Energy Saving Warehouse

Solar Panels

What are solar PV panels?

Solar electricity systems capture the sun's energy using photovoltaic (PV) cells. The cells convert the sunlight into electricity, which can be used to run household appliances and lighting.

PV cells are panels you can attach to your roof or walls. Each cell is made from one or two layers of semiconducting material, usually silicon. When light shines on the cell it creates an electric field across the layers. The stronger the sunshine, the more electricity is produced.

PV cells don't need direct sunlight to work - you can still generate some electricity on a cloudy day.

Save around £200 every year on your electricity bills and produce almost 1 tonne less Co2. Even bigger savings as of 1st April 2010 for homes with PV panels, when Clean Energy Cashback is introduced. Guaranteeing a minimum payment for selling your excess energy back to the grid. (Based on figures from The Energy Saving Trust)

Key Facts about Solar PV panels

• Save up to £200 every year on electricity .
• Sell your excess electricity back to the grid.
• Installable on walls or roofs.
• Panels are available for a variety of installations, from slate colour for flush fitting, to translucent for conservatories.
• Cut your Carbon footprint.
• Does not require direct sunlight to work

Clean Energy Cashback (also known as Feed In Tariffs)

Clean Energy Cashback, to be introduced on 1st April 2010, will provide financial incentives for people and businesses to install Solar PV panels.

It will do this by guaranteeing a minimum payment for the electricity generated, as well as the electricity exported to the grid.

How the scheme works

There are three ways in which you will be able to benefit if you instal Solar PV Panels:

• Generation tariff: a fixed payment from your electricity supplier for every unit of energy or kilowatt hour (kWh) generated (the 'generation tariff') for a period of 25 years.
• Export tariff: if you do not use the electricity on-site you can export it to the grid. You will get a guaranteed minimum payment (3p/kWh) additional to the generation tariff for every kWh exported to the grid (the 'export tariff'). .
• On-site use of electricity: you will also benefit from on-site use of the electricity you generate: where you use the electricity on-site you will be able to offset this against electricity you would otherwise have had to buy.

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