Guide to Solar Energy

Did You Know:

"Nine quadrillion, that’s (9,000,000,000,000,000) kilowatts of solar energy fall on the continental United States every hour".

This is the equivalent energy available from 4.25 trillion barrels of oil per day. 4 trillion!!! That's almost as much money as what bankers make... in a week.

Utilizing just 0.001% of this renewable energy resource would satisfy all of the world's energy requirements.

There are two basic kinds of solar energy: -

Solar thermal energy - the kind of solar energy which collects the sun's warmth through one of two means; in water or in an anti-freeze mixture.

Solar photovoltaic energy - converts the sun's radiation to usable electricity, more commonly known as solar panels.

Can I use solar energy to provide mains power to my house?

Yes, solar photovoltaic (PV) panels can provide all or most of the power you use in your home.

How many solar panels do I need?

To calculate how many square inches of solar panel you need for your home, you need to know the following information: -

• How much power your home consumes on average in kilowatt hours (kwh).
  
  • The average UK house requires approximately 10-15kwh of electricty (600 Watts per hour consumption = 14.4kwh per day). The use of an energy monitor is the best way of determining energy consumption.
• Where your house is located (so you can calculate the mean average of solar days, average rainfall, cloud cover etc).

• • This question is impossible to answer unless you know the amount of solar energy (solar insolation) that you receive for where you live. Let's assume that on an average day the solar panels generate their maximum power for 5 hours.

Now we have the core information needed, we can begin calculating how many solar panels are required, and the power required to power your home. A typical consumer solar panel is capable of producing 70 milliwatts of power per square inch every five hours. So, by multiplying 70 times 5 we get 350 milliwatts hours per day.

Next we divide the daily household electricity consumption, in this example; 14,400 watts of energy by 350 milliwatts (0.350 Watts) of output by a single solar panel. We see that we require 41,142 square inches of solar panels to create enough electricity to provide power for most if not all of the appliances for the average home.

Now that you have this basic information about the size of the solar panel array, you can acquire accurate quotes from authorized solar panel dealers, as most solar power systems are priced per square foot.

For a typical 120W solar panel with dimensions of 1.5m (59 inches) x 0.7m (27 inches) you would need 26 of these panels to power a home which uses 15kw a day in electricity.

Types of solar panel.

Another thing to bear in mind when deciding to purchase a solar power system is that differrent types of panels give off different amounts of energy, so if you're using your solar panels for fully powering your home, then consider getting the highest grade monocrystalline solar panels, as they have the highest electricity return rate and they are also the easiest to custom fit.

Alternatively, if the solar array is only going to be used for powering your pool, hot tub, workshop, or outdoor lights, then you can choose a less expensive type of panel or you can buy fewer high grade solar panels.

If you want to use solar power but aren’t sure which panel is best for you, you can email, or phone us. Alternatively, you can check out the variety of solar power systems on offer in our solar panels section.

Is solar panel technology environmentally friendly?

Yes. solar panel technology is a renewable energy that does not rely on burning fossil fuels (technically, the sun will stop burning in 4.5 billion years but for all practical purposes, it provides an endless source of free energy!). More energy reaches the earth from the sun in one day than would be consumed by the world's population in 27 years.

Even better, solar panels generate no CO2 so they don't contribute to global climate change. While operating, solar panels are silent and emit no pollutants or waste, they also require no fuel to operate.

Information

For more information on renewable energy sources, active solar energy, passive solar energy, and photovoltaic solar energy, visit: -

Free solar energy energy guide ebook