subject: Using The Sun For Heat Or Light In My Home [print this page] Look into which solar panel system would be best for you and your home by spending some time investigating. There are two chief types of solar panel those that heat up water and those that generate electricity (photovoltaic panels). In a single hour the sun transmits more energy to the earth's surface than the world uses in a year. Solar technology could be used to generate electricity and hot water for your home and make use of this costless source of energy.
A governement scheme called the feed-in tariffs (or FIT) means that, although solar technology is still expensive, you can now receive money for the electricity you generate using photovoltaic solar panels.
If your home was designed or redesigned to make the most of the sunlight then this would be called Passive Solar power. An supplementary south-facing window or more insulation to your roof could be added so you can better capture the sun's heat, and for longer. When a house is 1st build or refurbished these passive elements can be added.
The installing of a solar collector, usually a panel, to gather solar power is known as active solar power. The two main sorts of active solar panel systems are solar water heating and photovoltaic (PV) solar panels.
While they might look alike, and both consist of panels on your roof, solar water heating and solar PV are quite different. Solar PV or solar electricity uses the energy from the sunlight to produce electricity which you can then use in your home or export onto the grid. Solar PV is an pricey technology (12,000 for an average system) but generous financial backup is presently available under the feed-in tariff scheme.
Solar heating or solar thermal uses energy from the sunshine to heat up water. It is typically used to heat up your domestic hot water system. Solar water heating costs less than solar PV, usually around 3000 to 5000. By October 2012 grants or financial incentives may be offered through the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).
There are four basic types of PV panel: monocrystalline, polycrystalline (or multicrystalline), hybrid and amorphous silicon. The silicon is cut and treated in different ways.
PV panels will differ in cost and efficiency (how much of the sun's energy is used by the system per unit area). Although polycrystalline cells can be cheaper, Monocrystalline cells tend to be more efficient (13-17% efficiency compared with 11-15% efficiency).
Thin film is a hybrid which combines crystalline cells. This makes them even more efficient (17%+), but they cost more. Make sure that you know what sort of solar PV cells you are being quoted for when comparing quotes.
To generate significant amounts of energy you do need quite a big roof. Also, Solar panels can be heavy, so your roof must be strong enough to take their weight, particularly if the panel is to be installed on top of existing tiles. Solar panels have a high initial outlay typically between 8,000 and 14,000, so are more pricey to buy and install than solar water systems. Solar light hours and climate will affect efficiency. Initial costs are higher than for conventional electric and gas-heater systems.
Only daylight is needed to make energy not sunshine. Any additional electricity can be sold back to an electricity company once your panels are connected to the national grid. It could decrease your average household electricity bill by about 40%. The Feed-in Tariff provides further generous income (unlike solar thermal).
A reputable company will be able to help you further on which type of solar solution is best for you.
