Solar Panels for Electricity (Photovoltaic or PV)
The majority of the earth’s energy comes from the sun and solar panels can receive this energy directly. PV panels promise to be a major power resource in the future. The plan is to have the commercial capability to produce enough solar power in 25 years time which would satisfy the electricity needs of almost 14% of the world’s population. Costs to install Solar PV systems are coming down all the time as their use grows.
How do the panels work?
Photovoltaic solar cells convert sunlight into electricity. Solar cells are made from materials such as crystalline silicon. The sun’s waves hit a PV panel and excite the electrons within layers of the panel. These excited electrons jump back and forth, creating electricity. The electricity created in the PV panel is captured by wires running through the cells and the electricity is sent into batteries for storage.
Currently in Ireland PV panels are not common as they are costly. There are now smart meters to connect domestic panels to the national grid so the use of the panels should become very viable and this has been proven in countries such as Germany. Electricity created by domestic panels can be fed into the grid and taken back when it’s required removing the need for storage batteries and inverters thereby reducing installation costs. Contact the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) for further information.
An array of panels costing around €7,000 would supply a good proportion of the electric requirement of the average home. Generally planning permission isn’t required. No government grant is currently available for domestic users. An array of PV panels would generally be fitted to a south facing roof. These panels are then wired to a bank of batteries (deep cycle 12v) which are in turn wired to a power inverter (to change the 12v dc power to 220 a/c) and then fed into the houses electrical supply.
The PV system is best used to supply a proportion of your electricity needs paired with mains electricity which would cover the peaks in your demand such as when appliances like kettles and electric showers are in use. The system should be wired to your house by a professional so that low voltage items such as lights draw power from the batteries and kettles etc work from the mains supply. To have a PV setup which could operate as a stand alone system even if it was paired with a Wind Turbine system would be very expensive and would require lifestyle changes for the average person.
Like other renewable forms of energy Solar PV can save you money on home running costs, improve your Building Energy Rating (BER) and help the environment by reducing Carbon emissions. At the moment however their high initial installation costs is a problem and during winter their electricity production is greatly reduced due to the shorter days. Once installed though they are long lasting (greater than 20 years) and low maintenance.
Watch this space and we will keep you up to date with the latest progress in this technology.
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