Welcome

SOLAR ENERGY IS JUST A LOT OF HOT AIR ISN’T IT?

Using solar energy has many benefits - not least that it reduces your fuel bills. It won’t mean that you can say goodbye to utility bills, but it should reduce them significantly.

 

Warnings are constantly in the news about rising fuel prices in the future because of dwindling resources and having to rely on other countries to provide staples such as gas and oil. So being able to generate your own power is going to be even more valuable in the future.

The environmentally-friendly aspect of utilising solar energy is that burning fossil fuels either in the home or in the production of electricity increases carbon emissions. Extracting heat from the sun to heat water or your home, can help to reduce this.

BUT IT ISN’T THAT SUNNY WHERE I LIVE

• You would be surprised how much sun we do get in the UK.
• It is estimated that we actually receive enough energy from the sun (solar radiation) to match the average output of 1,000 power stations!
• AND solar heating systems don’t need direct sunlight - even on a cloudy day they will still be gathering solar energy.
• In the UK more than 20,000 homes already benefit from solar heating.
• Legislation states that new build properties must get 10 per cent of energy from renewable systems - and that includes solar.
• Some experts estimate that up to a third of a home’s hot water requirements over a year can be generated by using solar power.

 

WILL ONE SYSTEM HEAT MY WATER AND MY HOME?

• You need to decide what you want the system to do as different types are needed for water heating or to generate electricity for space heating - in other words your rooms.
• Water heating uses a technique called solar thermal. Put simply, water travelling through a solar panel takes its warmth from the heat within that panel.
• To generate electricity the technique sounds a little more space age. Photovoltaic (PV) cells convert power from the sun - the name comes from photo meaning light and voltaic - electricity.
• PV cells are made from silicon. They have two layers of semi-conductors, one positive the other negative. Light shines on these semi-conductors to produce a flow of electricity which can be harnessed.