A Brief History

The powerful effects of the sun have been known for over a century, with Edmond Becquerel discovering the photovoltaic effect in 1839; which is the direct conversion of sunlight into electricity. The first solar cell was invented in 1883 and in 1884 the world’s first solar panel was installed on a rooftop in New York. However, it wasn’t until 1980’s and 90’s that the technology became more affordable and an availability in the raw materials triggered a 50% cell production growth rate from 2006 to 2007. Panels also reached 40% efficiency for the first time at this point.

The Pros of going Solar

The big advantage of solar energy compared with other sources is that it is a completely free, clean, renewable resource; meaning that it occurs naturally and can be replenished over time. Unlike other finite sources, such as coal and oil whose reserves will eventually diminish, the sun is here to stay.

The energy of the sun is abundant; we receive more energy from the sun in one hour than all of humanity uses in an entire year. And although the Earth receives around 173 petawatts of energy continuously, we are only able to harness merely 0.0001% of this vast amount; the solar energy we get is around 10,000 times greater than what we actually use on the Earth. Because of this potential, it has been heralded as the energy of the future.

The International Energy Agency stated “solar energy can make considerable contributions to solving some of the most urgent problems the world now faces: climate change, energy security, and universal access to modern energy services.”

What’s more, solar energy is not only an abundant, clean and free source of energy, but also a source of income. Installing solar panels on your roof will therefore reduce your carbon footprint as well as your electricity bills since you will use less energy from your supplier. If you are eligible for the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), a UK government backed scheme, you can even get paid for the electricity you produce.

Getting Set Up

One important thing to consider is that there are grid-connected and off-the-grid solar systems. The first option is good if you wish to be a Small Scale Generator for the SEG scheme and also if you want to have access to electricity during the night. Off-the-grid systems are more suitable for cottages that have no access to the national grid, and most often go along with batteries to power the house when there is no sun.

Under the government-backed initiative SEG, you receive cash in return for generating your own electricity using renewable energy. Electricity price increases will affect how much you save on your electricity bills and the higher electricity prices go, the greater your savings. The cost of solar panel installation has fallen swiftly since the launch of the previous scheme, Feed-in Tariffs (FIT). Since the introduction of the April 2022 price cap, projected monthly savings from solar installations have increased by 27%, meaning UK household can see their solar panels pay for themselves after 2.5 years. Most countries offer similar schemes.

Finally, it is important to check if your panels and installer are high quality and guaranteed. In the UK, use installers that are Micro Generation Certified as well as a members of RECC (Renewable Energy Consumer Code).

Innovations

Flexible Solar Panels

Solar panel technology is quickly advancing year on year, new innovations such as flexible solar panels are regularly being launched and improved on.

Flexible solar panels are made up of layers of thin film solar panel which are more than 300 times smaller than the common silicon solar panels. These thin film panels are lightweight, durable, flexible and are an interesting option depending on one’s project’s needs.

The overriding benefit for flexible solar panels is their unique ability to fit a variety of solar projects. E.g. imagine your home, carport or caravan are unable to take the weight of classic solar panels due to structural concerns, then these lightweight flexible panels are an optimal solution.

Financially speaking, flexible solar panels come with reduced installations costs because they require less labour to install, easier to transport and since they are lightweight there is no need for heavy-duty roof mounting equipment to install them.

However, flexible solar panels are less efficient compared to traditional panels. The former offering an efficiency of between 7 - 15%, while the latter 16 – 20%. The lowered efficiency also means more solar panels are required to produce the same level of energy, which is a barrier if you have limited roof space.

There are a number of flexible solar panel manufacturers out there, so before investing be sure to find the right one that fits your needs and budget. We recommend heading over to The Best Flexible Solar Panels of 2021 to help with that decision.