FAQ’s
In 2024, are solar panels a good investment of money?
The costs of a solar power system are essentially determined by the following factors:
1. The installed costs of the balance of system (BOS) components, that is, all the other bits and pieces needed to get the device to work safely, reliably, and effectively.
2. The actual costs generating the solar power technology.
Undoubtedly worth the investment, solar panels can become the UK average home’s energy supply as a clean, smart, and much-needed sustainable choice. In the best and sunniest of times, residential solar panels could generate a whopping 117% of the electricity someone demands at their home, making them one of the most viable options we have for self-sufficient and completely cool and non-polluting energy at home.
As an example, the average three-bedroom home in the UK, fitted out with a 4kW solar panel system, can save residents around £660 a year in money that would otherwise be spent on electricity from the grid.
In the usual 25-year life cycle of a solar power system, the average home in the UK could save a total of £16,500 compared to if it had used conventional power from the national electricity grid instead. After around 14 years, the system would have paid for itself and then went on to save another £7,260 by the end of its life. Solar power’s long-term financial return is matched, of course, by its environmental payoff.
Do solar panels work well in the UK?
The solar panels in the UK are very effective regardless of the mostly overcast weather that this country receives annually. Believe it or not, the majority of the energy generated from UK PV installations comes during the summer months. It is a common misconception that solar panels only work well in warm, sunny climates—anything else and you might as well install coal boilers or wood-burning stoves in your basement. Nothing could be further from the truth. The PV panels on your roof use the energy of the sun, even when it is hidden by clouds. They work on the principle of the photoelectric effect.
Solar power is gaining popularity among UK homeowners. Provisional government figures project that by the end of last year, the UK had 15.7 GW of solar capacity spread across 1,441,285 installations. That’s a rise of 6.9% (1.0 GW) since December 2022. Over the course of the year, domestic installations made up 29% of that total capacity, coming mostly in the form of rooftop solar panels. Solar farms accounted for around 50% of the total.
Things to think about before putting up those solar panels.
The way that houses are situated on the Earth’s surface and the resulting exposure to sunlight are two of the most important considerations a homeowner can make.
Solar panels’ effectiveness is determined by how much they are exposed to the sun. They work best when they’re mounted on a south-facing roof with a good sunlight angle. Roof orientations to the east and west will work, but not as well as a south-facing roof. North-facing roofs are the least productive. When solar panels are exposed directly to sunlight, they convert the light energy into electricity at an efficiency rate of up to about 20%. Trees, buildings, and other obstructions around the house need to get out of the way.
Your solar panel efficiency depends on your roof’s angle. A solar company can evaluate your roof to determine if it’s at the right angle (called the tilt) for producing the most sunlight. If it’s not, they might be able to adjust it or they might not—some steeples aren’t as adjustable as others.
Another consideration is whether you have enough space. Every solar panel is big, and together, they take up a significant area of your roof.
For your solar installation to work without any problems, it’s essential to be certain that your roof can support the weight of the solar panels. This, perhaps more than almost anything else in the planning stage, is of critical importance. While some roofs are, of course, better suited to supporting solar panels than others, it is an option for most homeowners—so long as your roof is strong, you can feel confident that it will support your solar panels for their full planned lifetimes.
If you want to make informed judgments about solar options, it’s important to consider the kind and extent of the system that’s the best fit for what you’re looking to do. When it comes to panels, opting for monocrystalline solar panels is generally understood to be the first and most straightforward choice to make. By comparison, polycrystalline panels are rated as less efficient. If cost is of overriding importance, then thin-film panels may fit the bill.
