Solar panels frequently asked questions

What is Renewable Energy?
Renewable energy originates in natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which being renewable are naturally replenished. According to the report Renewable 2011: Global Status Report", the share of renewables in electricity generation is around 19%, with only 3% of global electricity coming from so-called new renewables, which are those just named. The proportion of total final energy used comes from renewables will continue to increase over the coming decades.

Why Bother with Solar PV?
With standard energy resources being finite, dirty and increasingly costly to produce and secure, the smart choice is to turn to renewable energies. Solar PV is one of the key technologies required to meet the modern requirements of Sustainable development. This is a pattern of growth in which resource use meets human requirements and at the same time preserves the environment so that these needs can be met for future generations. This concept formally goes back at least to 1987 when the United Nations produced the Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development."  Solar PV can contribute to all three major aspects of Sustainable Development, environmental, economic and socio-political sustainability.

Does Solar Work with Our Climate?
Solar power relies on the intensity of the light, not sunlight directly. Germany has half the world's solar PV installations as by measured by the power produced, and large parts of Germany have similar weather conditions to that of the UK. According to the British photovoltaic Association (BPVA), partially cloudy conditions can actually increase the output from a PV system.

Is Installation a Long Process?
A typical domestic installation takes one to two days, but commercial installations take much longer due to their complexity.

How quickly will I see the benefits?
The system starts generating power immediately. The FiT is usually paid directly to the customer by the utility every three months.

Does the System Require Any Maintenance?
Cleaning the modules can be done using either water from a hose or soapy water and a non abrasive brush. However this should not be necessary as rain is sufficient to keep the solar panels clean. The panels come with a 20 or 25 year guarantee. In practice, the panels should last much longer than this. The only part of the system that may require replacing within this period of time is the inverter.

What possible problems will I have with installation?
The entire system is designed so that the customer does not experience any problems. At night or at times where you are using more electricity than the solar panels are producing, the electricity will come from the National grid. Only in the case of a power cut will the solar panel not produce any electricity. It is estimated that performance will decrease by under 1% per year, so that in 50 years they'd still be 60% efficient, but nobody really knows beyond the guarantees given.

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