not as many fossil fuels will have to be burned, which will help to reduce the carbon emissions of the country.
It is for this reason that the government has introduced the feed in tariff, a scheme which makes solar panels in to a much better investment.
The Feed in Tariff
While many people have concerns about the environment, not everyone can actually afford to help. Getting a solar installation is quite a substantial investment, usually costing somewhere in the region of £10,000. However, there are quite a few people who could afford that outlay, especially if they are willing to take out a loan or have that amount added on to the mortgage, but they cannot simply afford to lose the money. That is, they need it to be a good investment.
Before the feed in tariff was introduced, it was not the case that getting solar panels was a good investment. That’s because it would usually take about 25 years before you saved enough on your energy bills in order to pay off the installation costs. So in terms of actually making any money off them, that would be very difficult.
That’s why the solar grants, which the government had in place before the feed in tariff came in to effect, were not very effective. They would take some money off the cost of the installation but not very much. Usually it was around £500. But considering how much they cost, this did not allow many more people to afford them and nothing was being done about how good an investment they were.
With the feed in tariff though all of that changed. You don’t get any help with the initial cost of the solar installation, however once you were creating solar energy you did get help. In many cases, you can get around £1,000 a year from the feed in tariff. This vastly improves the investment opportunity, meaning that you will normally be able to pay off the cost of the installation in around 10 years rather than 25 years.
So the owner of the Yorkshire caravan park is also intending to profit in this way. They own 70% of the solar panels, while the rest are owned by a solar energy company in order to reduce the costs.
Solar Energy UK
If you are interested in having solar panels installed on your property then get in touch with Solar Energy UK today for a free quote.
Act Fast To Make Use Of The Feed In Tariff
If you want to be able to make use of the feed in tariff, a government scheme that pays you money for all of the electricity you produce with solar panels, then you might have to act fast. There are fears that the government budget for the scheme next year has almost all been accounted for by the installations which have been made this year. If they do not increase the amount of money that is available then they may have to scale back considerably what is soon going to be on offer for using solar energy.
The government may have to put the squeeze on solar energy schemes.
Sign of Success
In the world of private business, the more successful something is, the better. Yes you are having to spend more in order to keep up with demand, but you are also receiving more money. This means that not only can you afford to do this, but it is profitable to do so. However, that is not the case when it comes to governments.
When a government program is successful, or rather more successful than they expected it to be, this causes problems. That’s because they don’t have any money coming in, they only have money going out. So if lots of people make use of a scheme, as they are the feed in tariff, it means that they may run out of money for it.
What they are going to do to deal with this problem is unclear. They may simply increase the budget for the scheme. They could do this by reallocating resources from other, perhaps less successful, programs. Or by borrowing or taxing more. It’s likely that if they do choose to increase the budget then this will be paid for through borrowing (that is, future taxes).
Why is the Feed in Tariff So Successful?
In a way it is understandable if the government has been surprised by the increased uptake of solar energy after they introduced the scheme. Not because it doesn’t make solar panels in to a much better long term investment, but because in the past their incentives have not worked so well.
For example, before the feed in tariff there was a national solar grant scheme. In this way you could get around £500 off the cost of a solar installation. This did not lead to lots of people getting solar panels though.
Actually there is a big difference between the two schemes however. In the case of solar grants, it was only reducing the initial cost a little bit. So instead of having to pay £10,000 for a solar installation for instance, they would have to pay £9,500 instead. The number of people who cannot afford to pay ten thousand, but can afford nine and a half thousand is going to be relatively small for obvious reasons.
So now there are no national schemes that help you with the initial cost (some local authorities still offer them however) but in terms of the long term investment the situation is much more favourable. It’s quite common to make £1,000 each year with the feed in tariff, so 2 times more than the one-off solar grant payment.
Solar Energy UK
To qualify for the feed in tariff, and any other government schemes in the future, you will be able to do so by using the MCS accredited solar installers provided by Solar Energy UK. If you’d like a free quote, give us a call on our freephone number.
Nanotechnology To Make Solar Energy Cheaper?
While the feed in tariff has made using solar energy in to a much better investment, due to the cost of the initial solar installation it still prices many people out of the market. There is always a search going on, therefore, to make solar panels cheaper so that more people can afford them. One of the main focuses of study in this regard is on nanotechnology.
Using nanotechnology, solar panels can be a lot more flexible.
How Would Nanotechnology Help?
To understand how nanotechnology could help with making solar energy cheaper and more efficient, first you have to know what the problem is with the current way of doing things. What solar cells are made of at the moment, fundamentally, are thin layers of the crystal semiconductor, silicon. Although the cost of manufacturing silicon is coming down, it is still quite expensive.
There are two different layers of this silicon which go in to making up a solar cell, one of which has a negative charge (n-type) and one of which has a positive charge (p-type). When light hits the silicon, it makes electrons switch sides. This upsets the balance between the layers, as electrons have a negative charge, and this is how a current is produced because to correct this balance the electrons have to flow along a wire that leads to your house.
However the problem with this way of doing it is that it isn’t very efficient. For all of the particles of light (photons) that hits the solar cells, only around 1 in 5 of the electrons at most make it across the interface between the layers of the silicon to create electricity. One of the main reasons for this is the relatively small interface between the two halves, there is not enough contact between them.
This is where nanotechnology can help because it is so small, microscopic, that it can drastically improve the surface area of the interface between the two layers. In effect, it will become a lot more “bumpy,” meaning there will be more contact, meaning there will be more opportunities for the electrons to switch sides and create a current.
Dye-based Solar Panels
In fact this technology has already had some limited applications in dye-based solar panels. With these sorts of solar cells, the solar energy is created with titanium dioxide nanoparticles coated with a molecular dye, instead of using silicon. The interface between the layers is much larger in terms of surface area, and there are also advantages in that they can operate in higher temperatures, with lower light levels, and they are more flexible and less delicate.
This form of technology is not fully developed as of yet however, but there is potential for them to be used in many more places. It won’t just be that you have to get solar panels for your home, you’ll be able to get solar cells to put on your rucksack as well!
Solar Energy UK
At the best way to make use of solar power is by using solar panels on your home, and if you would like to find out how much you could save by doing so, and get a free quote for a solar installation, then get in touch with Solar Energy UK today.
Solar Energy Getting Cheaper
You may, or may not have heard that a solar energy company in the USA, Solyndra, touted by President Obama as a leading light in the industry, filed for bankruptcy recently. This has led some commentators to suggest that the solar power field is doomed to failure. Actually though it shows just the opposite, that solar panels are getting cheaper, something that is also true here in the UK.
Raw silicon, used to make solar panels.
Silicon
The reason that solar panels used to be so much more expensive was because silicon was so expensive. There were actually only seven factories in the world which were able to make silicon which was fit for solar panels, and this small supply meant that the prices were very high.
This led lots of solar companies to try to come up with a way to make solar panels without having to use silicon. That is, some cheaper material so that they could bring costs down. That is what Solyndra was doing, making solar panels out of something other than silicon. Where they got in to trouble was when silicon suddenly became a lot cheaper, and what they were using was more expensive, so they go priced out of the market.
So while this was bad for Solyndra it was caused by good news for everyone else, the fact that solar panels can now be produced much less expensively. This is naturally going to lead to increased demand, meaning that more innovations can be funded and the costs should come down even more.
Solar Energy Prospects
In short then, if you have heard about the fall of Solyndra and you were worried that this was a sign that solar panels are not actually that great an investment, there’s no need to be concerned. This is actually a sign that solar energy is becoming cheaper, and more popular.
This is something that is happening all over the world, in fact in the UK we are still somewhat behind. While solar panels have been installed on the roof of one car manufacturer here, in Europe there are plans from car manufacturers to use solar power and wind turbines for many of their factories.
However Europe is a bit further along the line than we are in the UK, but we are starting to catch up. The feed in tariff scheme has been a considerable help, as it has made solar energy in to a better investment. This has led to a vastly increased uptake of solar panels.
The more people who get solar panels for their home, and the more companies that get them for their business, the larger the supply will grow to take care of this and the more the costs are going to come down. This, of course, will lead to more demand and the cycle will continue.
Solar Energy UK
If you would like to get solar panels for your home, you can get a free quote by contacting Solar Energy UK. If you decide to use the MCS accredited solar installers for your installation then you will qualify for the lucrative feed in tariff.
Solar Power System
If you want to use solar energy to for electricity production then you’ll need a solar power system. This can be provided by a solar installation, which includes having solar panels put on your roof. It’s not quite as simple as that of course, it also has to be connected up to your house. First of all though we’ll look at the solar panels which produce the electricity.
A solar power system.
How Solar Panels Work
Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels are made up of a series of solar cells. These generate electricity from light. The way that this works is an interesting process, it is a unique way of making electricity.
When light hits a solar cell, it frees up electrons, causing them to move. This is important because electricity actually is the flowing of electrons, so that light can get them to move is a good first start. The reason that this happens with a solar cell is because they are made of a semiconductor, usually silicon. It has to be a semiconductor because they have the quality that when light hits them, electrons move.
Now, to get the moving electrons to become a flow requires the solar cells to be set up in a certain way. There’s a negatively charged half and a positively charged half. When electrons are made to switch sides from light hitting them, it upsets the natural balance between them. In order to restore the balance, electrons have to flow along a wire which is connected to the solar panels.
This wire, of course, leads to your house. That is how the electricity gets there. However that is not the end of how a solar energy system has to be set up.
Converting Solar Energy
There’s a problem with the form of electricity that comes directly from solar panels because it is direct current (DC) whereas your home will, as all houses do, run on alternating current (AC). This means to convert the solar energy in to a useful form of energy requires an inverter. So one of those also has to be installed on your property.
Before it gets to the converter though, the energy is stored in a DC battery. That is another important part of a solar energy system because it means that you can use the energy when you actually want it, rather than when it is produced. In this way then, you can use solar energy at night by draining the battery.
There will be times when you drain the battery completely and you need more energy, at which point you will switch seamlessly to your normal energy supplier. On other occasions though you will have filled the battery and still be producing more solar energy. At this point, the extra will be taken to the National Grid and you will be paid for this energy. This payment comes from the feed in tariff, which does not just pay for the energy you export back to the National Grid, but for all of the solar power that you produce.
Solar Energy UK
If you would like to get a solar power system installed, and be eligible for the feed in tariff, then get in touch with Solar Energy UK to get a free quote.
Norfolk Council Considering Solar Energy
Norfolk County Council is considering starting a solar energy firm which will install solar panels on the roofs of council-owned buildings throughout the region. They intend to do this by founding a company which will be owned by the council but which acts independently.
Norfolk Council intend to install solar panels on a number of council-owned properties.
Financial Reasons For Using Solar Energy
Not too long ago, before the feed in tariff came in to effect, the only real reason to set up solar panels was for the environmental benefits. While they are still the reason that solar energy is so important, another reason to use solar panels now is for the financial benefits.
These are the two reasons cited by Norfolk Council for considering this investment in solar power. They intend to cut their carbon emissions, but are also interested in the revenue that will be created by the solar installations.
Before the feed in tariff was brought in, it would take around 25 years for the savings that you made from using the solar panels to be enough to pay off the initial installation costs. Quite apart from the fact that this is a long time to wait for a return, solar panels only tend to last about 25 years so you probably wouldn’t get very much return at all.
Now, however, with all of the solar energy that you produce generating you money through the feed in tariff as well as making your savings on energy bills, it is a much better investment. This is especially the case when you consider that both the savings that you make, as well as the feed in tariff, is inflation proof. The feed in tariff tracks the RPI (Retail Price Index) meaning that the rates increase with inflation. The savings that you make will also increase as energy costs increase, as once the solar panels are installed you’ll be getting the energy for free.
So with the feed in tariff in place, it now only takes around 10 years before you will have been able to pay off your solar installation costs. After that you’ll be making money. Norfolk Council intends to use this money to put back in to front line services.
Environmental Benefits Of Solar Power
The environmental benefits that will come about from using solar energy arise from the reduction in carbon emissions. After all, the more energy that is created through renewable means, the less that has to be provided through the burning of fossil fuels. This will help with the government’s target to significantly reduce carbon emissions by 2020.
The reason that it is so important to cut carbon emissions of course is because of the threat of global warming. Everyone knows about these threats now, but there is very little we can do about it except for transition to renewable energy as quickly as possible.
Solar Energy UK
If you are interested in getting a solar installation for your home, then get in touch with Solar Energy UK to get a free quote.
