Solar PV Panels or Solar Photovoltaic Panels
Solar Photovoltaic’s or Solar PV is the field of technology and research that describes the application of solar cells and panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity.
How do Solar PV Panels or Solar Photovoltaic Panels work?
Solar PV panels consist of photovoltaic cells which are usually made of two layers of doped crystalline silicon. These photovoltaic (PV) cells are then sandwiched between two layers of glass to form a photodiode arranged so photons from the sunlight hit the upper layer and bounce of creating a direct flow of electrons across the cell, or a DC current as it is more commonly known. This power can then be used as it is for or converted into an AC charge for other uses.
Solar photovoltaic cells are arranged into larger solar PV panels or modules to generate more power, as shown below. This step can be taken further with panels being linked in solar arrays to generate more power still. This is because the size and efficiency of solar PV panels is what determines how much power is generated.
In the UK, solar photovoltaic panels are usually mounted on buildings or built into appliances. This generates electricity close to where it is needed, improving efficiency because there is little transmission loss. There are many kinds of Solar PV Products available in different colours, styles, sizes and for different applications, so view our information page on Solar PV Products for more details and see which solar photovoltaic panels are best for you.
How can Solar PV Panels energy be used?
The electricity generated from solar photovoltaic panels can be used in a number of ways. The energy created can be used straight away or stored in batteries to be used later on or at night time. Another more common option is to be linked to the national grid; this allows solar PV panels to feed energy created by solar panels into the national grid using an inverter that creates an AC current. The diagram below shows how this system works:
With this common system, energy is imported and exported to and from the grid depending on usage levels, meaning that when you have excess demand and you export electricity to the national grid, you will earn money for every watt exported from your solar PV panels because of the government’s Clean Energy Cashback Scheme.
How much Power can Solar PV Panels Produce?
Despite the weather often being cloudy or overcast, solar PV panels are still very effective in the UK producing electricity even when it is cloudy. From a typical system, you can expect to produce around 50% of your electricity needs annually. Also on sunny days you are likely to produce surplus electricity which can be sold back to the grid to earn you money. To read more about Saving and Payback Periods click our link for more information.
Is Solar PV suitable for me?
At Green Energy Consultancy, we can assess to see if solar PV panels are right for you, just contact us and we can talk over your requirements or arrange a site visit if needed. You can answer a couple of basic questions yourself to get a basic idea if solar panels are right for you:
Do you have a sunny place to fit your solar PV panels?
You will need a roof or wall that faces within 90 degrees of south for your solar panels to be most effective. This area shouldn’t be shaded either by trees or other buildings.
Is your roof strong enough to mount solar PV panels?
Your roof needs to be strong enough to take the weight of solar PV panels, especially if solar panels are placed on top of existing tiles. This is very important and is one of the many reasons why you should contact us for an assessment.
Planning permission is not generally a problem, but this issue can be explored in greater detail in our Solar PV Planning section on the left. Further articles on solar PV panels and other microgeneration technologies are available if you need them by clicking the links in the left menu
If you feel that solar photovoltaic panels are something you would be interested in considering, please do not hesitate to contact us and we can give you all the advice and information you need and can provide you with a complete solution tailored to your requirements.
