Solar Photovoltaic Panels (PV)

Installation of Photovoltaic Panels in our homes allows households to generate their own electricity. The creation of electricity from solar power through Photovoltaic cells is called micro-generation which experts believe could help to cut household domestic carbon emissions by 15% by the year 2050.

Photovoltaic Panels (PV) are made up of two or more layers of semi-conducting materials that generate electrical charges when exposed to light. Metal contacts can then conduct this electricity to your household electrical supply.

Just to give you some idea of how much energy these Photovoltaic cells can produce.  If you installed top of the range monocrystalline photovoltaic cells on a south facing part of your house they can harness 15% of the suns energy. The Photovoltaic panels and installation would cost approximately £5000 but would generate 600kW hours a year, approximately 20% of an average family electrical supply needs.

Multicrsystalline Photovoltaic cells are cheaper, they are made from melted down silicon, but can still harness 13% of the suns energy. They should be placed, ideally, on a south facing wall or roof within 90% degrees of the Sun. While they require very little maintenance your roof or walls may need to be strengthening to support the panels.

If you are planning to live in your current house for a number of years, then these cells will pay for themselves overtime.

Amazingly until recently, it was very hard to get planning permission to install any type of Photovoltaic technology (PV) in our homes. This has changed recently with the UK government passing laws giving people greater freedom to install Photovoltaic technology on their houses, in places where neighbours are least impacted. Overtime these laws are likely to get less and less strict combined with the fact that the price of micro-generation is falling and you start to see the real wide-scale possibilities for a technology that up to now has been exclusively for the wealthy. Grants are also now available to help with the cost through the DTI funded low carbon buildings program. For more information on Photovoltaic grants,

Tel - 0800 915 0990
www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk

For more in-depth information on Photovoltaic (PV) technology visit

www.pv-uk.org