Fitting solar panels to your roof
Last updated Thursday 30 April 2009
A shining example... or an expensive shot in the dark?
Even the pessimists don't expect the sun to pack up for another five billion years, so it's a fair bet that we'll run out of gas and coal before solar power. And getting your electricity this way means zero CO2emissions (excluding the ones that go into making the panels), so they're a big hit with the carbon conscious crowd.
So what's the catch? The price tag is one: upfront costs of £10,000-£18,000 may cool your enthusiasm. And then there's the British climate, not famed for its long months of steady sunshine. On the bright side, you could still generate half the electricity you need every year.
Read more below
Saves up to 1,100kg of CO2 a year
166 Bloomers are doing this
CO2 reduction 
Cheapness 
Popularity
Cost £10,000 - £18,000
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It's Not Easy Being Green: Solar panels
Dick and James Strawbridge discuss the pros and cons of solar panels, and how to install them
In this article:
- How does it work?
- How will it make a difference?
- What's the debate?
- What's stopping me?
- How do I do it?
How does it work?
Regardless of whether you choose clunky roof panels or integrated tiles, the basic principle is the same. Solar panels are made up of a series of photovoltaic cells, consisting of layers of a semi-conducting material, usually silicon. When light shines on the cell it creates an electric field across the layers causing electricity to flow. The more intense the light, the more electricity you generate - but remember, it's light and not heat that matters, so you're not totally at the mercy of the weather.
A two-way meter clocks up how much power you import from the national grid, but literally runs backwards (making you a profit) when your home is doing the generating. Or you can store the electricity you generate during the day in batteries for use during the night.
How will it make a difference?
Pub Fact
- The average UK house uses 4,150 kWh of electricity per year
- Putting solar panels on just 4% of our deserts would keep the world's electricity-using population more than happy (IEA)
- Domestic electricity consumption accounts for a substantial 30% of the national electricity used every year
- The efficiency of sunlight-to-electricity conversion is only 15% less than the efficiency of fossil fuel-driven power plants but with zero CO2
- Britain gets 1436 hours of sunshine per year on average compared to almost 3000 hours on the Mediterranean coast
A typical domestic system could save:
- Over