Is Solar PV worth it
Date added: Fri 27 Oct 2023
Solar PV, or solar photovoltaic, is a type of module that can be fitted to your property – roof mount or ground mounted - that during sunlight hours generates electricity. Most houses opt for around 10 – 12 modules installed which is termed as a solar array. These solar arrays are becoming more and more common across the UK as they save you the money you would normally spend on your energy bill, generate totally sustainable energy, and allows you to be more independent from the national grid.
Solar PV has been around for over a century! Its accessibility has become easier, and cheaper, as technology, construction processes, and demand have all improved. Across the UK alone over 50,000 solar panels are installed across domestic, commercial, and industrial applications each year. Whilst the market continues to grow, the bigger question is whether it’s truly worth it for you. Over the next few paragraphs I’ll explain what our opinion is in the aid of helping you further.
The answer begins with two fundamental questions; do you have a suitable location for the solar array, and what is your annual electricity consumption?
The first question is obvious, you need somewhere suitable to mount and hold the panels for the duration of their lifetime, 25 years plus. The less obvious point though is that in the UK we are in the northern hemisphere meaning the sun rises in the East, peaks in the South, and sets in the West, making a south facing location optimal for a solar array. The closer to true south the better of course however if you have an East & West aspect split roof, we can split the design of your array to ensure your panels generate throughout the day.
Fundamentally it comes down to making sure the amount your solar array generates can be used throughout the day. A solar array will generate almost the exact same every year. Your goal is to use as much of this free energy as possible. The more you use, the more you offset your electrical bill by, and the less pay back time you have from your original investment.
The second factor is your household annual electrical consumption. If this is very low then perhaps solar will almost cover all of energy usage when utilized fully. If it’s higher, you may wish to consider a larger array than 10 panels which will generate more energy over the course of a year. Having a larger solar array will warrant having battery storage, however. We will cover everything about battery storage in a separate article. The considering factor is making sure you maximize the roof or ground areas you have. Finding an expert that can competently design a solar system the has the optimum panel output, warranty, efficiency, and overall project cost is key. Our company aims to deliver a system that will pay itself back in under 10 years. This can be considered a long time however we have to consider electricity prices may not be the same as what they are today. Historical data shows that electricity prices are always increasing globally. With fossil fuels being slowly phased out, and the bulk of our energy coming from natural gas-powered power stations, the cost of electricity could dramatically increase in that time period. Ultimately though, Solar PV helps reduce your own personal reliance from the power stations, and large power companies whilst making your carbon footprint smaller in your day-to-day life.
Energy is the key component to everything we have, and use globally, every single day. If we look around us now, as you’re reading this, every single thing, has been created using energy. With the cost of living proving harder to manage every year, and as we all become increasingly more environmentally conscious, the most important thing is promoting greener, sustainable energy. The sun is the most generous and abundant renewable energy source indefinitely. It will always give the same energy to us every year without fail. It’s up to us to capture this energy, utilize it, store it, manage it and ultimately, build with it.