Getting Solar Panels installed is a great way for your home to become greener. Solar Panels are made up of Photovoltaic (PV) cells, which absorb photons and packets of energy from the sun to generate electricity through the Photovoltaic effect. Powering your home through Solar energy is a great green energy solution, that will reduce both your carbon footprint and energy bills.

South-facing rooftops, benefit the most from a solar panel installation, as they are exposed to sunlight for the longest period of time. They also see the sun when it’s at its highest intensity, meaning that a south-facing roof will generate the most solar energy. However, this doesn’t mean if your roof faces another direction you still wouldn’t benefit from having solar panels installed. East and west-facing roofs are also suitable for solar panels and will still see a good deal of green energy generation throughout the course of the East or West facing installations only tend to lose around 15% of generation. It is only North-facing roofs that are completely not recommended. This also doesn’t mean you can’t install a PV system if you have a flat roof. In fact, flat roofs are often ideal as they allow for a more flexible design. This is because installers can use mounts to angle the Solar Panels so that they are at the optimal angle. If in doubt, just get in touch and our design team can carry out a remote survey on your roof.

Believe it or not, not everyone’s home or business is suitable for Solar. Your suitability for Solar Panels depends on four factors:

• Your current electricity consumption.
• The Pitch, Orientation, and Space are available on your roof.
• If there is any shading.
• The radiance level of your location.

Moncrystalline: Mono-crystalline Solar panels are seen as the more premium panel, due to their high efficiency and darker/black appearance. A Mono-crystalline solar panel is made up of single-crystal silicon, meaning that the electron can generate more electricity as they can flow more freely. As they have the highest purity of silicon they are more efficient, with a higher power output than polycrystalline panels.

Polycrystalline: Polycrystalline solar panels alternatively have lower efficiency, at a more affordable price point. The Solar Panels are made up of fragments of silicon crystal that have been melted together to make wafers and are most recognisable by their blue speckled finish.

No! Solar batteries can also be used independently of solar, to charge your home from the electricity you buy from the grid. By using a ‘time-of-use’ or agile tariff such as Agile Octopus, you can charge your batteries when the electricity rates are at their lowest, for example overnight, and then use that energy to power your home more affordably. This is particularly handy if you are looking to invest in an electric vehicle in the near future. However, to take advantage of this home energy solution, your home will require a smart meter.

The storage capacity your home will require is dependent on your current electricity usage. Power usage is measured in kilowatt-hours. Your monthly energy bill will indicate how many kilowatt-hours you spend on a monthly basis. To calculate the battery storage you require, Solar Panel Installers UK will take this value and from there will be able to calculate your energy needs.

Having a solar battery installed makes you more energy independent and reduces your reliance on the grid. However, the system is still grid-tied, as any surplus energy your battery storage cannot store will be sent back to the grid. All Solar systems installed by Solar Panel Installers UK , have the capability to work in EPS mode. This means when the grid fails, you will still have a supply of energy through your home battery storage.

Due to the modern slim profiles of solar batteries, they can easily be stored anywhere. Solar batteries are often stored in a garage, loft, utility room, cabinet, under the stairs, or even outside. Most homeowners choose to store their solar batteries somewhere neatly out of the way, however, there is also nothing stopping you from having them on display! To find out the exact dimensions of the solar battery of your choice, make sure you download the datasheet provided in this quote, there you will also be able to see if it is suitable for outdoor environments.

Having solar batteries installed alongside Solar Panels, allows you to make the most out of your generated green energy. With Solar Batteries, you can store any surplus solar energy that has been generated by your Solar Panels to use when your home later demands it. This ensures that the majority of your generated power is being used within your home, instead of being sent back to the grid. Therefore, capitalising on your green investment, as well as reducing your energy bills further. Having a home energy storage means you are less reliant on the grid and more energy independent.

A Smart EV Charger is simply a charging point that can be connected to the internet. When you plug in your EV into a Smart Charger you are essentially sharing data, that allows you to optimise your car charging. Smart Charging means that you can communicate with your electric vehicle and charging operator remotely. This allows you to update your firmware, choose when you want to charge, utilise the time of use and economy tariffs, and renewable energy sources. By having your Electric Vehicle charging connected to the internet you are in control of how much you are drawing from the National Grid and when. All at the touch of your phone.