Find a Solar Panel Installer you can trust in Lanarkshire.

When you’re about to transform from the standard electricity to solar energy, what determines your solar system’s size is the amount of solar that’s required. The amount of solar that you’ll need, on the other hand, requires considering the end goal, be it to increase money savings, reduce environmental contamination, maximize Returns On Investment ( ROI), or just to copy what the neighbour’s done.

In order the determine the number of solar panels that is needed, the first step would be to calculate the number of kWhs that’s currently being used. A kWh is what’s used to determine the amount of energy that has been incorporated over time which the utility uses to bill you. What’s strongly recommended to create a suitable range is a 6 to 12 months average of your household electricity bill. Other factors that can play a key role in the determination of the number of solar panel needed include the following:

✓ Sunlight exposure hours. In order to know just how much energy your solar panels will generate, there’s a need to know the number of direct sunlight hours you should expect on a daily basis. For example if you stay in a region that’s usually very sunny, then it’ll be reasonable to expect more energy production per panel than regions that are usually cloudy.

✓ Angle and size of the roof. Roofs with a lot of workable space may require to let go of some efficiency opting for larger and cost effective panels to achieve the targeted energy. However not all homeowners have sufficient roof space or shade coverage for the solar panel they actually want. Also, the degree at which the roof slants will also determine if the sunlight is hitting the panels well enough and the amount of energy that can be generated thereof.

Solar panels provide an alternative to paying expensive National Grid energy rates, so primarily their first major benefit is helping to reduce bills. Solar PV panels will produce free electricity, whilst solar thermal panels generate heat for hot water and space heating. There are also payment incentives known as the Feed-in Tariff scheme (FITs) (for solar PV) and the Renewable Heat Incentive (for solar thermal) which guarantee a tax-free income for 20 years.

In theory, you can fit solar panels yourself. In practice, it’s worth leaving it up to the professionals.

If you get DIY solar panels and install them on your roof yourself, you won’t be able to apply for the government-backed Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). The SEG pays you for every unit of electricity you generate and send back to the grid, so it’s a scheme well worth signing up for. However, you must have your solar panels installed by a Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS)-registered engineer or company, so you’ll miss out if you install the solar panels by yourself.

The other thing to consider about installing solar panels yourself is that you’re dealing with electricity. Electricity is extremely dangerous if handled incorrectly, so if you don’t have any qualifications in working with electricity you could be putting yourself and your family at risk. Connecting DIY solar panels yourself and doing it incorrectly could mean that you give yourself an electric shock or cause a fire. If your home is damaged due to a fire caused by solar panels you’ve installed yourself, it’s unlikely that your home insurance company would pay out.

Before having a go at installing your own solar panels, do some quick sums to see how much money it could really save you. A 3.5kW DIY solar panel kit will cost around £4,000-5,000. According to the Energy Saving Trust, a home in the South East of England where most occupants are out all day until 6pm would save around £100 a year on their electricity bills. That means that you wouldn’t break even until 40 years, but solar panels last around 25 years on average. However, if you have your solar panels installed by an MCS-registered installer and they cost £4,500, you could save £220 a year including your SEG payments. That brings the payback time to around 20 years.

So although the initial outlay is slightly less when you install solar panels yourself, it’s much better to have them installed by an MCS-registered engineer so you can take advantage of the SEG payments.

It’s important to get the right size solar panel system for your commercial property. Solar panels are usually installed on pitched roofs, although they can be fitted on stands on the ground if you have some unused outdoor space. The more panels you install, the more power you’ll generate, but there’s no point buying more panels than you have space for.

Solar panel system sizes are measured in kW. 4-10kW solar panel systems are usually too big for domestic properties but are ideal for smaller commercial properties. Here’s an idea of how many panels and space you’ll need for a few different system sizes:

System size, Number of panels, Area required (approximate)

4kW, 16, 23m²

6kW, 24, 35m²

8kW, 32, 46m²

10kw, 40, 58m²

Bear in mind that solar panels can’t be less than 30cm away from a roof edge, so you’ll need more space than the area that the panels take up.

Unlike the photovoltaic (PV) power which works to turn a part of the electromagnetic radiation of the sun directly to electrons and electricity, a solar thermal can simply be referred to as the absorption of the sun’s heat for human use. As a result, the solar thermal has a wider range of uses than the PV does in several ways. This is due to the fact that the sun’s heat can be absorbed and transported via a medium and the stored energy incorporated for several great purposes such as to heat water, to heat and cool a home or living space, to prepare a meal as well as to generate electricity. All these functions are useful for both residential and commercial spaces.

There are generally three different ranges of solar thermal energy that are being used which includes the low temperature ( for heating, cooling as well as ventilation), the mid temperature ( used for preparing meals, heating hot water and the likes) as well as the high temperature ( used for generating electricity). To focus more on generating electricity, there are a wide array of ways through which the sun’s heat can be directed at creating electricity via a heat exchanger which operates to super heat water or inert gas to power an electricity- generating plant or to produce electricity via a Stirling engine.

In order to increase their output or make them more efficient, evacuated glass tubes are used to encircle the tubes which in turn helps them to collect more heat energy while also protecting them from re-radiating the heat energy absorbed. The trough are normal positioned north to south as well as to keep tabs on the travels of the sun throughout the day.

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.

If your solar panels are mounted on your roof and you require a ladder to reach them we would always recommend you get a professional to do the work for your own safety.