Solar PV
The Crystal PV Solar System
PV Solar is quite capable of producing electricity even when the sun doesn't shine, put simply it works on background radiation as well as direct sunlight. Electrical power that is generated is converted into usable mains electricity that is FREE to use and connects directly to the property’s existing system. It is the same as the electricity we all use every day. Apart from the Solar panels that are neatly fitted to the roof the only other part that is normally noticeable is a compact meter that sits alongside the existing electric meter. And it gets even better; since April 2010 a Government scheme called the Feed-in Tariff was introduced to reward those that generate renewable energy such as Solar.
In a nutshell, for every unit of electricity you generate you will be paid 16p/per unit as a generation tariff plus 4.5p/unit on half the units generated as a "deemed" export tariff, so this equates to just over 18p/unit generated and you can then use this electricity perhaps saving another 13p/unit.
Systems on the current 16p/unit generation Tariff can return up to £820.00 as annual benefits (year one) giving a starting annual return on investment of approximately 8% and payable for 20 years, Tax Free and Inflation linked to the RPI, the return on investment will rise in line with the RPI and energy prices.
Photovoltaic solar panels are the most promising and popular form of solar energy. In photovoltaic panels, sunlight is actually converted into electricity. This is very different from a conventional understanding of solar power as only a way of heating water. Photovoltaic, now the biggest usage of solar energy around the world, is briefly explained below: Sunlight is made of photons, small particles of energy. These photons are absorbed by and pass through the material of a solar cell or solar photovoltaic panel. The photons 'agitate' the electrons found in the material of the photovoltaic cell. As they begin to move (or are dislodged), these are 'routed' into a current. This, technically, is electricity - the movement of electrons along a path. Wire conducts these electrons, either to batteries or to the regular electrical system of the house, to be used by appliances and other household electrical items. In many solar energy systems, the battery stores energy for later use. This is especially true when the sun is shining strongly.
On 1st April 2010 the Government introduced the Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) to encourage new investment in low carbon green technologies such as Solar PV, Wind Turbines, Hydro Generators and Anaerobic Digestion (AD) units. Under the FITs, anyone who installs an eligible Solar PV system will receive a guaranteed fixed payment for all the electricity they generate, including what they use, for a period of 20 years. They will also receive an additional payment for any electricity that don't use that they feed back into the National Grid. To top it all off, people installing systems will also benefit from reduced electricity bills as they'll effectively become their own power stations and so won't need to use as much from electricity suppliers and the grid. This means that there has never been a better time for you to install a Solar PV system. Not only will you be significantly reducing your carbon footprint, you'll also be reducing your energy bills and getting paid to do it!