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Solar Panels Advice & Grants available for DIY home energy improvements

Solar Panel and Power Systems for the UK

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Power for your home.

Solar Products afford ways to lower your utility bills
Improvements in home energy consumption is possible by utilising PV panels (Photovoltaic) which can be installed on the roof of residential homes and commercial buildings. Provision is made in an energy assessor's report to include solar energy installations as part of a SAP survey. Significant gains in the SAP rating can be obtained by using solar energy to supplement the power demands in buildings.

In addition, part funding of the cost of installation is available for "green energy" projects of this nature. See below for website details for grants and advice for panel installation.

Installation of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system provides a way to generate your own electricity from the free energy of the sun. A photovoltaic system will never have to be refuelled, they emit no pollution, and can operate for over 30 years with little maintenance. They can also be used in conjunction with a small wind turbine to "top up" your power requirements, and can supply electricity back to the grid when there is no power demand in the home. The term "Photovoltaic" means electricity from light. These systems use daylight to power ordinary electrical equipment, e.g. household appliances, computers and home lighting. The photovoltaic (PV) process converts solar energy into electricity, the output from the PV panels is DC, to enable the electrical supply to be used for home use it must be converted to AC at 230 V, this is achieved by fitting an inverter unit.

Note: solar thermal technology used for home heating and hot water purposes is not based on PV technology. In addition, a meter is required to ensure that home owner can get credit for any PV power fed back into the mains supply. There is a good reference source for additional information on this subject which includes typical set up, suppliers and grants available for PV systems, together with listings of electricity companies participating in the power credit scheme for homeowners who feed power back to the National Grid.

See: PV-WEB British Photovoltaic Association.

Roof mounted evacuated tube solar collectors

Main benefits of a PV panel solar roof

Some key benefits of a PV solar roof include:

A clean power source with no pollution, that will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions
Reduction in your electricity bills, since sunlight is a free resource
A clean power source with no pollution, that will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions
Can add value to your property
No noise when in operation
Minimal maintenance, with a lifetime in excess of 30 years
Increases the public awareness of electricity use, and can encourage additional energy efficient behaviour by others

Thermal Solar Panel Installations For Hot Water

The Solar PV Panel system described above is used for supplying power to appliances in the home. For home hot water systems a different installation is required. The basic set-up for roof solar panels is described below.

For domestic hot water applications there are three main components:

Roof mounted solar panel
A heat transfer system, including pump
An additional hot water cylinder

This type of hot water installation can add value to your home.

Solar panels, or solar collectors must be installed on the roof. These collect the heat from the sun's radiation. The heat transfer system uses this source of heat to provide hot water. The hot water cylinder stores the hot water that is produced during the day and can supply the hot water for use later.

Is my home suitable for solar panels?

You will need approx. 2 to 4m2 of southeast to southwest facing roof which receives direct sunlight for most of the day. Also required is space in the home to locate an additional hot water cylinder if required.

Little maintenance is required for this type of installation, for more detailed information see: