Solar PV panels have become the byword of the sustainable and renewable revolution, and more people are opting to have solar panel systems for their homes for the simple reason that they give plenty of benefits, one of which is savings on electricity bills. But this is just a single benefit brought by solar panels, and it’s merely the tip of the iceberg. If you are interested in acquiring a solar panel installation for your home and are wondering how it can genuinely be of help to your household, here’s everything you need to know about solar panels for your UK home: the benefits and more.
How they work
The concept behind solar panels is relatively simple: the solar panels absorb the sun’s solar radiation, and then convert the energy collected into electricity. A typical solar panel installation is placed on the roof since this is where it can get the most exposure to the sun. Panels are comprised of a grid of photovoltaic cells, and these act as semiconductors as they absorb and convert the sun’s energy into usable power for the home. If there is any extra energy you don’t use, you can store it in a solar battery for later consumption, or you can send it to the National Grid. With every additional unit of energy you send back to the grid, you can receive a FiT or Feed-in Tariff, which is paid by the government.
One thing you should know about solar panel systems is this: they don’t just work when there is a lot of sunlight, such as in the summer. Whilst their effectiveness is obviously better on sunnier days, they can still work quite well during the winter and on days that are cloudy.
Their benefits
Save money
You will definitely feel the real benefits of solar panels once you have them installed in your home. But one of the major benefits which most everyone already knows is the savings made on energy bills. Since you are generating your own energy, you don’t need to buy as much power from your supplier. Thus, you can save money. Many households which have solar panel installations have been able to decrease their electric bills by as much as 50%.
Earn money
You can also earn extra money through the FiT mentioned above, provided your installation is done by a facility which is accredited by the MCS. With this, you can receive payment for every kWh of extra energy you send to the grid, as confirmed by experts in solar panels in Manchester such as Atlantic Renewables. Payments for the Feed-in Tariff are made every quarter, and the duration of the payments will depend on your system’s technology. The Feed-in Tariff is recalculated every year based on the RPI or Retail Price Index.
Another key benefit of a solar panel installation is the fact that you will have lower emissions of carbon since the energy you generate or produce from the sun doesn’t require fossil fuels. And what’s more, solar energy is completely renewable – which means that it will never run out.
