Author Archives: dRydell
Is Solar Energy The Key For Future Energy Production?
With conventional energy prices continuing to rise, to some extent due to inflation and also, possibly, because fossil fuels are starting to run out, lots of people are starting to ask what our energy production is going to look like in the future. In particular, is solar energy going to be able to step up and take care of all our energy needs?
The future of solar energy?
Fossil Fuels
It is certainly the case that we cannot rely on fossil fuels for our energy forever. Even if global warming wasn’t a problem, and of course most scientists agree that it is and one that we have to tackle urgently. Even if that were not the case though, we would still need energy alternatives because as non-renewable sources of energy, fossil fuels are going to run out one day.
That is not going to be for quite a long time, but actually the time when they run out is not when the problems are going to start. The world economy is not doing very well right now, but ideally there should be a constant growth. When that is happening we need more and more energy each year to be able to keep up with it. When we are going to have big problems with fossil fuels, therefore, is when we reach Peak Oil, which is the point at which we are no longer able to extract more oil this year than we were last year. When that hits globally, unless we have another form of energy to take up the slack, further economic growth is going to be impossible.
Renewable Energy
The good news is that there are all sorts of forms of renewable energy which have been developed, from solar energy to wind energy. The bad news is that, at present, they make up only a very small percentage of the amount of energy that is used worldwide. So is it ever going to get to a stage when renewable energy will be able to take over completely, and what part will solar panels have to play in that?
The most precise answer that can be given to these questions of course is that nobody knows. However with the current state of the technology, it is not very realistic that solar energy, or any other renewable energy source on its own or in combination with others, is going to be able to meet the level of output that oil and other fossil fuels can.
However, that is not to say that technology cannot be improved. In actual fact, the field of solar energy has many research projects going on all around the world, with scientists trying to find ways to improve the technology. How to make it more efficient, more versatile so that it can be used in even more places, and ways to make it more affordable so that everyone can use it.
Solar Energy UK
The only way that it’s going to be possible for advances to be made, however, is if lots of people get involved right now by purchasing solar panels in their current state. With the feed in tariff offered by the government they are also a much better financial investment than before, which has helped increase their uptake.
If you are interested in getting a solar installation, get in touch with Solar Energy UK on our freephone number for a free quote.
What Are Solar Inverters?
The way that a solar installation is usually described is that you have solar panels installed on your roof, and they provide you with the electricity which you use in your house. Sometimes a little more detail is given on how light from the sun is used to create electricity, but it’s rare that you’ll hear very much more about the electricity once it has left the solar panels. However that is really only the start of the process, you need a solar inverter as well to make use of solar energy systems.
A Sunny Boy solar inverter.
Solar Inverters
There are a couple of key functions which solar inverters perform. First and foremost they convert the DC electricity which comes from the solar panels in to AC, which is what can be used through the mains to power your appliances. That is not all they do though, they also regulate the amount of power that is coming from the solar panels, making sure that you are getting the most from the solar energy provided. Getting a good solar inverter is therefore very important.
One of the main features that you are going to want to look at when considering a solar inverter is how efficient they are. That is going to tell you how much energy is lost when converting from DC to AC. With the good ones, the efficiency is going to be in the high 90s, meaning that you are only losing a few percent of energy.
In terms of the types of inverters to look for, that is which will provide the best efficiency, first of all you should think about the manufacturer. It’s important to use a trusted manufacturer as you’re going to want an inverter which will last a long time and which is well made as well as efficient, like the SMA Sunny Boys. When it comes to how they are made, two of the main aspects to look out for is whether they use a transformer or not, and whether they have a single-phase or three-phase design.
In both cases this is about how the direct current (DC) is translated in to alternating current (AC). It gets very complicated so there isn’t space to go in to it all here, but suffice it to say that those inverters which do not use transformers and have three-phase designs are going to be the most efficient.
Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT)
As mentioned, inverters are not just there to convert DC to AC, they also make sure that your solar panels are delivering their maximum yield. That is where maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technology comes in. This is a way that the inverters monitor things like light level, shading on the solar panels and the temperatures that they are operating at in order to make real-time adjustments to the load to ensure that you are always getting the best power harvest.
Solar Energy UK
If you would like to learn more about solar inverters or any other aspect of solar energy, get in touch with Solar Energy UK on our freephone number. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff will be happy to help.
Council To Have 2,400 Solar Panels Installed In Lincolnshire
North Kesteven District Council in Lincolnshire has decided to have solar panels installed on two thirds of the council houses in the district. This amounts to 2,400 homes which will soon be getting free solar energy. The aim is not only to reduce energy bills for the tenants but also to generate a source of income for the council.
Council houses in Lincolnshire to get solar panels.
Rising Energy Bills
For the people who are going to be receiving the solar panels, it’s probably something that can’t come soon enough. The cost of conventional energy has been going up and up in recent times, and that is a trend which looks set to continue. A solar panel installation will not be able to generate all of the electricity that they need, but it is going to mean that they won’t need so much from their normal energy supplier.
Of course in this situation they are also going to have the advantage that they will not have to pay for the solar energy. That is, they don’t have to pay for the solar panels. In fact though, neither do the council. Instead they have worked out a deal with the solar company which is installing the solar modules whereby they do the installation for free but they get to keep the payments from the feed in tariff.
Feed in Tariff
The feed in tariff is a government scheme whereby you get paid for every unit of electricity that your solar panels produce. Usually it is the people who are getting the solar installation which will get the benefit of this, they certainly have first dibs in any case. Sometimes they are willing to give up that right though, as in this case, so that they can get the solar panels for free.
The very fact that some solar companies are willing to do that should be an indication of just how valuable the feed in tariff is. Clearly it is worth more than the initial cost of the solar panels or else the solar companies would not be willing to do it for free. In this case, however, the council have not entirely given up their right to all of the money, they are still going to get £150 a year for each of the properties.
Usually then it’s going to be better for the people who actually get the solar panels installed, who are making use of the solar energy, to keep hold of the feed in tariff. After all, that is why it was introduced, in order to make solar power in to a better investment. On the other hand though if there is no way that you could afford them in the first place, and that is unlikely to ever change, then you’re not losing anything by getting them for free.
Of course there is a very good reason, aside from the financial advantages, to be thinking about using solar energy, which is that it is helping the environment. The more renewable energy that is used, the less fossil fuel has to be burned.
Solar Energy UK
If you are interested in finding out more about the savings you could make with solar panels, or you want to get a solar installation, get in touch with Solar Energy UK for a free quote.
How Do Photovoltaic Cells Transform Solar Energy In To Electricity?
These days we take it for granted that we can convert the light from the sun in to electricity, but when you really think about it it is quite a remarkable achievement. And not just in technological terms, it is also a very important step towards being able to let go of our dependence on fossil fuels. We have to do that as soon as possible in order to avert global warming. Also, this is a free form of energy and it’s totally clean. So it’s remarkable in a number of ways.
Electrons being caused to move due to the solar energy light provides.
How Solar Panels Work
What we are going to be focusing on here is the technological achievement of being able to convert energy from the sun in to electricity. The first step towards understanding how this is possible is by understanding what exactly electricity is. That’s because electricity is made from solar energy very directly through the use of solar panels.
What electricity actually is, then, is the flow of electrons through a material. Electrons are the very small, negatively charged particles which orbit the nucleus of an atom. They travel at near the speed of light and when they are flowing it creates a lot of energy, so that’s what electricity is.
That’s useful to know because the way that solar cells work is that they get electrons to flow simply from light hitting them. The key to this ability is the substance that they are made out of, which is usually silicon. It could be just about any semiconductor though, as they all have the property that when light hits them, electrons in the structure are caused to move.
It’s important to note, however, that “moving” electrons is not the same as “flowing” electrons. They all have to be moving in the same direction if we are going to get electrical energy. This is where the clever part about solar panels comes in.
The way that the flow of electrons is brought about from solar energy arises from the way that the solar panels are set up. They are designed so that an imbalance is created when light hits them and the way that this imbalance is corrected is by electrons flowing along a wire which leads to your house.
So for an imbalance to be created, first a balance is established. This is done by having two halves of the solar cell, one on top of the other; one with a negative charge (n-type) and one with a positive charge (p-type). When the light hits the solar cell, electrons (which are negatively charged) swap sides and this creates the imbalance. Then to correct the imbalance, the electrons flow to your house.
Solar Energy UK
So that’s how solar energy creates electricity. At that point there is still some more work to be done as it has to be stored in a battery and then converted from DC (direct current) to AC (alternating current) in order to be used in your home. These are all things which the MCS accredited solar installers from Solar Energy UK will be able to provide, so feel free to get in touch for a free quote.
Solar Panels For Edinburgh Council Houses
Plans are currently in the works to have solar panels installed on council houses, and other publicly owned buildings in Edinburgh. The intention is not only to reduce carbon emissions but also to create financial benefits for residents through the use of the feed in tariff.
Council houses set to get solar panels in Edinburgh.
Solar Energy in the UK
There is a misconception with some people that for solar energy to work properly it has to be particularly sunny, and otherwise the solar panels won’t work very well. However, without wishing to be disrespectful to Scotland, if it can work there then there are going to be very few places in the world that it cannot work.
And of course it does work in Scotland, despite the poor weather much of the time, due to the fact that direct sunlight is not required. Solar panels do work better when the light is not coming through clouds, however as long as they are receiving come light they are going to work.
Feed in Tariff
What makes solar energy in to such a good financial investment these days is the existence of the feed in tariff, which is a scheme which pays you for all of the energy that is produced for by your solar panels. Of course usually when something is paid for, the person paying expects to get that thing in return. However that is not the case with the solar power which you create, as you get to use it as well.
What the government does get for its money though, is a reduction in the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It has a target to reduce significantly the country’s CO2 emissions by the year 2020 and one of the main ways it intends to to this is by having more solar energy produced. Because the more renewable energy is used, the less conventional energy is required.
However for people to make that switch, there has to be a financial reason to do so. Which is not to say that people do not care about the environment, as many do. However, most of those people are not going to have the money to throw away on a solar installation, which usually costs somewhere in the region of £10,000. If a large number of people are going to get solar panels on their roofs then, it is going to have to be because it is a good financial investment to do so.
That is what the feed in tariff achieves, it makes it so that solar energy is actually a profitable enterprise. Indeed it has done such a good job at this that there are reports that the scheme is actually running out of money and that the budget is going to have to be increased if the program is going to continue.
Solar Energy UK
If you are interested in getting solar panels for your property then get in touch with Solar Energy UK for a free quotation. By using the MCS accredited solar installers that we provide you will be able to make use of the feed in tariff, allowing you to make your money back on a solar installation much faster.
Saving With Solar Energy
There are two ways that you can save by using solar energy. The most obvious of course is the way that you save money with solar panels. The other one is the way that you help save the environment from the effects of global warming. Of course you are only going to see noticeable results with the money saving aspect, and it requires lots of people working together to save the environment with renewable energy.
Save money the green way with solar energy.
Saving Money
Before the feed in tariff was introduced the only way that you could save money with a solar energy system was through reduced utility bills. This is always going to happen of course, when you have solar panels creating much of your electricity, that you are not going to have to pay for so much of it from conventional suppliers. This is the only natural way of making savings in fact, without government intervention.
In April 2010 though, the UK government introduced the feed in tariff. Through this scheme, anyone who has solar panels installed gets a certain amount paid to them for every unit (kilowatt hour) of electricity that they produce. In effect this means that you are saving even more money, especially as the way it works is that what you are owed is taken off your electricity bill. This means that instead of having to pay your electricity supplier, they should actually end up paying you instead.
To show just how much better financially this situation is, before the feed in tariff was introduced it would normally take around 25 years for savings on energy bills alone to pay off installation costs. Now, it is normal to pay off your installation cost within around 10 years. That means that you have an extra 15 years of actually making money with your solar panels.
Saving the Planet
Of course the whole reason that the government has got involved with incentivising solar energy is that it wants the environmental benefits. These come about due to the fact that, as you are demanding less electricity from a conventional supplier which burns fossil fuels in order to create electricity, there are correspondingly less carbon emissions. That is advantageous for the government as it ha a target to reduce carbon emissions considerably by 2020.
And the reason that carbon emissions are so important is that it is the amount of CO2 that we are releasing in to the atmosphere which is causing global warming. Nobody really knows what the effect of this is going to be, however some serious scientists have made some pretty dire predictions. Usually science is all about having a hypothesis and then testing it, however this is one theory that we do not want to be taken through to its conclusion as the results could be disastrous. Which is why using more solar energy, and other renewable energy sources for our electricity production is essential.
Solar Energy UK
You can help to save the planet, at the same time as saving money on energy costs, by getting a solar installation. If this is something that you would like to learn more about then get in touch with Solar Energy UK for a free quote.
How Much Can You Save With Solar Panels?
The question of how much you can save with solar panels is one that anyone who is considering getting a solar installation is bound to want an answer to. Of course it is not possible to give precise figures, as it depends on the size of the installation, the kind of solar panels you have, and the sort of weather that you get. Although the weather is not that important a factor when it comes to solar energy as solar cells work in all light conditions.
Find out how much you can save with solar panels.
Feed in Tariff
One of the most important things to think about in terms of how much you can save with solar panels is whether you are making use of the feed in tariff or not. You will be able to as long as you get your solar installation from MCS accredited solar installers, such as the ones provided by Solar Energy UK. When the feed in tariff is included in the calculation, the investment becomes far more attractive.
Before the feed in tariff was introduced, in April 2010, the number of people using solar energy in the UK was quite low. The reason for this was that people could simply not justify the expense of getting the solar cells installed considering how much they could expect to save on energy bills. It could take around 25 years just to save enough to pay off the cost of the installation, and the solar panels would probably stop working soon after that.
However, with the feed in tariff in place, many more people have been getting a solar installation. That’s because now, for every unit of energy that is produced, you get paid a certain amount. At the moment, the top amount is 43.3p per kilowatt hour. This translates, for an average installation, to around £1,000 a year.
The result of this is that you should be able to pay off the cost of the installation within around 10 years, instead of 25 years. And after you go beyond that point, you will actually be making money. You also do not have to be concerned about the fact that you may move house before you get to see these returns as, by having solar panels installed, the value of your property will be increased by a significant amount.
Carbon Emissions
It’s not just money that you’ll be saving by using solar energy of course, it is the environment as well. That’s because for all the renewable energy that you’ll be using, that’s energy that does not have to be produced in the traditional way, with fossil fuels. This means that there will be a corresponding reduction of the amount of carbon dioxide which is emitted. In other words you will be reducing your carbon footprint as well.
Solar Energy UK
If you would like to find out more about the sorts of savings that you could expect to make in your situation, and to get a free quote for a solar installation, get in touch with Solar Energy UK today.
Solar Panels: How They Work
There’s really no need to understand how solar energy is created by solar panels for you to get a solar installation, however it can help. Especially if you are under the misconception that they only work in particularly warm or sunny conditions. This article will therefore give a brief overview on how solar panels work.
A closed circuit is created.
Solar Cells
To understand how solar cells create electricity it is first understand something about what electricity is. To put it simply, electricity is the flow of electrons through a substance. Only certain substances have the properties which allow this to happen, which we call conductive materials. Metals are a good example of this sort of material for example.
However there is also something called a semi-conductor. One of the properties of semiconductors is that when light hits them, it causes electrons to move in them. It should come as no surprise then that solar cells are made of semiconductors, usually silicon. Note, that heat is not involved, and that it does not require strong light to work.
Solar Energy
This is not the end of the story though. You cannot simply connect a wire to a piece of silicon and expect for electricity to be generated. Solar cells have to be set up in a very specific way in order for electricity to be created (which is the flow of electrons, not just the movement of them).
For solar energy to be produced then, it’s necessary to direct the movement of the electrons. In order to achieve this, solar cells come in two halves. One of the halves has got a negative charge (n-type), while the other one has a positive charge (p-type). When light hits the silicon and electrons move, they switch sides. This causes an imbalance to be created.
Now that is an excellent position to be in as nature hates imbalances and will correct them in the easiest way possible. What is provided in order to correct this situation is a wire which leads to the house. The electrons therefore flow along the wire, which means that you get electricity in your home.
Solar Panels
That is the basic way that solar energy is created then. There are different sorts of solar panels though, which usually have to do with the form that the silicon comes in. If there are a multitude of silicon crystals which have all been grown together, then that’s a polycrystalline solar panel. They tend to be slightly less efficient but also slightly less expensive.
Then you have monocrystalline solar panels, which have been cut to size from a single silicon crystal. They are a bit more efficient and a bit more expensive. There used to be more of a difference between these two types of solar panels however with technology improving, they are now very similar.
Solar Energy UK
If you are interested in getting a solar installation, then contact Solar Energy UK to find out more and to get a free quote. If you decide to use us for your solar installation you will also be eligible to take advantage of the feed in tariff, which pays you for all of the solar power you create with your solar panels.
Dye-Based Solar Energy Invented
At the moment, solar energy is already the most versatile and portable of all the renewable energy sources. Advances are always being made though, and one of the most interesting is research be led by Dr Neil Robertson at Edinburgh university, who is leading a team of scientists who are developing dye-based solar cells.
Solar cells on a rucksack.
How It Works
Basically, the way that it works is that the dyes are infused with very tiny solar cells, and these are what trap energy from the sun, and turn it in to electricity. That is only a very simple explanation of course, but you get the general idea.
It means that we will be able to power literally just about everything with solar energy. They have already made a rucksack which has some of this material on it. Also, a smoke alarm has been made which has these solar cells coating its base. Meaning that you would never have to worry about changing the batteries in a smoke alarm again!
The Potential Scope
This is a breakthrough in solar energy which has the potential to be have a massive scope in terms of uses. They claim that the 1.6 billion people on this planet who still do not have access to an electricity grid could benefit from this technology. That’s because it is cheap, it is easy to produce on a mass scale, and of course it is portable. It can be put on clothes even.
Another one of the stated aims of this technology is to make batteries obsolete. That’s because anything that you need batteries for around the home could be fitted with this sort of technology instead. We’ve already mentioned smoke alarms, but it could work for literally anything. From remote controls to mobile phones.
A prediction made by one of the scientists on the team is that within a decade, solar energy of this kind is going to be cheaper than the conventional energy that we need at the moment.
Combating Global Warming
The issue of how much renewable energy costs in relation to conventional energy is a crucial one when it comes to combating global warming. If we are going to make a smooth transition from using fossil fuels to supply us with the energy that we need, to renewable energy sources, then it is going to have to be cheaper to use renewable energy.
This is not all about greed either, it’s just about the best use of the resources available. If things like solar energy are too expensive for everyone to use, then it’s not realistic to expect them to do so. Indeed, if we try to artificially make the transition before the technology is ready then that is just going to lead to an economic collapse. Which is going to cause the sort of pain and suffering that we are trying to avoid by combating global warming.
Solar Energy UK
The sort of technology being described here is still quite a long way off from being commercially available though. At the moment, the best you can do is get solar panels for your home. That is something that we can help with at Solar Energy UK, and by using our MCS accredited solar installers you’ll also be eligible for the feed in tariff which makes it a good investment as well.
Solar Panels For Farms
Farms are in a very good position to make use of solar energy. There is usually lots of roof space on a farm, for example on barns as well as the main house. That’s why many farmers have already made use of solar installations to handle much of their energy needs. It is also why Barclays have set up a fund of £100m specifically for farmers, which we have already noted in a recent news article.
Solar panels on the roof of a barn.
Feed In Tariff
What makes solar energy such a good way to deal with a farm’s energy needs is the feed in tariff. This has made it a much better financial opportunity, as now it should only take 10 years to pay off the initial installation costs. After that time, you can actually make money from a solar installation.
The way the feed in tariff works is that for every unit of electricity produced with your solar panels, measured in kilowatt hours, you are paid a certain amount. Exactly how much will depend on the type of solar installation, as well as how much power it produces. For the highest rates it has to be less than 50kW.
Using Farmland
Of course it is not only roof space that can be used for solar panels, they can also be ground-mounted. This means that if you want to use a portion of your farmland for solar panels then that is a possibility as well.
If that is done though then it means that the farmland will be tied up with this for around 25 years at least. That may or may not be the most profitable use for it. There have been cases where farmland has been used for solar energy instead of crops or the grazing of animals. This is usually done when the intention is to power other homes though.
To be able to make the decision as to whether this is your best option or not, you will need specific advice from a solar energy expert. You can get that advice by contacting Solar Energy UK. We will be able to survey your property and recommend your best option in terms of using solar panels. Although of course the farmer is going to have the best idea of the opportunity costs of using the land for solar power production rather than actual farming.
Financing The Installation
The best way to finance a solar installation is through savings of course. However, given the large costs its likely that you are going to need a loan. As stated, Barclays has a fund set up specifically for this purpose. It’s also sometimes possible to have the costs added on to your mortgage, which is often the best option as this will have the lowest interest rates.
Solar Energy UK
If you are interested in getting solar panels for a farm, or for a domestic or commercial property, then get in touch on our freephone number. At Solar Energy UK we will be able to provide you with a free quotation.
