Need help?
Email: admin@greenservicesdirect.co.uk
Phone: 0800 0147 453
You are here: Find Local Experts to help with Solar Panels
Solar Panels
It is a little known fact that the energy the sun emits in one hour, could meet the earth’s energy requirements for a whole year. It therefore makes sense for us to try to harness at least some of that energy and we can do so by installing solar panels.
There are two types of solar panels;
- Solar Thermal Panels, which convert solar energy from the sun into heat that is then used to warm the water in a hot water storage tank. This water is then stored in a hot water tank in the way that water heated by more conventional means such as an immersion heater would be.
- Solar Photovoltaics (PV) Panels, which captures solar energy and converts it into direct current (DC) electricity. Electricity used for household appliances is alternating current (AC), so an inverter is required as part of the system to convert DC electricity to AC. This electricity can then be used throughout your home, or exported to the grid.
Most home owners opt to install PV panels as we use more electricity than hot water. However, many of us tend to be away from home during daylight hours when solar panels generate most electricity, which means that we would not use much of the energy our solar panels have generated. There are, however, two potential solutions to that problem. You may wish to sign up to a Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) tariff with your energy supplier, which means that you can sell any electricity you are not using back to the national grid at an agreed rate. Alternatively you can link your solar panels to storage batteries. This allows you to generate electricity in daylight hours, when you are at your lowest usage, store it in your battery then use it when you are at home and using power during the hours of darkness when generation from your solar panels is at its lowest.
It is unlikely that you will need to apply for planning permission when installing solar panels as this can normally be done under permitted development. If you live in a listed building or a conservation area, you will need to obtain permission. If you are in any doubt at all, contact your local authority planning department for clarification. An experienced, qualified installer will be able to advise you.
There is no ‘one size fits all’ for solar panel installations so it’s important that your installer carries out a survey of your property before any work is started. They will look at the orientation of your property in regard to the sun, any trees or buildings which would cause shade and affect the output of a system. If you are considering using the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) then your system would require to be installed by a Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accredited installer.
Do you offer Solar Panel Services?
If you offer Solar Panel services and you want to find out more about being listed on this website, please visit our "Request a Trial" page
Customer Feedback
Below is some of the feedback that has been provide by Customers of our websites