Solar Power First

Kenya are set to add 80MW through the creation of two now 40MW solar plants being built in 2021, a significant increase for a nation who generates approximately 200MW of solar at present. Kenya’s energy regulator made the announcement recently, with Caroline Kimathi, who is the principal renewable energy officer at the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), stating "Private investors have received approval to build two solar electric plants at 40 MW each that will be operational in 2021." Kimathi was speaking to a forum reviewing a draft regulation on solar energy. Kenya currently imports more than 90% of the solar equipment it uses, with local production limited. Regulations being proposed  in the country will recommend various key standards for solar equipment imported into the nation in order  to safeguard Kenyan consumers. There is plenty of potential for the nation to increase its capacity even further, with Kenya an ideal location for solar energy generation...

  Yes, you read that right, Australia is set to build the world’s biggest solar facility, then transport the solar power over to Singapore. How is that possible, you may ask. Well, part of the whopping AUD$20bn being pumped into the project, which is spread across a space the size of 20,000 football fields, will go on constructing the planet’s longest submarine power cable, with the equipment able to export the electricity from the Australian outback all the way to Singapore via a 4,500km high-voltage direct current (HVDC) network. David Griffin, CEO of Sun Cable, spoke on the impact of this ambitious project, saying; “It is extraordinary technology that is going to change the flow of energy between countries. It is going to have profound implications and the extent of those implications hasn't been widely identified. If you have the transmission of electricity over very large distances between countries, then the flow of energy changes from liquid fuels – oil and LNG – to electron...

With recent reports of an uptick in homes making use of the Smart Export Guarantee, even amongst COVID restrictions, we thought we’d take a brief look at what the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) actually is and how it could benefit you, whether you already have a solar battery installation, or are looking into contacting a solar supplier in the UK to add solar to your home. We’ve gathered some information from Ofgem and some of the leading solar suppliers in the UK to answer some of the key questions related to the SEG and how it works. When did the Smart Export Guarantee start? In the UK, the Smart Export Guarantee came into effect on 1st January 2020. Which energy sources does the Smart Export Guarantee cover? The SEG is open to anyone who has installed - up to a capacity of 5MW - technologies including: - Solar photovoltaic (solar PV) - Wind - Hydro What are the key features of the Smart Export Guarantee for solar? - The SEG states that energy suppliers are required to provi...

One area we are particularly interested in is with regards to new innovations within the solar industry. Usually these come from the major solar companies, other times they come from research labs at major universities, and then occasionally, they come from random Reddit users. Today is a day for the latter, and lesser-spotted, occurrence. The Reddit user in question is named BeepBoopWhat and his intriguing idea caught our eye. Planning the monthly bills is a key task for any individual or family, with our energy bills liable to be one of the most significant of those bills, particularly as we approach winter here in the UK. Having a handle on exactly what we are likely to spend is a useful insight for solar energy users, which is why we were so excited to hear that this individual’s idea proposed making use of a Raspberry Pi in order to monitor solar panels and calculate a detailed projection on their expected monthly impact on our energy bills. How would it work? In terms of exactly...

As many UK families and individual homeowners start to consider alternative ways in which to provide power for their homes, ways that are more conscious of the environment, a solar battery - or smart battery - paired with solar panels offers a real and viable alternative to only using traditional electricity providers. New ranges of solar panels and solar batteries in the UK provide many different benefits worth considering. Whatever your stage of life, it is well worth considering the cost-effective and innovative home solar battery solutions that are currently on the market. Making the most of solar energy can change everything about a home’s energy usage; you can soon be experiencing solar energy for your home, generated in the day by your solar panels and stored in your solar battery, enabling it to be used any time, including night, saving money and helping the environment in the process. How do solar batteries work? Whether you are completely new to exploring this topic, or have...

We have decided to put together this handy guide to give you the information you might be searching for before making a decision on whether to purchase a solar panel system. One additional consideration for solar energy customers is that of solar panels increasing the value of a home. There is obviously the question of solar panels cost to factor in, but if they can make your home more valuable, then that could make them an even more attractive proposition! Does having solar panels and storage affect property prices? While we cannot say for sure that solar panels add a specific level of value, they are very likely to increase your home’s Energy Performance Rating, which can only be a positive when it comes to selling your home. In some cases, if you are leaving the solar panels installed at the property, it may well be that a prospective buyer may pay a little more for this. The presence of solar panels and a solar battery can be very enticing to prospective buyers when it comes time ...