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Efficiency or cost per watt - which is most important?
Posted by Graham Eastwick on 2nd March 2009 at 1:56 pm
The development of thin film photovoltaics (PV) is progressing fast. It's still not as efficient as crystalline silicone solar panels, but I have read of projects using thin film technologies from single roofs up to large “solar farms” with capacities in the region of 40 MW. Crystalline…
Posted in: Solar electricity
Solar panels are flexible and easy
Posted by Graham Eastwick on 9th January 2009 at 8:35 am
Solar PV (photovoltaic) is a great technology because it is so flexible and easy to manage. In most cases, once you have fitted it and connected to the grid you can forget about it, and watch your carbon emissions and energy costs fall and stay down for the next 25 years or so. One of the many p…
Posted in: Solar electricity
PV shipments grow as community grants dry up
Posted by Graham Eastwick on 18th March 2009 at 10:29 am
Shipments of photovoltaic (PV) panels (solar electricity) are growing year on year at a rapid rate around the world. Much of this is driven by multi-MW PV farms or so called Solar Parks. These require large areas of land and are best suited to sunnier climes and places where land is more available. …
Posted in: Solar electricity
PV systems need an efficient inverter
Posted by Graham Eastwick on 15th May 2009 at 11:07 am
Photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules are only part of the picture when you consider the efficiency of a solar electricity generating station. Key to an effective PV system is an efficient inverter, which converts the direct current (DC) electricity produced to AC (alternating current or mains equiv…
Posted in: Solar electricity
Sustainable energy solutions recognised by Ashden Awards
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 12th June 2009 at 2:42 pm
Inspirational people combined with sustainable energy technologies makes me feel hopeful for the future, and at the Ashden Awards ceremony last night both abounded. The winners spoke humbly about their achievements, yet many of them are significantly transforming people's lives. For example the …
Posted in: General, Biomass, Solar electricity
UK renewables lag behind Europe
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 17th June 2009 at 10:53 am
I’ve got good news and bad about the UK’s efforts at introducing renewable energy. For all the Government talk, you’d think that we’re doing quite well at generating heat and power from renewable sources. But, no, we’re not. In fact, if we compare ourselves with other European countries, o…
Posted in: General
Siting your PV panels
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 3rd August 2009 at 3:58 pm
When buying photovoltaic (PV) panels to generate electricity for their home, most people put them on the roof. However, this isn't the only place, and may not be the one that gives the best results. Below is John Smith's story about his decision to site his solar panels in the corner of a field…
Posted in: Solar electricity
Solar panels have never been so attractive
Posted by Chris Rudge on 10th August 2009 at 10:50 am
With the feed-in tariff due to start in April 2010 (after a short consultation period to October) the benefits of installing a solar photovoltaic (PV) system on our houses before the end of the 2009 are probably better than we will ever have again. Simply put, if you have a PV installation befor…
Posted in: Solar electricity
Feed-in tariffs are not fair to renewable energy pioneers
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 14th August 2009 at 9:17 am
Renewable energy pioneers have been dealt a dismal hand by DECC's proposed rates for the feed-in tariff. Existing microgenerators (whose installation has been accredited under the Renewable Obligation) will be automatically transferred to the feed-in tariff on a rate of 9p per kWh (kilowatt hours)…
Posted in: General, Hydro electricity, Solar electricity, Wind turbines
Are roof mounted turbines any good?
Posted by Graham Eastwick on 24th September 2009 at 10:43 am
Roof-mounted turbines were very popular a year ago or two. However, over the last few months a couple of reports have been published that suggest building-mounted turbines may not deliver as much electricity as hoped. One of the major manufacturers has just closed and stopped supplying turbines to …
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Solar PV: how to tell the difference between panel types
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 25th September 2009 at 9:50 am
Solar PV (photovoltaic) panels come in lots of different types - mostly with long and complicated names - so it's not easy to know what the difference is. Last night I went to an excellent evening organised by the Sid Valley Energy Action Group - a group of enthusiastic volunteers who promote ene…
Posted in: Solar electricity
Wind power without the guesswork
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 10th June 2009 at 11:01 am
Measuring wind power to see whether it makes sense to get a wind turbine has, until now, been either expensive or inaccurate. Now with the launch of the Power Predictor, it’s possible to take the risk out of what is a significant investment. The device is the invention of Toby Hammond, managing…
Posted in: Solar electricity, Solar heat & hot water, Wind turbines
Solar PV industry uncertainty as grants pot runs out
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 4th December 2009 at 9:23 am
The solar industry faces another phase of uncertainty as the grants money to support installation of photovoltaic panels in public sector buildings and charities has run out again. The Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 2 grant pot was topped up with £35m earlier this year, of which £13m was …
Posted in: Solar electricity
Solar panels fall in price
Posted by Chris Rudge on 11th November 2009 at 10:30 am
There is both good news and bad news in the solar PV (photovoltaic) installation world. Over the last few months, the cost of solar electricity modules has fallen by anything up to 10%. This is due to an early year slump in demand throughout Europe in caused by the credit crisis. There had also b…
Posted in: Solar electricity
How to deal with snow on solar PV modules
Posted by Chris Rudge on 7th January 2010 at 11:36 am
This past weeks little deluge of snow may have provided a nice seasonal blanket of white over your solar PV modules. While the glass in most modules has self cleaning properties, the adhesion of snow means it will cover the modules until the temperature rises. In the case of a ground mounted system,…
Posted in: Solar electricity
Does renewable energy affect your house insurance?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 25th January 2010 at 10:20 am
We've had solar hot water panels for a couple of years now, but it was only recently, when asked by a visitor to this site, that I wondered what, if any implication they had for my house insurance. Happily, a quick call to the insurance company (NFU Mutual) was all I needed to find that it makes …
Posted in: General, Solar electricity, Solar heat & hot water
Is my roof too shaded for solar PV panels?
Posted by Chris Rudge on 14th January 2010 at 7:10 am
If you are thinking of having a solar electricity system installed in 2010 to take advantage of the last chances of getting a lump sum grant before the Feed In Tariff starts in April, the first thing to do is look for a good location to install it. Traditionally for domestic Solar PV (photo…
Posted in: Solar electricity
What's the best mounting for solar panels?
Posted by Chris Rudge on 10th February 2010 at 9:07 am
Flush fitting of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system to generate electricity has both benefits and downsides over the more popular 'on roof' mounting. The benefit is a PV array that is more integrated-looking, although to keep that essential cooling airflow to ensure the system works at maximum effi…
Posted in: Solar electricity
Feed-in tariff: your questions answered
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 8th February 2010 at 12:02 pm
The introduction of the feed-in tariff (known as Clean Energy Cashback scheme) opens a new and exciting era for microgeneration. Here we answer some of the most common questions on the new scheme. If you've got any more, please add a comment below and we'll do our best to answer. The information bel…
Posted in: General, Hydro electricity, Solar electricity, Wind turbines
Generating my own electricity
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 10th March 2010 at 9:05 pm
Our new photovoltaic solar panels started generating electricity a month ago today. It was dusk on a cold February day when the system was all ready to go, so I was suprised to see the light flashing on the generation meter and the inverter showing that, even in such poor light, it was making a lit…
Posted in: Solar electricity
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