Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity and help you save on your energy bill. Using the photovoltaic process they are the way of the future in renewable energy production for private homes and businesses.
Solar energy is the energy that comes from the sun in the form of light and heat. Unlike fosssil fuels such as oil and coal, solar energy is a naturally occurring and renewable energy source.
There are two main types of solar installation commonly used; Solar PV or Solar Thermal. Solar PV provides electricity to be used throughout your address while Solar Thermal is used to heat your water.
Solar cells are the tiny cells within each panel that capture sunlight and convert it into energy. There are several types each with different costs and benefits.
Through the Feed-In Tariff scheme offered by the government, you receive payment for the energy that you produce. This makes it possible to recoup the initial cost of your system much quicker than you otherwise would.
Here in the UK there are many solar suppliers and installers, with many different products and services available. Therefore, it’s a good idea to take time to compare different options to see what’s right for you.
Solar panels save you money. Installing solar panels and generating your own power means you won’t have to purchase all of your energy from your existing provider and you’ll notice huge savings on your energy bill.
Solar panels do pay for themselves, but the time this takes is dependent on several factors including the initial cost and the efficiency of your chosen system. Remember, any savings you make after the payback period go right into your pocket!
This varies depending on the size and capacity of the product as well as manufacturing and installation costs. In general, the higher the system’s capacity to generate electricity, the more it costs. The flip side of this is that it will produce bigger savings over the long term.
Portugal is doing its part to invest in renewable energy with the dedication of a new 11-megawatt (MW) solar plant. The plant, which is located in Serpa, is one of the largest solar arrays in the world and can supply enough electricity for 8,000 households.
The solar plant was built by Catavento, a Portuguese renewable energy company and California based PowerLight Corporation, a GE Energy Financial Services subsidiary. It occupies roughly 150 acres in Portugal’s Alentejo region and contains over 52,000 photovoltaic modules manufactured by Sanyo, Sharp, SunPower and Suntech. The solar plant is also said to reduce CO2 emissions by 13,000 tons per year.
“This project is successful because Portugal’s sunshine is plentiful, the solar power technology is proven, government policies are supportive, and we are investing and delivering under GE’s ecomagination initiative to help our customers meet their environmental challenges,” said Kevin Walsh of GE Energy Financial Services. “Thanks to great Portuguese sunshine and high technology, this plant right here in Serpa is expected to produce the most power — more than 20 gigawatt-hours per year.”
“The Serpa solar power plant speaks to the green power initiatives now setting Europe on a course toward ambitious emissions reductions goals. By assembling a first-class team of companies in the solar arena, we’ve achieved a remarkable renewable energy milestone,” remarked PowerLight CEO Tom Dinwoodie.
As reported last month by DailyTech, the European Union (EU) is aiming to receive 20% of its power from renewable energy sources by 2020. Currently, the EU receives 6.5% of its power from renewable energy.
Portugal wants to significantly improve on those figures before the 2020 deadline. Portugal’s Prime Minister, Jose Socrates, has proclaimed that his country will receive 45% of its power from renewable sources within 3 years.
Many people are finally realizing the benefits of solar panel installation on their homes. Not only will it obviously help save you on your electricity bill it is also very clean power. With a proper solar panel installation you will not need to be relying on the burning of fossil fuels for your electricity needs. In addition to being a very clean source of electricity solar panel energy for the home is also a very safe investment that will greatly increase the value of your home. The National Appraisal Institute estimates that for every $1 that your solar panel installation saves in utilities a year, your homes value will increase by twenty times that amount. With utility companies constantly increasing their rates you gain the ability to avoid their increases in prices, which have jumped over 30% in the past three years.
The typical solar panel installation will consist of a photovoltaic system, this system is a series of solar panels most commonly attached to the roof of your home. If you do not have enough roof space on your home for the solar panels there are other alternatives to mount them on the ground, or on other structures on your property. The biggest requirement for solar panel installation is that the panels are not blocked by objects such as trees that may cast shade on them, which will result in lesser efficiency.
Solar panels are made up of crystalline photovoltiac cells which when in contact with sunlight will absorb the energy and convert it into DC current. Since your home runs on AC power the electricity will need to head to an inverter. The inverter in a solar panel installation will then lead to your normal electrical panel where it will power your home. Any extra energy that your solar panel installation produces will be fed back into the utility grid. This is known as net metering and will in fact spin your meter backwards. Depending on the size of your system you may even up having electrical credits left at the end of the year.
With net metering on a sunny day your solar panel installation will generally produce more energy than your home is consuming, depending on your energy consumption of course. This extra energy is bought back at the same rate that your electrical company sells it for. Often your solar panel installation will be selling back energy at the peak daytime rates.