Find a Renewable Energy Specialist you can trust in Alnwick.

You shouldn’t need to maintain your solar panels much at all as long as there’s nothing piled up on top of the panels that could block out the sun. They are installed at an angle, so when it rains the water runs off them and gives them a clean. However, if this doesn’t quite cut it, you can spray them with a hose a few times a year.

How Do Solar Panels And Batteries Work Together?

With solar panel system rapidly becoming an ubiquitous phenomenon within the modern society, several homeowners in the UK are just coming to terms with the numerous benefits offered by the system. The solar power’s popularity has even led to the rise of another renewable technology - solar batteries able to store excess solar power that can be used later. Now several companies such as Tesla are now building solar batteries that can be fitted alongside solar panels for your building. So how exactly do solar panels and batteries work together? Let’s have a look!

Solar panels make use of the sun light to generate electricity and as a result, they can’t function when sunlight is absent - giving a big issue of how to power your house when it’s dark. In the event whereby this occurs, you’re afforded two options which is either to contact energy providers to buy electricity or purchase a battery storage system.

So what’s the function of the battery storage system? Basically when your solar panel provides electricity which is not needed right away, a solar battery will work to convert the DC electricity into AC energy which is going to be stored for later use (when you actually need it). in other words, your solar panels charge the batteries when you do not require the energy they’re generating right away.

As a result, when it’s dark and the solar panels are no longer functioning, your system will tap into the energy that’s already been stored by your battery for later use. This way, you can be totally independent of the National Grid, which implies more savings on your electricity bills.

So do you wish to take advantage of the heat generated by the ground to warm up your home by getting a ground source heating pump? If yes, then you’d also probably be wondering how much a ground source heat pump is going to cost so you can set a budget and start planning.

Installing and running ground source heat pump can cost between the range of £600 to £700 to run on an annual basis, meanwhile it can cost you within a range of £13,000 to £19,000 to have installed. However, you should take note that these prices can be by varying influencing factors such as the size of the installation as well as any other extra work that may needed to complete the job.

When it comes to estimating the time it takes to recover the initial cost of the system via energy savings, nothing is certain as this can be very hard to determine or predict. The main reason for this is due to the fact that it’s dependent on the efficiency of your heating system, the type of system you’re replacing ( whether or not you qualify for Renewable Heat Incentive -RHI payments ), the efficiency of your home’s insulation, how efficiently the system’s controls are being used and how the heat generated from the ground source heat pump would be put to use. However, to figure out how much you’ll save, the type of fuel replacing is perhaps the most essential. For a four bedroom detached house, you can save between a range of £1,200 to £1,300 for a LPG fuel replaced, £1,400 to £1,500 for an electricity fuel replaced, £600 to £700 for an oil fuel replaced and finally, £200 to £300 for a solid fuel replaced.

If you’re thinking about the possibility of installing a ground source heat pump in your home, then it’s normal to consider how efficient they’re in heating up a house before going ahead to make a purchase decision. In this article, we are going to address this question to help you make an informed purchase decision.

We know you’d prefer a single, accurate answer to this question, but the fact is, there are several influencing factors that can play a key role in the efficiency of a ground source heat pump installation. These factors include whether or not the property is well insulated, the fitting of a well designed system and the quality of its installation, the heat source that’s being used as well as the heating distribution system and its size ( under floor heating or radiators ).

The Coefficient of Performance ( CoP) measurement is used to imply the efficiency of a heat pump. This is basically the ratio between the amount of heat energy generated by the ground source heat pump and the amount of electrical energy or fuel it consumes. Therefore, the Seasonal Coefficient of Performance ( SCoP) is usually taken as a realistic measurement to cover throughout the year as its based on CoP at varying conditions as well as a standardized climate.

You must, however, note that there is no established Coefficient of Performance for ground source heat pumps as they can be influenced by a lot of factors as well as testing conditions. When they’re properly fitted, ground source heat pumps can achieve a quite high Coefficient of Performance.

Generally, a ground source heat pump can generate about 3 to 4 kilowatts (kW) of heat for every 1 kilowatt to electricity or fuel it consumes. It’s able to achieve a higher efficiency when compared to its counterparts by using the freely available heat energy from the ground.

In a similar way to other major home improvement projects, some specific requirements must be met to allow for the installation of solar panels. The main reason why these standards and regulations were established is to minimize the risk of the solar system becoming an issue or potential hazard in the unforeseeable future. So if you’re thinking about buying and fitting new solar panels, you’ll probably want to know whether or not you’ll require to submit a planning permission application for approval before you can proceed.

Generally, solar panels are covered under what’s called “Permitted Development” which gives you the freedom to install your solar panels without having to apply for a planning permission. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. These exceptions include if your house is a listed building or if your house is located within a conservation area. In these exceptional cases, it’s possible that you’ll need to apply for a planning permission, but this will largely depend on the discretion of your Local Planning Authority. What’s more? Solar panels are usually subjected to normal building regulations which includes examining the roof to make sure that it can support the additional weight. You can call in a MCS certified installer to carry out this check for you.

In order to install your solar PV on your roof, you must follow these guidelines:

✓ Your solar panels shouldn’t go beyond the highest point of the roof (excluding chimneys).

✓ The solar panels shouldn’t project beyond 200mm off the roof’s edge.

✓ The solar panels should be removed once they’re no longer used to produce electricity

✓ The solar panels should be installed such that the area and building’s appearance change is minimized.

Biomass boilers can be designed to work with other kinds of heating. The most common of these is solar thermal. This is a popular renewable energy pairing. Solar thermal heating will meet your hot water needs during the summer while a biomass boiler can operate as a backup during the winter when solar thermal panels do not perform as well.

How To Install Solar Panels And Batteries

Have you decide to purchase a solar system for your home and wondering how to go about the installation? If yes, then we’ve got you covered! In recent times, it’ll be totally safe to say that solar panels and batteries for home use in the UK has now become more of a necessity than a luxury considering the numerous benefits the system offers. However, with the cost of having the system installed, you might be forced to think about the doing the installation yourself.

If you lack proper training and experience in the solar system installation process, it’s advisable to hire the services of a qualified technician who can guarantee the best results the first time and help you save time and extra costs that may result from possible costly errors. Here, we’ll give you a good insight into the installation process.

• Mount the solar panel and ensure it’s properly screwed to your roof. Try to position in such a way that it faces direct sun rays to have enough solar power generated.

• Connect your charge controller. The current that’s being generated by the solar panels will not be stable all day long. As a result, it’s important to avoid connecting solar photo voltaic modules directly to your better, if you don’t want it damaged. To control the current received from the solar panels, the charge controller is required. It has three connecting points - one for the battery, one for the solar panels and the last for Direct Current (DC) identify the one for solar panels and connect accordingly.

• Connect the battery to charge controller. The charge controller possess two terminals for the battery - the positive and negative terminals. Connect the positive terminal to the positive of the battery and also do the same for the negative.