Solar PV (solar photovoltaic) is the most popular renewable option in the UK and is growing rapidly due to government incentives. Here’s the key information you need to know to get you started.
- What is Solar PV?
- Solar PV Feed-in Tariff
- Free Solar PV
- Solar PV Costs
- Solar PV Installation
- Why you should get Solar PV?
What is Solar PV?
Many people stil ask what is solar PV? – well it’s a technology using solar panels to convert the power of the sun into electricity. The electricity can be harnessed to provide cheap, green power for your home, meaning you’ll have to buy less energy from your supplier and save money.
Modern solar panels don’t even need direct sunlight to work – just daylight. They produce energy even on cloudy days and during the winter. An average-sized installation producing around 2.7kWp can generate more than 50% of a typical home’s energy needs each year.
What’s more the energy is produced without emitting any carbon dioxide (CO2) or other harmful pollutants.
And with promotions like the feed-in tariff scheme and even free solar PV installation, it’s an even more attractive environmentally friendly green energy option – get involved with the solar revolution today!
Solar PV Feed-in Tariff
If producing your own cheap, green energy wasn’t incentive enough, then the government’s fantastic feed-in tariff scheme goes several steps further.
You’ll not only be able to sell any excess energy you generate back to the National Grid, you’ll actually get money for every kilowatt hour of energy your produce from renewable sources, whether you use it or not. Installing a solar system is one of the best ways to take advantage of this fantastic deal.
The feed-in tariff scheme normally offers payment for renewable energy for the next 20 years. But with solar PV energy this is even better – the government will support your renewable energy generation for a whopping 25 years with the solar PV feed-in tariff. In fact, you could save more than £25,000 over 25 years with a 2.3kWp solar installation.
And by installing solar panels you won’t just be getting the benefits of solar PV feed-in tariff payments – you’ll be saving money by paying your regular energy supplier less as well. A double bonus.
If you’re not connected to the national grid, no problem as the energy you produce can be stored to such a time when you need it.
Free solar PV
Several organisations even offer FREE solar PV panels with installation, connection and maintenance included. The organisation will generally then offer the energy generated free or at a discounted rate. Normally the feed-in tariff income of any excess energy generated will go to the installer.
It can be a great deal if you can’t afford to install solar panels yourself, but make sure you consider the annual benefits carefully as your actual savings will depend on your energy consumption. Free solar PV is a good deal for some people, but not others so you need to weigh up whether this is the right choice for you.
Solar PV costs
Installing a home solar power system isn’t as expensive as you think – solar PV costs have reduced dramatically in recent years. An average-sized 2.7kWp system, for example, could cost about £12,000 including installation.
You don’t have to spend that much of course – solar PV costs around £4-5,000 per kWp, and the cost per kWp reduces the larger the set-up. Of course, the bigger the system, the more money you could save in the long run. And you’ll be helping the environment more too, with carbon savings of around 1.2 tonnes of CO2 yearly with an average system.
And don’t forget, you can recoup installation costs if you use the feed-in tariff scheme – this could add savings and income of more than £1,000 a year for our average-sized system.
What’s more, studies from the US have also shown that installing solar panels could actually INCREASE your house price.
Plus – don’t worry about maintenance bills. With no moving parts and robust solar panels, you really need do little more than make sure the panels are cleaned every now and then and that they’re not overshadowed by growing trees.
Solar PV installation
It is surprisingly much easier and quicker to install than you might imagine. On average it takes between two to four days, times will vary depending on the size of the installation and the number of panels.
We strongly recommend that the company who you choose to supply and fit the system is registered with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS). The MCS was set up by industry stakeholders and is internationally recognised for quality assurance.
Why you should get Solar PV?
So it’s much simpler to understand and get going to produce clean, renewable energy. Here’s a recap on the benefits:
1) Reduce your electricity bills – a typical system can produce around 50% of your home energy needs
2) Sell spare electricity back to the national grid – if you produce more than what you use at any given time, you can sell the excess electricity
3) Reduce your carbon footprint – it is renewable and clean, green energy and doesn’t emit harmful carbon dioxide (CO2). In fact a typical installation will reduce your home CO2 emissions by one tonne per year.
4) Store electricity for later use – if your home is not connected to the grid, you can store the electricity for when you need it
So, what are you waiting for? Get paid to produce clean, green renewable energy and reduce your bills at the same time. Solar PV really is a great deal that is not to be missed.
Image courtesy of flickr – joncallas