Energy costs that rise year after year, interruptions to supplies and a growing concern for what we’re doing to the environment means that the demand for renewable energy, especially solar energy can only increase.
Today, 98% of the UK’s power comes from non-renewable resources. Residential solar systems now give you the technology to generate your own electricity from the inexhaustible energy of the sun.
They work on daylight, so even in a country like ours with overcast or dull days, they will generate trouble free electricity for years and years. The power that you generate from the sun won’t dwindle like fossil fuels, it won’t contribute to global warming or pollute the environment.
Planet Solar are specialists in the design and installation of solar energy systems for homes and businesses. We hope you enjoy finding out more about our products and services.
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With a growing concern for the environment, rising costs of energy, and huge competition for remaining non-renewable energy, it is a real possibility that we’re entering into a global energy crisis because of our dependency on fossil fuels and our continual production of catastrophic amounts of carbon emissions.
What is our government doing?
A report by economist Sir Nicholas Stern - The Stern Report, (download a summary here >>) suggests that global warming, caused by our fossil fuel carbon emissions, could shrink the global economy by 20%. Global warming is already evident to us - we can see ice caps melting, floods and droughts occuring and severe weather changes. A key Government objective is to reduce emissions by 30% by 2020, and 60% by 2050.
Carbon emissions trading involves the trading of permits to emit carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gases). It is one of the ways countries can meet their obligations to reduce carbon emissions and thereby mitigate global warming.
A carbon tax is a tax on energy sources which emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Such measures are being considered as a means to reduce carbon emissions.
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What can I do?
We have a continuing need to generate power, but how can we do this efficiently? Our Solar systems are one of several ways in which home owners can help our country go green for the future. So why solar? And what are the alternatives?
According to Stern, for every £1 invested now we can save £5, or possibly more. A typical solar energy system could pay for itself in 12 years, and you will notice the financial benefits immediately.
Alternative energy choices are no longer out of reach because they’re too expensive, or simply confined to the world of politics. They’re now an affordable and sensible choice available to everyone. When you invest in renewable energy you’ll feel the benefit in lower energy bills and the planet will benefit from lower carbon emissions. With the cost savings you’ll make and with government grants available of up to 50%, you’ll soon be recovering the outlay.
So renewable energy is now a real alternative, in a real world that has a real problem. Solar, solar hot water, wind, hydro or wave power and ground source heat pumps are all potential options, but the most reliable of these renewable energy sources is electricity from solar PV panels.
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Solar electricity generation is Photovoltaics or PV for short.
Solar panels are manufactured from layers of specially treated silicon where one side is positive and the other negative. As sunlight (electro magnetic radiation falling during daylight hours) hits the silicon in a PV cell this causes a flow of electrons inside the cell which generates a voltage. This is directly converted into useable electricity.
You can use this electricity to power your home, or it can be sold back to the National grid if you’re producing more than you need at any point.
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Illustration with PV solar unit, sunlight falling onto the unit, and identifying the PV cell
