Solar Electricity – Photovoltaic (PV) panels use the energy from the sun to generate electricity with no waste and no emissions. This can be used to run appliances and lighting. Solar panels do not rely on direct sunlight to work - as long as there is daylight, power will be generated.
The Benefits of Solar Electricity
Cut your carbon footprint: solar electricity is green, renewable energy and doesn't release any harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) or other pollutants. A typical home PV system could save around 1tonne of CO2 per year - that's around 25 tonnes over its lifetime.
Cut your electricity bills: sunlight is free, so once you've paid for the initial installation your electricity costs will be greatly reduced. A typical home PV system can produce around 40% of the electricity a household uses in a year.
Sell electricity back to the grid: if your system is producing more electricity than you need, or when you can't use it, someone else can use it - and you could make a bit of money by selling it back to the grid.
Savings can be considerable - around 1 tonne of CO2 a year. A 2.2 kWp system can generate around 40% of a household's yearly electricity needs. If the system is eligible to receive the Feed In Tariff it could generate savings and income of around £900 per year.
Maintenance is generally small - you'll need to keep the panels relatively clean and make sure trees don't begin to overshadow them.
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