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View blog posts for category: Solar electricity
Battery storage for solar PV: Which battery to choose?
Posted by Chris Rudge on 30 March 2016 at 12:55 pm
Battery storage bolt-on options for existing renewable energy generation systems are now becoming the next 'must have' for people looking to either reduce their energy bills or increase their energy security at times of power cuts. I have been providing different types of battery syst…
How do solar panels work?
Posted by Jason Ramsdale on 29 March 2016 at 10:30 am
TED-Ed have uploaded a fantastic video explaining the science behind solar panels as part of a TED lesson on solar by Dr Richard Komp. The video explains how solar panels work, what their limitations are and how they can be improved in the future. Definitely one of the better explanations on how …
Solar cemetery: a new form of green burial?
Posted by Jason Ramsdale on 23 March 2016 at 10:30 am
Santa Coloma de Gramenet cemetery, just outside Barcelona in Spain, brings a new environmentally friendly option to the table. Having installed 462 solar panels on top of their mausoleums they generate enough electricity to power 60 homes. It has become a 'solar cemetery'. Usually whe…
Are solar tracking systems worth it?
Posted by Jason Ramsdale on 14 March 2016 at 2:30 pm
Solar tracking systems are devices that rotate solar panels towards the sun throughout the day or year. As solar panels generate more power when they face the sun directly this maximises solar capture and helps to minimise the space required to meet demand. The use of solar trackers is commonplac…
How do you clean solar panels?
Posted by Jason Ramsdale on 29 February 2016 at 10:05 am
Whether or not you need to clean your solar panels sparks something of a debate between owners of solar panels. Most roof-mounted systems are self-cleaning as rain-water washes away the majority of the dirt that gathers on the surface. If you’re considering using commercial cleaning service…
French solar road aims to supply electricity to 5 million people whilst stretching over 1000km
Posted by Anna Carlini on 24 February 2016 at 10:15 am
Work to build the world's largest solar panelled road has started in France. The plan is for the road to stretch over 1000km, supplying electricity to 5 million people or 8% of the population. The solar road will be laid with flexible Wattway PV panels which add a tiled effect. The road i…
Early energy supplier 'smart' meters incompatible with solar PV?
Posted by Gabby Mallett on 23 February 2016 at 10:15 am
We recently had a question about smart meter compatibility with PV installs and whether this may affect the 50% export deeming. Smart meters not compatible with self-generation seemed a little bit crazy to me, so I wanted to investigate a little bit more. At the end of 2015 overall PV cap…
Solar PV and smart meters: are they compatible?
Posted by Gabby Mallett on 22 February 2016 at 11:55 am
Q: I had PV solar fitted in September 2014, my electric and gas supplier has offered to install smart meters. I'm confused if this will be compatible between my normal electric usage & PV? Also the rule is that I get a unit price for every unit produced by PV through feed-in-tariff and I …
Three feed-in tariff caps exceeded within one day
Posted by Anna Carlini on 17 February 2016 at 9:30 am
Three capacity caps were reached on the first day that new applications for the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) were assessed. The new caps, which came into force 8 February, limit the number of installations eligible to receive the given FiT rate in each quarter. If the maximum is reached, unsuccessful app…
4.39p/kWh Feed-in Tariff rate takes effect on 8 Feb 2016
Posted by Anna Carlini on 3 February 2016 at 9:35 am
The new Feed-in Tariff (FiT) rate takes effect on 8 Feb 2016. Any domestic solar panels installed from then onwards will receive 4.39p per kilowatt hour of renewable electricity generated. This is a 65% cut on the 12.47p it would have previously received. The new rates follow a period of a no…
