Popularity rise in Solar Power, why?

SOLAR POWER

Solar Power has grown incredibly in the recent years; with Britain now having 500,000 homes with Solar Panels, the business is booming! The general public are definitely opening their eyes to the brilliant benefits and opportunities that Solar Power has to offer.

Did you know Butterflies have Solar Panels on their wings? 

Financial benefits

Solar Panels obviously offer to cut down your electricity bills by becoming more dependent on solar power. The ever increasing prices of energy providers is clearly making people looking into Solar Power as it is an easy, cheap way of saving money. Also with the feed-in-tarrifs the government currently provides it makes it possible to earn up to £750 a year! Who doesn't want extra money in their back pocket? From the financial side of things, Solar panels are definitely a great benefit to home-owners looking to save money.

Feel good factor

Look how smug he is after his Solar Panel install

Solar Power is a clean, renewable energy which makes it GREEN! You can feel smug as you tell the world of how you produce clean energy which is potentially saving the Planet. Also speaking from personal opinion, there is nothing that makes you happier than seeing how much energy you're producing, and there is nothing that makes me look weirder than grinning insanely when I see that electric bill cut down to size!

The Buzz!

There is massive spike in the amount Solar Power is making into the media recently. Various government projects getting behind Solar Power like how the U.S. Navy plan to beam down energy from orbiting Solar Panels. Or even how one of Britain's biggest landmarks, Big Ben, could possibly be getting Solar Panels (Story here).

Mad Scientists

There is also gigantic leaps in the technological side of the Solar Panel world. With 'mad' scientists developing transparent solar panels, Solar panels that work better on cloudy days ! And even the revolutionary idea of the near possibility of being able to grow solar panels from BACTERIA. ITS ALIVE!!!

With all these contributing factors, it's no surprise that Solar Panels have been on the rise. There has never been a better time to get into the Solar Powered world, with so many people getting involved now, shouldn't you as well? If anything you have read has interested you in Solar Panels, visit this excellent site here for a FREE quote on Solar Panels ! 

Links:
All links to the stories can be found above. If none work I will post them down here too

• U.S. Navy story: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2014/03/space-solar/
• Big Ben story: http://www.ecorazzi.com/2014/03/24/big-ben-might-go-green-get-solar-panels/?utm_content=buffer5584c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
• Transparent Solar Panel story: http://tweepmag.com/GreenBizWorld/GreenBizWorld.php?a=1&r=80&rt=767018
• Cloudy day story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/10701064/British-scientists-develop-solar-panels-which-work-better-on-a-cloudy-day.html
• Bacteria Solar Panel story: http://qz.com/191122/the-solar-panels-of-the-future-could-be-grown-from-bacteria/?utm_content=buffer90a48&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
• FREE SOLAR PANEL QUOTE: http://www.solarpanelquoter.co.uk/?s_eng=Reactivated-20140324

900% increase in UK solar generating capacity

The Guardian's environmental section reported a study into take up of micro generation in the UK had revealed a 900% increase in solar generated capacity, since the feed-in tariffs came into force.

Analysts believe many homeowners waited until the tariffs came into force before planning an installation.

Micro-generation in total has grown by 400% since the tariffs were launched in 2010.

A total of 44,460 separate installations have applied for the tariffs, which help those homeowners and businesses re-coup their instalment investment over a much quicker period than would have normally beed possible.

photo credit: pete

10 fold increase in UK solar power during 2010

Weren't we saying only yesterday that it was not hard to imagine the UK having to re-think it's solar panel feed-in tariffs if they got too over subscribed like Spain's have?

Statistics from Ofgem (the energy regulator) as reported on Click Green, reveal that despite 2010 being one of the coldest years on record, it didn't stop a 10 fold expansion of solar energy in the UK during 2010.

17,557 feed-in tariff registered installations are now generating a total of 57.6 megawatts of energy.

The exact breakdown shows how much the photovoltaic solar panel feed-in tariffs have played a part in that success - 16,375 of the 17,557 were photovoltaic installations, with 1,007 being wind turbines and 157 being hydro-electric sites.

The worry is that the Government could try to incentivise other renewables like wind by reducing solar subsidies or the tariffs get so over subscribed (as has happened in Spain) that they have no choice but to reduce the tariffs considerably.

If only we could look into a crystal ball? Whatever, a drop in the level of solar subsidy tariffs will become more likely the closer we get to the review period (last reported to be in 2013 I believe) so if you're looking to maximise your payback from your own solar panel installation, then the time to start investigating that is now.

photo credit: edkohler

Compelling reasons for installing solar energy on your home.

Compelling reasons for installing solar energy on your home.

Recently, the arguments for installing solar panels on your home have all been coming from the environmentalists. With warnings of Polar ice melting by 2060 leaving Polar Bears homeless, temperatures rising around the world causing untold damage to our present way of life and claims that the UK has already been subjected to gas rationing during the cold weather of Christmas 2009.

Scientific communities have verbally clashed with media as each side has sought to discredit the other over the scientific accuracy of global warming - all trying to separate fact from fiction.

However, if the science has left you more confused than ever, there is another side to the solar energy / renewable energy story - one that hasn't been given a very big voice.

The financial rather than the environmental aspects of installing renewable energy generating methods to your property, whether that's a domestic home or a business.

Yes, the initial installation costs may be high but when you factor in the various schemes and grants available to you (either directly or via your installer) from Government and local council sources, then what's referred to as the 'payback period' (the period of time it takes you to recover your installation costs through energy bill savings) shortens considerably.

Add to this the current feedback about solar panel installations lasting past 30 years (when they were originally given a shelf life of between 20 and 25 years) and things look decidedly better.

Property professionals are now also reporting that homes with some form of renewable energy generation installed on them are commanding a better selling price and with good reason to.

OK so the original installer may not have enjoyed a long enough period to get their investment returned in full, but as a 'second owner', you may have paid more for the property but your payback period should be even shorter.

Then there's Feed-In tariffs - with the UK expecting an announcement any day now, on what the tariffs are likely to be set at - i.e how much per kWh you'll be paid for any renewable energy you put back into the National Grid - the tariffs are expected to start in April 2010. They work on a fixed period of time so the sooner you're able to join the scheme, the more your shorten your payback period even further.

Supporters of renewable energy are keen to point out (and it's been mentioned here on the Solar Panel Quoter Blog before) that renewables do offer some form of payback - it may not be quick to recoup it's outlay but it does have offer a payback - period.

Your existing oil, gas or electric suppliers offer zero payback. In fact, you've only got to look at the history of price increases to realise that far from getting cheaper, the outlook for traditional fuels is only going to be higher prices.

There is one more thing worth mentioning - national renewable energy generation is still very much in its infancy, Despite the wind turbines you see dotted around the skyline, and the proposed large scale wind farms out at sea, currently, the UK is only generating a fraction of its energy from renewable sources.

Sure, targets are in place to be met by 2020 (which is only 10 years away now), but the truth is probably that for now, generation on an individual basis will make the most difference to an individual homes needs and fuel bills.

Personally, if the feed-in tariffs get introduced (as planned) later this year, then I think the UK will see a big surge in solar panel installations, like we've already seen recently in Germany and Italy where such tariffs were introduced.

That's good for the economy too.

If you'd like to find out more about the costs of getting solar panels installed on your home, you can use Solar Panel Quoter to get an instant online price guide. Our service also extends to putting you in touch with local recommended and approved solar panel installation companies, who can use their wealth of knowledge to ensure that you get the right system to meet your requirements.

You can use solar energy to provide hot water for your home, power underfloor heating and even heat your outdoor pool. Photovoltaic solar panels can be used to generate electricity which can be fed directly into your home's power supply, connected to the National Grid to put surplus back into the network or stored for back up use.

Many Motorhome (RV) owners are discovering that installing a smaller solar panel system on their vehicle means less dependence on sites with hook-up facilities, and lowers their site fees in general, whilst still providing for all their creature comforts.

And that's just considering solar energy. We haven't even touched on other renewable energies like ground source heat pumps, hydro generation (if your property is located next to a stream) and wind turbines, although wind turbines need more consideration with regards siting and effectiveness on a larger scale than individual households, but for a small-holding, if you've got the room?

Is your future energy outlook sunny?

photo credit: lars k jensen

Solar Power - The lighter side

I'm indebted to Richard Walthers for 'tweeting' a link to Residential Solar Power's collection of fun facts about solar energy.

For example, did you know in a single hour, enough sunlight reaches the Earth's surface to meet the entire world's energy needs for a full year or that Germany is making the best use of solar power, even though it's climate includes many cloudy days or that....

Well, to read more of these wonderful fun facts about solar energy, click here.

photo credit: jamescridland

Will BP's Oil discovery dampen public appetite for Alternative Energy?

Spotted on a solar energy forum....

On the back of the BP oil discovery, I wondered if such finds damped the publics appetite for alternative energy?

Will consumers feel 're-assured' by traditional fossil fuel discoveries and be complacent about supplies running out, and therefore put off seeking out alternative energy generation solutions for their homes and businesses?

What's your feedback?

What do you think? In the mainstream media coverage I read, and whilst it was a fantastic engineering feat, I didn't see any mention of alternative energy - did you?

Solar Energy Resources for Kids

We came across this great collection of resources for children who want to find out more about solar energy -perhaps a school project, homework or just for fun...

"Solar energy just means energy (light or heat) that comes from the sun. There are as many different ways to use solar energy as you have ideas in your head. What gets you hot lying on the beach on a summer day? Solar energy. What gets your car hot when it's parked in the sun with the windows closed? Solar energy. What makes your solar calculator go? Solar energy. What makes the giant solar panels on satellites work? Solar energy. What makes plants grow? Rain and... solar energy. What makes the clouds that make the rain? You got it! Solar energy. What sets a blade of glass under a magnifying glass on fire? Yup, solar energy. And on and on. "

taken from Solarenergy.org.

photo credit: uriel1998