The Suns Energy is FREE
WILL MY ROOF FIT...
...a large enough solar system to offset my usage?
GET A PRICING QUOTE FOR A RESIDENTIAL OR COMMERCIAL
SOLAR PANELS or BATTERY STORAGE INSTALLATION
We provide various services that include everything you need to power your home with clean solar energy and store surplus energy in a large enough battery storage system. We will oversee your entire solar panel installation project and provide a single point of contact and accountability throughout the life of your system.
WHY SHOULD I CONSIDER SOLAR MODULES
AND BATTERY STOARGE FOR MY PROPERTY?
Solar modules are one of the most popular renewable energy systems, as they are eco friendly, don't make any noice and hardly need any maintenance.
They will allow you:
1.) cut your electricty bills, sunlight is still FREE so once you paid for your system your costs will dramatically reduce and electrity prices are rising...constantly!
2.) Get paid for the energy you generate & export. The UK government pays you if you use it or not!
3.) Cut you personal carbon footprint as it is green renewable energy. A typical domestic solar system saves 1.5-2.0 tonnes of carbon every year.
4.) Store surplus solar energy in a battery storage system to use your energy during eveing and night time.
5.) Use solar energy to heat your warm water.
HOW DO SOLAR PV MODULES WORK?
WHAT IS A POLY AND MONO MODULE?
Solar modules are 1,000 wide x 1,700mm long flat modules that convert sunlight into energy. Domestic & commercial solar modules are made from 60 or 72 photovoltaic cells, each cell compromises of two pieces of semi-conducting material and additional material is added to give them positive and negative charges and create an electric field.
A solar panel works by allowing photons, or particles of light, to knock electrons free from atoms, generating a flow of electricity. These electrons are now captured as electrical current, or electricity.
Poly and mono solar modules simply defined, the material difference between polycrystalline and monocrystalline rests in the composition of the silicon substrate used to make solar cells and in turn solar panels.
As the name implies, monocrystalline means “a single crystal,” while polycrystalline means “many crystals.”
HOW MUCH ENERGY
DOES A SOLAR MODULE PRODUCE?
Every solar module is different and it also depends on the position mounted towards the sun and where in the world it is located, this can easily be calculated on this website: http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvgis/apps4/pvest.php
The average dometic system in the UK is between 1-4kW (kilowatt), which will produce anything between 850kW units to 4,500kW units each year.
- 1kW system = estimed 850-1,150kWh per year
- 2kW system = estimed 1,700-2,300kWh per year
- 3kW system = estimed 2.550-3,450kWh per year
- 4kW system = estimed 3,400-4,600kWh per year
kWh stands for kilowatt hour, this means a kilowatt of power supplied for one hour, an average home in the UK uses 4,200kWh, so a 4kW solar system would be sufficient to cover its electrity demand.
WHAT IS THE PRICE FOR A SOLAR
MODULE AND A COMPLETE INSTALLED KIT?
Again every solar module is different and has a different price, depending on the size (W) poly or mono, where and who manufacatured the module. Prices vary between £85 - £180 each.
The average dometic system in the UK is between 1-4kW (kilowatt), prices for complete supply and installation vary between £1,500 to £7,900, an average 4kW system should be around £6,000, this all depends of which components used, if optimizers and special Solaredge inverters are used.
Larger and more efficient solar systems generate more electricity for your home, we have installed up to 10kW on a single phase in some cases, but these system need special permissions.
Due to improvements in technology and mass production in China, US and Korea prices have fallen to the lowest since 2010, as much as 70% less.
IS MY HOME SUITABLE FOR SOLAR MODULES
AND A BATTERY STORAGE SYSTEM?
We all know there isn't as much sun than in more southern countries, but most ofour homes are suitable for a solar system. Even bright and frosty winter days will produce a significant amount of solar power during the day. If you have a Western/Southern/Eastern orientated roof, flat or inclined at 40 degrees, perfect angle in the UK, you can install a solar system. East & West only lose a small portion as they start earlier and last longer in the afternoon.
You need approx. 8 square meter of roof space for a 1kW system and up to 25 square meter for a larger system, the roof has to be structurally solid, as a solar system could weigh up to 295kg. We can install on any tiles and any flat roof, or both, both of these criteria will be checked in a survey.
It will be very difficult to install solar systems on listed properties, conservation areas and on buildings in areas of outstanding natural beauty.
WHAT IS A BATTERY STORAGE
SYSTEM AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
The significant reduction in the cost of battery storage systems in recent years means that installing a battery is fast becoming a viable option for many UK households.
When purchasing a battery storage system it is important to discuss your needs with a system designer. They will help you choose the best way to set up your system.
A battery storage system connects to a house in two main ways – DC (direct current) coupled or AC (alternating current) coupled.
A DC-coupled battery storage system is integrated into your
solar system. These systems generally have a single inverter that converts the DC electricity to AC to supply your house, or feed back into the grid.
An AC-coupled system is separate to your solar system. It
connects directly to your house wiring via its own dedicated
bi-directional battery inverter, using local AC electricity to charge the battery and then discharge it directly to your house.
Each system has its own benefits. It is best to discuss the
different options with your system designer.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Here are answers to most common questions. Can't find an answer? Call or email us!
Tel: 01903 881800 Email: sales@tritecenergy.co.uk
WILL MY SOLAR SYSTEM SUPPLY ELECTRICITY DURING A POWER CUT?
For safety reasons your grid-tied solar system automatically switches off when there is a power cut. It should be easy – if there’s a power cut you could run your home off the battery instead. Unfortunately, this is more difficult than that, so here are the key things you’ll need to consider.
The immediate assumption that most of us make when considering battery storage is that if we are going to install a system, it must and it will provide backup in the event of a power cut. In reality, the functionality of a residential battery storage system is to utilise excess solar on site, and possibly also to allow for avoidance of peak time grid costs (i.e. buy electricity cheap at night under an Economy 7/10 tariff, store it and use it in the day when costs are high).
Power backup is not included within the basic functionality of many systems.
WHAT ANGLE IS BEST FOR SOLAR PANELS?
The best angle for your solar panels will depend upon your location and when you want you solar panels to be most efficient. For most installations, this will be during the summer months, and your calculations will be based on the location of the sun in the summer. At solar noon in the UK, the sun is due south, which is why solar panels are installed on south facing walls or roofs.
Installers can then use online calculators to calculate what angle the panels should be at to maximise the energy generated at solar noon. It varies across the UK, in London in June it is typically around 40 degrees off vertical, but this will be different in other cities. In the North of England, it is more in the region of 30 to 35 degrees. The best would be a variable system between 20-60 degrees, so you can change it depending on the time of the nyear. Most commercial installation will be angled at 10 - 20 degrees to maximise the amount of solar modules on the roof.
DOES SHADING AFFECT MY SOLAR PV?
Shading on solar panels is bad news. But many people fail to realise just how drastic an effect even a small amount of shading can have on the output of your array.
A solar panel is made up of a grid of individual solar cells. Each individual solar cell that is covered by shade will stop working, whilst those not in the shade will continue to work. So if 20% of the cells in a panel are in heavy shade that panel will produce 20% less power than when the whole panel is clear of shadow.
So shade, (eg from a chimney/soil pipe) can affect not just the one panel that is shaded, but the whole string. As solar system designers we use software to estimate the effects of shading for a particular building and modify the design to minimise shade or chose SolarEdge to minimize the effects.