Solar Power First

  We like to keep an eye on a range of different industry factors that are impacting solar for better or worse, and one potentially worrying one that caught our eye recently is to do with the availability of glass for solar production in the coming months.  Some of the world’s biggest solar power companies have stated that a shortage of glass is both increasing costs and delaying the speed of their production of new panels, which is hindering China’s - and possibly other nations - plans to accelerate their shift towards clean and renewable energy. Price levels for the type of glass that coats solar panels have risen by a staggering 71% since July, with glass manufacturers struggling to produce it fast enough to keep more than a week’s worth of sales in inventory, according to Daiwa Capital Markets.  The shortage comes as the solar industry turns toward bifacial panels, which increase both power output and glass requirements. Solar panel producers like Longi Green Energy ...

One of the questions that pops up for potential solar customers is whether the sun needs to be out for solar energy to be generated and whether solar panels are able to work if it’s cloudy. The simple answer is, yes, solar panels can generate solar energy in any daylight, but it’s true that a sunny day certainly helps. Solar energy generation is going to be significantly higher in summer compared to winter, but not always for the reasons you might think. For example, it’s nothing to do with the temperature of a day, as the heat doesn’t factor in to the solar panels ability to generate solar energy. The big factors are related to direct sunlight access, so the less cloud coverage the better, and - most importantly - the number of daylight hours. These factors are obviously much more present on the average summer day in the UK than the average winter day, so your generation levels will go up and down, but the most important factor in maximising your solar energy usage is being able to s...

  Chances are, very few of us will have heard of Professor Henry Snaith before, but if his new solar panels take off in the way some are suggesting they will, he could soon be a household name - in the solar industry at least! After completing his bachelor’s degree in physics, Prof Snaith did a PhD in photovoltaics at Cambridge. In 2013, Nature, a British weekly scientific journal, named him on its list of ‘ten people who mattered’, in recognition of his next gen solar power research. He also became one of the youngest-ever Fellows of The Royal Society in 2015. “As a child I was very aware of global warming, the impact we’ve had and the problems of intensive farming and deforestation. It’s always been my agenda and I’ve been driven by that. After my undergraduate studies I wanted to work on something useful for society, and I thought energy was a big issue we needed to solve.” That lifelong passion for the environment and depth of study into the solar energy topics has paid off fo...

For many people interested in a renewable energy source for their home, solar panels are a leading option. But how do you know if your home is suitable? We understand that many potential solar customers have this query, which is why we’ve put together this guide to provide you with all the information you require to answer the question. When it comes to the suitability of homes in the UK to benefit from solar power, we believe that the answer is almost always an emphatic yes . In fact, solar panels can generate significant amounts of solar energy towards powering your home. Aside from some access to natural light and a professional installation team, there isn’t much more needed to get solar panels up, running and generating energy for your home, so what will help you determine whether your home is definitely suitable for solar panels? What are the key concerns for solar panel suitability? There are a variety of considerations with regards to whether or not solar panels are suitable f...

How much do solar panels cost to install? It’s a great question, one that any homeowner interested in purchasing solar panels will see as a key factor in their decision. In the last couple of decades, there has been a shift from a position in the UK where the sight of solar panels on a domestic rooftop was unusual, to a position where they have become increasingly popular. If you own a property, the installation of solar panels and a solar battery could provide your home with a range of economic and environmental benefits. But how much does installation cost? The price of the solar panels themselves will vary significantly depending on the number you need and the brand you opt for, but when you purchase solar panels, you should know many solar suppliers will include standard installation for free.  If you require a non-standard installation due to a factor such as the gradient or positioning of your roof, there may be an additional cost, but you should definitely always check with...