Solar Energy Panels

There are two general sorts of solar energy panels that you can choose to have installed, those that create electricity (PV solar panels) and those that create heat for a solar hot water system (solar thermal panels). They are both excellent ways of cutting your carbon footprint and reducing energy costs significantly.

Evacuated-tube solar collector (top) next to a PV solar panel (bottom).

They also have government financial incentives attached to them, the feed in tariff for PV panels which is active now, and the renewable heat incentive for solar hot water systems which will become available to businesses this year, and to households late next year. To be eligible for these schemes you will have to get your solar installation performed by MCS accredited installers, like those provided by Solar Energy UK.

PV Solar Panels

There are a number of different models of solar panels for electricity production, and at Solar Energy UK we install three of the best, most reliable kinds. They are Sanyo (HIT), Schott and Hyundai.

The Sanyo (HIT) solar modules are the most efficient because they use a thin layer of amorphous silicon on the surface which greatly reduces the amount of efficiency that is usually lost at the surface of a solar panel.

The Schott solar panels have proven reliability because they are made by one of the most experienced solar companies, Schott Solar. That’s a German engineering company which provides power for over 300 satellites in space with its solar panels.

Finally there is Hyundai, a well-known technology company which is most famous for its cars but which is also prolific in the number of solar panels that it produces every year. These are the cheapest ones that are offered by Solar Energy UK and are great value for money.

The Schott and Hyundai solar panels come in two general forms, either monocrystalline (mono) or polycrystalline (poly). This describes the form of the silicon crystal which generates the solar energy. With the mono’s it is a single crystal which has been cut to the right size. With the poly’s it’s lots of crystals grown together.

Traditionally speaking, the mono’s are more efficient and also more expensive, while the poly’s are less efficient but also less expensive. However, with advances in the production process there is now very little difference between them.

Solar Thermal Panels

There are also two general types of hot water solar panels. There’s the flat-panel solar collectors and also evacuated-tube solar collectors.

The most efficient are the evacuated-tube variety because they have the absorber plate, which absorbs the heat from the sun, running all the way around the tube (of which there are several placed side by side). This means that it doesn’t matter at what angle the sun hits them, it will be just as good at generating heat.

The flat-panel solar panels, however, are a little bit cheaper but not as efficient. They have the absorber plate running along the bottom, and the pipes either carrying the water itself to be heated or a heat transfer substance which will then to go to heat the water.

Solar Energy UK

If you are interested in getting solar energy panels of either type installed on your roof, get in touch for a free quote on a solar installation from the expert installers we provide.