Solar PV Panels Category

Engineers, trade unions, farmers and house builders today backed a campaign by Friends of the Earth and the Renewable Energy Association to introduce a “feed-in tariff” system that would improve Britain’s take-up of renewable energy.

Ahead of a crucial House of Commons vote on Wednesday, which aims to add a feed-in tariff to the energy bill currently going through parliament, organisations such as the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the House Builders Federation , the TUC and the National Farmer’s Union said they wanted to see a feed-in tariff (FIT).

FITs have been introduced in nearly 50 countries around the world, starting with Germany which has massively increased the roll-out of technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines, ground-source heat pumps both at the domestic and industrial levels.

FITs work by setting a guaranteed price for renewable electricity fed into the national grid that is above the market price. The countries which have adopted one have made big carbon savings and created thousands of new jobs. Britain, though, lags behind almost every EU country in its use of renewables, producing just 2% of its energy in this way.

Pop star Lily Allen and her solar-power recording studio, the Premises, have emailed MPs urging them to vote for the measure on Wednesday.

Source: Guardian

Intelligent Energy Solutions is a leading UK provider of solar panels and heat pumps.

Exported Solar Electricity

Solar Electricity Panels, also know also Solar PhotoVoltaic Cells, generate electricity that can used in your home or premises.

Excess electricity can be exported back onto the grid and most electricity suppliers will buy this electricity from you.

The rates that are being paid are improving all the time. Many supplier will now a similar amount to the import rate for the electricity you export, currently around 10p/kWhr.

What many people don’t know is that in 2002 another parallel scheme was launched that will encourage suppliers to pay an additional amount of money for this electricity.

ROCs

A Renewables Obligation Certificate (ROC) is a green certificate issued to an accredited generator (the home or business owner) for renewable electricity generated. One ROC is issued for each megawatt hour (MWh) of eligible renewable output generated. This means that you get one ROC for each 1000kWhrs of electricity generated.

The scheme is designed to incentivise renewable energy generation in the UK. When the scheme was formulated an obligation was placed on the electricity suppliers to obtain an proportion of their energy from renewable sources. In 2005-06 this target was 5.5 per cent and in 2006-07 the obligation was set at 6.7 per cent.

If the electricity companies do not have enough ROCs they have to pay the other suppliers who do have enough. This means that the suppliers want to buy your ROCs to avoid being penalised.

The payment depends on the supplier but they typically pay around £30-£40 per ROC. This means that every unit of electricity generated is worth about 30-40% more.

The scheme is planned to run until 2027.

Intelligent Energy Solutions is a leading UK provider of solar panels and heat pumps.

Solar Panels

Solar Panels collect the radiation from the sun and convert it into useful Energy such as heat or electricity.

Many people ask us if the UK has enough solar radiation to warrant the installation of solar panels.

The simple answer to this is a resounding yes.

UK Solar Radiation vs The Equator

It surprises many people that in the UK we received around 60% of the solar energy received at the equator. This means that solar panels can make an excellent contribution to heating your hot water or generating your electricity.

The major factor that determines the effectiveness of solar panels is their position. If the panels are facing anywhere between south-west to south-east at any angle between 10 and 50 degrees the panel will achieve over 90% of their potential.
Unfortunately north facing panels are not particularly effective.

More information can be found here about solar water heat panels and further information can be found here about Solar Electricity Panels.

Intelligent Energy Solutions is a leading UK provider of solar panels and heat pumps.

What are Solar PhotoVoltaic Panels?

These panels cleverly convert the suns light into electricity. The cells are usually made up of layers of a semiconductor called Silicon. When exposed to light a DC electrical charge is generated. When numerous cells are banked together they can produce serious amounts of electricity. These cells can be used to power many electrical devices from calculators to your home appliances. The sunnier the position the more electricity that can be generated.

This often, but not always, means positioning the panels on a south facing roof. If the roof is flat the panels can be mounted on frames that hold the panels at the optimum angle.

When connected to the national grid a property can benefit from reduced electricity bills and can even export electricity to the national grid.

The panels tend to cost somewhere between £5k to £7k per kW.

Are Solar PV panels right for my property?

If specified properly, installing Solar PV WILL reduce your electricty bills. For roof mounted panels, having a south facing roof is useful. However, depending on the roof angle panels can function properly facing South West to South East. They still benefit from 95% of the suns radiation.

The panels can be sized in a number of ways, one method is to geat the capacity to the minimum load on the property, so if the property typically uses 1kW, install 1kW of panels. This means that on the sunniest day every bit of electricity being generated is being used. Alternatively, you can install a much larger capacity and sell the excess electricity back to the national grid. The rates the electricity companies will pay for this electricity is now starting to become more competitive.

Will this type of solar panel pay for itself?

This answer to this question depends heavily on way you measure payback. The environmental payback is extremely quick, perhaps even 6 months? With regard to financial payback the calculation becomes more complex, let’s assume the following:-

- Electricity prices continues to rise as they have over recent years.

- The system adds 50% of it’s installation cost to your homes value.

- You take a rebate from the electricity company for exporting spare electricity

Given these, not unreasonable, assumptions, a system could payback within 12 years. After 20 years the system would have paid for it’s self twice over.

Some companies offer incredibly sort payback periods, be wary of this as their maths is often questionable.

Who will install Solar Panels for me?

Please contact Intelligent Energy Solutions, we will be happy to discuss your requirements in an open and honest manor. Given the fact that we also offer geothermal (ground source) heat pumps, wind turbines and solar water heating panels, we will recommend the most appropriate technology for you.

Believe it or not, if none of our products are viable for your property we WILL tell you!

Intelligent Energy Solutions is a leading UK provider of solar panels and heat pumps.