What is Solar PV?
Photovoltaic or PV solar panels enable the
householder, business owner or farmer to generate you’re their own FREE
electricity during daylight hours for self-consumption.
Installed on your roof or on a frame on
your property, PV solar panels generate a DC electrical current such as used in
a motor vehicle, the more panels installed the greater the current. An inverter
then converts the DC power to AC power which then runs all the electrical
appliances in your building.
So now during daylight you can power your
lights, cooker, oven, washer, dryer, fridge, freezer, TV, etc, in your home and
with a connector you can charge your new electric car.
The excess electricity not used can be
diverted to heat your hot water via an immersion heater or your heat pump, alternatively
excess power can be stored with a battery pack for night time use, all for
free!*
On your farm or commercial premises you
use your own generated electricity for lights, heating, washing, chilling,
machinery, etc, reducing the amount purchased from your utility company.
You may also be enhancing your Green
credentials by be reducing your use of fossil fuels with a subsequent reduction
in carbon emissions.
Building Energy Rating (BER).
If you wish to improve the BER rating on
your existing or new build home installing i energy PV panels can be the most
cost effective method, some new planning conditions insist on a PV
installation. (check regs with your architect)
*That is when the capital cost of the PV
is covered, which can be in as little as five to seven years, depending on size
of PV array, initial cost and government grants or incentives. Our PV panels
have a guaranteed output for 25 years.
How do PV solar panels work?
Photovoltaics is the conversion of light
into electricity, photo meaning light and voltaic meaning volt, or electricity.
Scientists working on space projects a few
decades ago, discovered that some materials such as silicone formed into cells
will generate electricity if exposed to light.
The amount of electricity generated by one
cell is relativity little, so usually 60 cells are arranged to form a module or
solar panel with an output of 300 watts from our standard panel.
A number of solar panels connected
together becomes an array producing a useable quantity of electricity. A
domestic PV system produces approximately 1kW for every three or four panels
installed. Commercial PV installations or Solar Farms could have hundreds of
solar panels in the array.
If the panels are only generating 60% of
the power that your home requires, the 40% balance will come in from the ESB
grid as it normally would.
So, if you install a
solar PV solar panel system, you will benefit from reduced electricity bills
forever, your BER will be increased and your green credentials will be greatly
increased.
Example of panels on a farm shop
Example of frame for Ground mounted panels.
Ground Mounted panels
PV panels on a low pitch roof.
PV panels being fixed to rails
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