Photovoltaic Cells

 

 

Create cheap, green electricity with sunlight to power your home, business or farm bulidings. Solar electricity systems capture the suns energy using Photovoltaic cells and convert it into electricity. The UK has been blessed with a wealth of energy resources but the depletion of our domestic fossil fuels reserves, combined with projected growth in global energy demand, puts our security of energy supply at risk. The government targets hope to achieve 15% of energy from renewables by 2020, compared to 3% in 2009.
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How do Photovotaic
cells work?

Photovoltaic cells can be attached to the walls, roof or can be free standing. They are normally made from one or two layers of a semi-conductive material, normally silicon. As the sun shines on them an electric field is created across the layers and fed into your electricity system. The sunnier it is the more electricity can be produced, but don't worry- they will still work on a cloudy day. The strength of a photovoltaic cell is measured in kilowatt peak - kWp, and indicates the amount of electicty that can be produced by that cell in full sunlinght. An average household system is 2.7 kWp, and will produce at least 50% of the households yearly quota, if the system is eligible to receive the Feed In Tariff it could generate savings and income of around £1,100 per year.


What are the
benefits?
 

  • Cut your carbon footprint- on an average house photovoltaics save over a tonne of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere every year.
  • Cut your bills- once you have paid for the installation your energy costs will be reduced by 50% or more.
  • Sell your electricity back to the grid- with a wide range of government incentives, namely in the shape of FITs- Feed in Tariffs it is possible to generate an income from your panels, recent figures suggest at least a 10% return on your investment every year.
  • Store your electric for a cloudy day- if you are not connected to the grid you can store the generated electricty in batteries for use whenever you need it.
  • Planning permission is not normally required, as long as your system is below a certain size.
  • If you need major roof repairs, PV tiles can offset the cost of roof tiles.
     
  • Minimal maintainance- most panels are designed to be 'self cleaning' to an extent and with a 25 year performance guarantee there is very little for you to do!



Is solar electricity suitable for
my home?


  • You'll need a roof or wall that faces within 90 degrees of south, and isn't
    overshadowed by trees or buildings. If the surface is in shadow for parts of the day, your system will generate less energy.
  • Is your roof strong enough? Solar panels are not light and the roof must be stong enough to take their weight for at least 25 years, especially when the panels are placed on existing tiles.
  • Do you need planning permission? In England, Wales Scotland and Northern Ireland, you don't need planning permission for most home solar electricity systems, as long as they're below a certain size - but you should check with your local planning officer, especially if your home is a listed building, or is in a conservation area or World Heritage Site.

 



Free standing panels along with a number of alternatives are available if you have no south facing wall/roof or do not want to re-roof yor property in order to fit panels.