Generate your own Power - How to know which Solar Solution is the right one for you?
As our name states we currently specialise in helping our customers to generate and use their own solar power. While there is the potential in the near future for us to add both wind and hydro solutions to our portfolio we currently do not offer these products.
UNDERSTANDING SOLAR- The Key to Self Sustainability
It’s all very well knowing that solar panels convert light from the sun into usable power for your home, but what do you know about the manufacturers and their products such as N Type v P Type Panels, Mono Crystalline v Polycrystalline v Thin-Film or even Half Cell, Full Cell or Split Cell.
These are all the questions you need answers to, in order to create the right solution to meet both your energy and budgetary requirements.
At UK Solar Solutions our trained advisors are here to help you establish the best solution possible to ensure your home is turned into an energy efficient and financially rewarding asset.
To help you understand this minefield a little bit more we have created a small guide to help you determine which solar panel could be the right solution for your roof or land.
Panel Types
There are three main types of photovoltaic panels monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and thin film. Each panel has pros and cons regarding efficiency, cost, and form factor.
Monocrystalline panels
Consist of a single silicon crystal structure. They usually have a dark, sleek appearance and can boast the highest efficiency of the 3 panel types. They’re also more expensive than polycrystalline panels, however they will also produce more power in less space.
Polycrystalline panels
Consist of a single silicon crystal structure. They usually have a dark, sleek appearance and can boast the highest efficiency of the 3 panel types. They’re also more expensive than polycrystalline panels, however they will also produce more power in less space.
Thin-film panels
Thin-film panels are lightweight and flexible, allowing them to adhere to curved and irregular surfaces. They’re the least efficient, but their unique construction makes them suitable for maximizing available surface area and ideal for boats, caravans and mobile homes.
No matter which type you choose, It is vital to remember that the rated power of a solar panel indicates the maximum amount of electricity it can generate under ideal conditions. Depending on numerous environmental factors such as cloud cover and temperature.
Under real-world conditions, solar panels typically generate between 25% – 90% of their rated power wattage during daylight hours.
As a quick rule of thumb if you multiply the total output of your array by a factor of 4 or 5 for Spring Summer months and just 0.5 or 1 in wintertime this gives you a reasonable indication of how much power your array will produce per day.
You then of course have to factor in how much of this energy you will actually use during daylight hours, or do you wish to sell it back to the grid or better yet store it and use it when you need it the most in the evening
How To Determine Quality Of The Panels
The quality of solar panels is usually measured by their efficiency. Manufacturers determine PV efficiency by testing the photovoltaics in Standard Testing Conditions, which specify a room temperature of 25° Celsius (77°F) and 1000W/m2 irradiance.
Monocrystalline panels have efficiency ratings above 20%, while polycrystalline panels are around 15%. Even with the cost savings of polycrystalline panels, the higher efficiency of monocrystalline panels makes them worth it over the long term.
MOUNTING TYPES
No matter which type of roof / land you have there is a suitable mounting solution available
Roof Mounted
This is where the panels are suspended above your tiles/slate on a rack mounted system that’s fixed straight to your roof joists.
In Roof
Where the panels are fixed to industrial grade PVC fittings that allow the panels to sit flush with your roof tiles for a very nice sleek and elegant finish.
Flat Roof
Dependent upon the roof type and wind area there are various alternatives that can either be fixed or weighted with specific pitch angles to maximise efficiency of your array.
Ground Mounted
Very similar or in some cases the same as the flat roof solutions but with the ability to concreted into the ground and potentially use tilt aided system to maximise efficiency at certain times of the year.
Design Software
At UK Solar Solutions we use the worlds leading solar software to design the best solution to meet your needs.
Combined with satellite imagery and Meteorological office data our software can very accurately forecast the amount of power your home can produce based on how many panels the roof can fit, orientation, pitch, shading and a multitude of other factors.
In addition using statistical home energy consumption modes based on when you are likely to use the energy we can predict how much of the solar power you will self-consume and how much excess is left to either store for use in the evening or sell back to the grid at a profit on a day by day basis.
Recent Installations
11 Panels System is Installed at This Location
