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Solar Panels Photo voltaic cells (PV's) convert sunlight directly into electricity they can be found in various forms, for example Solar powered calculators and Garden lighting and solar mobile phone chargers
PV technology is available but can be a very expensive type of energy for your home
home solar power and homemade solar panels are best suited where there is no mains electricity available or for smaller applications such as garden lighting, fountain pumps or solar powered ventilation.
PV systems have now been applied into the cladding of roofs. PV technology is set to become a much more commercially viable option. However, it is commonly used in the UK for remote industrial applications.
The Sun's energy can provide heat (especially for water) by use of Active Solar Heating Systems they are the most popular form of solar energy used in the UK with over 42,000 units in existence. The active solar heating system is connected to the hot water system. Solar water heating systems can provide over half of a household's hot water requirements over a year. There are 2 types of solar water heating collector: flat plate and evacuated tubes.
Flat Plate Collectors: Solar water heating panels, in their simplest form, are made from a sheet of metal painted black which absorbs the suns energy. Water is fed through the panel, in pipes attached to the metal sheet and picks up the heat in the metal. For the UK climate the pipe work contains non-toxic anti-freeze. The pipes are often made of copper for better conduction. The metal sheet is embedded in an insulated box and covered with glass or clear plastic on the front. The system is usually installed on the roof.
Evacuated Tubes: The evacuated tube system is a series of glass heat tubes grouped together. The tubes are highly insulated, due to a vacuum inside the glass.
The cost of installing a solar hot water system ranges from approximately £500-£1500 for a DIY system, to £2000-£5000 for a commercially installed system. These prices however, are dependent on the size of the system. A typical installation in the UK has a panel of 3m2 to 4m2 with a storage tank of 150- 200L (2m2 for evacuated tubes). However, the optimum size will depend on actual hot water use.
System life expectancies can exceed 30 years
The average property requires approximately 3,000 kWh per year for domestic water heating, a solar water heating system in a typical household provides energy in the form of heated water of approximately 1,000kWh to 1,500kWh per annum.
We need to save solar energy, at the moment the UK is using less than 0.1% of its potential for solar water heating
