Ground source heat pumps use the earth as a heat source, taking advantage of the stable temperatures in the ground to provide heat and hot water for the home.
Ground source heat pumps are not a new concept and have been around since the 19th century. This technology became very popular in Sweden in the 1970s and since then units have been sold worldwide.
In the UK, there has been a sudden surge in demand in heat pumps since the launch of the Renewable Heat Incentive, which pays homeowners for each unit of hot water produced. Although rates are no longer as high as they were, they can still cover much of the initial install costs of the systems.
How do ground source heat pumps work?
A ground source heat pump system uses heat trapped beneath the ground and boosts it to a higher temperature using a heat pump. This heat is then used to provide home heating or hot water. The heat pump performs the same role as a boiler does in a central heating system, but uses ambient heat from the ground rather than burning fuel to generate heat.
Initially, a heat transfer liquid (normally glycol) is pumped through pipes buried deep in the ground. As the liquid travels through the pipework it absorbs ambient heat from the ground and warms up, before returning back to the ground source heat pump unit. Once it returns, a heat exchanger removes the heat from the liquid and it then continues to travel round and round the pipework in a continuous cycle.
The low-grade heat is transferred through the heat exchanger, then passes through a heat pump compressor which drives the temperature up to a level that is usable for heating and hot water.
How much pipework does a GSHP require?
The length of the ground loop depends on the size of your home and the amount of heat you need – longer loops can draw more heat from the ground, but need more space to be buried in.
The pipework can either be laid horizontally or vertically. If laid horizontally, the pipework tends to be buried in trenches 2-3m deep, spread over a huge surface area to ensure the heat transfer liquid has the opportunity to increase to a sufficient temperature. If the pipework is installed vertically, boreholes get drilled in to ground (at a cost of £6,000 – £8,000 for each borehole!). These need to be drilled by professionals and will regularly exceed 100m in depth to ensure that the heat transfer liquid again has the opportunity to absorb enough heat.
There are two types of ground source heat pump, and both have a few components in common – they consist of a ground heat exchanger, a heat pump and a heat distribution system (e.g. underfloor heating or radiators).
Closed loop ground source heat pump
The majority of ground source heat pumps installed today are closed loop heat pumps. As the name suggests, no outside liquid enters the loop of pipework at any point. In this set up, a sealed loop of high density polyethylene pipe is laid either vertically or horizontally in the ground. The heat transfer fluid is in a completely closed system travelling through the pipework and returning back to heat pump.
Open loop ground source heat pump
The open-loop ground source heat pump uses ground water to pump around the system; however the number of installations of this type are decreasing, mainly because you need a source of groundwater. Also an additional associated issue with the open loop ground source heat pump is that the quality of the groundwater can actually have a detrimental effect on the system.
Ground source heat pumps require electricity
The fact that ground source heat pumps run on electricity suggests that they are expensive to run (electricity is approximately 15p / kWh while gas is just 4p / kWh). However heat pumps are in fact incredibly efficient.
In fact, ground source heat pumps are even more efficient than air source heat pumps, converting each unit of electricity (required to run the pump and compressor) into 3.5 – 4.5 units of useful heat. Compare this to a brand new energy efficient boiler, which converts each unit of gas into just 0.9 units of useful heat.
The efficiency of air source heat pumps is measured by the Coefficient of Performance (CoP), which is simply how many units of useful energy are produced from each unit of electricity consumed to operate the system. With air source heat pumps, the coefficient of performance changes throughout the year. This is because since in the winter months, the unit needs to work harder (and hence uses more electricity) to drive the temperature up to an acceptable temperature.
For ground source heat pumps the coefficient of performance is relatively consistent – this means that even in the middle of winter, when hot water and heating demand are at a maximum, the GSHP should be running equally as efficiently as it does on a red hot summer’s day. This is because the temperature underneath the ground remains relatively constant all year round – and this is one of the key advantages of GSHPs over air source heat pumps.
Heat pumps do have some impact on the environment as they require electricity to run, but the heat they extract from the ground is constantly being renewed naturally, hence they are considered a renewable heating source.
Installing a ground source heat pump
The Energy Saving Trust (EST) recommends households considering a ground source heat pump to consult a Microgeneration Certification Scheme installer and only use a properly accredited professional to complete the work. During its trial, the EST found a variety of heat pumps incorrectly installed, which therefore didn’t perform as efficiently overall as they could have. It is essential to use an MCS-approved installer to qualify for the Renewable Heat Incentive.
It is important to shop around and we always recommend getting several quotes before choosing the best option for you. Studies have shown that most suppliers tend to exaggerate the savings in energy costs this system will produce.
Renewable Heat Incentive
Heat pumps are part of the Government Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme. It means that you can get paid for every unit of renewable heat you generate. You can get a significant chunk of the cost of installation back over 7 years of payments – not to mention the savings to be made from the heat pump itself. Read more on that here.
Benefits
Ground source heat pumps can lower fuel bills, especially if you are currently using conventional electric heating (saving of £420), LPG or oil (saving of £50).
Ground source heat pumps are often classed as a ‘fit and forget’ technology because they need little maintenance, and no fuel deliveries are required, however they provide space heating and hot water 24/7.
Can reduce your carbon footprint: heat pumps can lower your home’s carbon emissions, depending on which fuel you are replacing.
Limitations
Ground source heat pumps require a reasonable amount of land outside to lay the coils underground. If this is unavailable the technology will not be suitable for your home.
If you have a vertically submerged closed loop system and there is a leak, it can be difficult to gain access to.
Cost
From £13-20,000.
Installing heat pumps
Are you thinking about getting a heat pump? We have scoured the country for the best tradespeople, so that we can make sure we only recommend those we really trust.
If you would like us to find you a local heat pump installer, just fill in the form below and we will be in touch shortly!
When air hits the wind turbine, the blades spin, converting the wind’s kinetic energy into mechanical energy. This rotary motion then travels down the shaft and drives a generator where the electricity is produced. Typically most wind turbines are mounted in the horizontal plane (like the propeller of a plane), and therefore it is key the blades are facing directly into the wind.
The yaw angle is the difference in angle between the wind direction and the direction in which the rotors are facing. The aim is to minimise the yaw angle as much as possible, so most residential wind turbines tend to have tails which orientate the turbine to best capture the wind. Wind turbines should therefore be able to rotate 3600 on yaw bearings.
The turbine
There are 2 main styles of urban wind turbines:
Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT)
This is a propeller type rotor mounted on the horizontal axis. As mentioned previously, the blades need to be aligned with the wind and this is done by either a simple tail, or an active yaw. These are more efficient at producing electricity than VAWTs however they are impacted more by changes in wind direction.
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT)
These are aligned in the vertical axis (like the rotor blades on a helicopter). These are only really deployed within urban areas, where the flow of air is more uneven. Due to their alignment, wind direction has little impact on this type of turbine; however it is apparent that these are less efficient than their HAWT cousins.
In addition to HAWTs and VAWTs there are hybrid turbines that are cylindrical (imagine a gyroscope) – such as the energy ball.
At TheGreenAge, we suggest sticking with the HAWTs as they are the more proven technology, and are offered by more suppliers, so you will be able to get better value for money.
Most turbines tends to have two or three blades, two bladed turbines are cheaper but suffer from blade chatter which puts stress on the system, which can lead to increased maintenance further down the line. If you can afford to get a three bladed turbine, we suggest doing so, as these don’t suffer from this problem at all.
The tower
Three types of tower exist: tilt-up, fixed guyed and free standing. The purpose of these towers is to position the turbines in the best possible position to take advantage of the wind.
Tilt-up towers are held in position by four guy ropes one of which can be released, allowing you to lower the tower, so you can work on the turbine.
Fixed guyed towers are similar to tilt-up towers, except they are permanently fixed in place so you need to climb the tower to do any maintenance.
Free standing towers have no guy ropes. As such they require a very solid foundation. Therefore these are certainly the most expensive, but may well be the most aesthetically pleasing.
The inverter
Most wind turbines produce AC current, so this should be able to be directly fed into your home and the grid, however the voltage and frequency of the power produced is very erratic, so an inverter is used to convert the erratic AC to DC, then back to a smoother AC which can be synchronised with the grid, or for use directly into your home. Battery-based wind turbines normally operate at 12 or 48 Volts, and therefore the inverter must also act to convert this relatively low voltage to high voltage (UK mains is 240 volts). Battery-less systems may produce electricity with a voltage significantly higher (100 volts or more). Therefore in this situation, the inverter needs to be able to handle this higher voltage.
Batteries
In most wind turbine systems, the electricity does not power any appliances directly. Instead the electricity produced is stored in deep-cycle lead acid batteries which look very similar to the ones found in most cars today (although structurally different). The two most popular types of battery are GEL and Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM), which store the charge very well and do not degrade nearly as fast as the common lead acid (wet cell) battery. Both types of batteries are designed to gradually discharge slowly and recharge 80% of their capacity hundreds of times.
An automotive battery is a shallow-cycle battery, and this is designed to discharge only about 20% of its electricity so is unsuitable for solar photovoltaic cell set-up. The reason is that if any more than 20% is drawn more than a few dozen times, it will get damaged and no longer take charge.
Wind turbine batteries tend to operate at 12v, and can be arranged in banks (multiple batteries), increasing the storage potential of your wind system set up. A bank of batteries organised in a series increases the capacity of your storage but also increases the voltage delivered from your bank; while multiple batteries organised in a parallel circuit increase the capacity, but the voltage stays the same.
Charge controllers
Charge controllers are used in wind turbine systems to prevent the batteries from being overcharged. If you decide to implement a grid tie system, a charge controller is not necessary, as any excess electricity that you don’t use at any particular moment is sold directly back to the grid. However, for any battery setup, a charge controller is necessary as it prevents damage to the battery by monitoring the flow of electricity in and out. If your system overcharges the battery it will damage it. The same is also true if you completely discharge all the charge held within the battery.
Most charge controllers associated with wind turbines have dump load capability associated with them. This allows any additional charge to be diverted from the batteries when they are full, potentially to a hot water heating system (so the electricity is not completely wasted). Obviously if you are connected to the grid, this electricity would instead be sold there, providing you with an additional income stream.
Most charge controllers are also equipped with maximum power point (MPPT) charging. The principle of MPPT is to extract the maximum available power from the wind turbine by making them operate at the most efficient voltage (known as the maximum power point voltage). The algorithm included in the MPPT charge controller compares the output from the wind turbine with the battery voltage and then fixes it at the best charging voltage, to get the maximum charge into the battery.
Safety equipment
Disconnects are simply switches that allow you to isolate parts of the system so you can troubleshoot or repair faulty parts without the risk of being electrocuted. In addition many wind turbine systems are grounded, so that if there is surge in current anywhere in the system it is safely dissipated rather than damaging the system or more importantly you!
Installing a wind turbine
Are you thinking about installing a wind turbine at home? We have scoured the country for the best tradespeople, so that we can make sure we only recommend those we really trust.
If you would like us to find you a local installer to help install a wind turbine at home, just fill in the form below and we will be in touch shortly!
Water source heat pumps work on a similar principle to both air source and ground source heat pumps. Instead of taking advantage of the heat in the air or the ground, they take advantage of the relatively consistent temperatures found in a body of water.
A series of flexible pipework is submerged in a body of water, such as a lake, river or stream. A heat pump pushes working fluid through the network of piping, and this fluid absorbs the heat from the surrounding water as it goes.
This working fluid is then compressed by an electric compressor, in a similar fashion to the other types of heat pump, which raises the temperature. A heat exchanger can then be used to remove the heat entirely from this working fluid, providing you with hot water that can be used for space heating (in radiators or under floor heating). It can even be plumbed into your hot water system, where a boiler can just provide the small amount of additional heat needed to bring it up to the required temperature, so it can be used for showers and baths.
Once the heat has been removed from the working fluid via the heat exchanger, it is once again pumped back through the pipework, thereby completing a continuous cycle.
The benefits of a water source heat pump
The heat transfer rate from water is higher from the ground, making them more effective than ground source heat pumps. In addition, if using a water source heat pump with a moving body of water, the heat is constantly being replaced, as new warmer water replaces the cooler water that has had its heat extracted by the working fluid.
For every 1kW of energy required to run a water source heat pump, 4-5kW of equivalent heat energy is produced which can be used to warm your home. This makes the technology more efficient than both air and ground source heat pumps.
The supply of hot water is also pretty much constant, despite being cooler in the winter; the body of water will still possess sufficient heat to enable the water source heat pump to operate in the winter. An issue only arises if the body of water completely freezes.
Unlike ground source heat pumps, where bore holes or trenches need to be dug on your plot for the piping, the pipework for a water source heat pump is relatively simple to install; it simply needs to be situated within a body of water, which should have little impact on your plot of land.
Benefits
Installing a water source heat pump is relatively easy if there is a body of water available on your property.
Water source heat pumps have a higher Coefficient of Performance than ground source and air source heat pumps: so for every unit of electricity used to operate them, they can produce more hot water.
There is little visual impact on the property, since all the pipework in the water source heat pump system is submerged within the body of water.
Limitations
A water source heat pump is reliant on there being a body of water at your property.
The process of converting light (photons) to electricity (voltage) is called the solar photovoltaic (PV) effect. Photovoltaic solar cells convert sunlight directly into solar power (electricity). They use thin layers of semi-conducting material that is charged differently between the top and bottom layers. The semi-conducting material can be encased between a sheet of glass and/or a polymer resin.
When exposed to daylight, electrons in the semi-conducting material absorb the photons, causing them to become highly energised. These move between the top and bottom surfaces of the semi-conducting material. This movement of electrons generates a current known as a direct current (DC). This is then fed through an inverter, which converts the power to alternating current (AC) for use in your home.
Types of solar panel
Different types of solar PV installations require slightly different components. However in the next two sections we have explained in detail all the main components that will make up your solar PV array and provide you with 100% renewable, free electricity.
The solar panel is the key component of any solar photovoltaic system, which takes the sun’s energy and converts it into an electrical current. There are three main types of solar panel (as well as the hybrid version) currently in commercial production, all of which are based on silicon semiconductors:
Monocrystalline solar cells
This type of solar cell is made from thin wafers of silicon cut from artificially-grown crystals. These cells are created from single crystals grown in isolation, making them the most expensive of the three varieties (approximately 35% more expensive than equivalent polycrystalline cells), but they have the highest efficiency rating – between 15-24%.
Polycrystalline solar cells
This type of solar cell is also made from thin wafers of silicon cut from artificially grown crystals, but instead of single crystals, these cells are made from multiple interlocking silicon crystals grown together. This makes them cheaper to produce, but their efficiency is lower than the monocrystalline solar cells, currently at 13-18%
Amorphous solar cells
These are the cheapest type of solar cell to produce, are relatively new to the market and are produced very differently to the two other types. Instead of using crystals, silicon is deposited very thinly on a backing substrate.
There are two real benefits of the amorphous solar cell; firstly the layer of silicon is so thin it allows the solar cells to be flexible, and secondly they are more efficient in low light levels (like during winter).
This, however, comes at a price; they have the lowest efficiency rating of all three types – approximately 7% – 9%, requiring approximately double the panel area to produce the same output. In addition, as this is a relatively new science, there is no agreed industry-wide production technique, so they are not as robust as the other two types.
Hybrid solar cells
This is not a type of solar cell in its own right; instead it is a combination of both amorphous solar cells and monocrystalline solar cells. These are known as HIT solar cells (Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin Layer – a bit of a mouthful!), and have higher efficiency ratings than any of the other three types of solar cell alone. In addition, they are also better suited in sunnier climes, where temperatures often exceed 250C, creating up to 10% more electricity.
We think in many cases polycrystalline cells are the most suitable option, as they provide value for money while still also being relatively efficient.
Future solar technologies
Research is currently underway to develop almost 100% transparent solar glass, which can be used in building applications. Organic polymer photovoltaics will be ultra-thin and more efficient than existing types, and could see windows transformed into electricity generators!
Perovskite is a new type of solar cell which is more efficient than current types on the market. The technology is currently in refinement, as it has a number of flaws which would need to be resolved before it could be mass-produced.
Solar PV inverters
All the electricity produced by the solar panels is produced as direct current (DC), which differs from the electricity that is distributed through the grid and we use in our homes, which is alternating current (AC). For this reason most solar photovoltaic systems are now connected up with some type of inverter, which changes the DC to AC, allowing the individual to sell the electricity back to the grid (in grid-tied systems) or to be used easily in homes.
There are 2 major types of inverter that can be installed in your solar photovoltaic system:
1. String inverters (also known as central inverters)
These are used in grid-tied systems where the solar panels are wired together in series, which is known as a string of panels. Each string of panels is connected to a string inverter, which converts the DC current to AC for use in the home and selling back to the grid. You can imagine each string as a mini power station, producing electricity.
The main issue with string inverters is that if one of the panels in the string fails or produces less electricity (from things like shading), this impacts the output of all the panels. They will all operate at the output of the worst panel, so a small amount of shading or debris on your solar array can disproportionally reduce the total output of your entire solar photovoltaic system.
They also have relatively short lifespans when compared to micro inverters.
The benefits include simple wiring and that you can use thinner wires within your solar PV system, so less copper is used which makes the system cheaper. Buying one string inverter (which is normally the case of most home solar PV systems) is also considerably cheaper than buying multiple micro inverters.
2. Micro inverters
These are a newer technology and service each solar panel individually, so each panel requires its own micro inverter and acts as an individual power station. As a result, micro inverters do not suffer the same performance reduction as a result of shading because any power reduction in a particular solar panel is handled by one micro inverter, having little effect on the combined power output from the entire solar photovoltaic system.
Micro inverters are much more expensive than the string inverters. However much of this cost is offset by the increased performance (25% more power produced using micro inverters) and the fact that they are more reliable than string inverters (warranties for micro inverters are up to 25 years).
Buying inverters for your solar PV system
When looking for which inverters to buy, ideally you want your alternating current (AC) to match that provided by the utility companies. Waveform relates to the quality of the AC signal that an inverter produces. Cheaper inverters will provide modified sine wave signal, while the more expensive versions will produce the pure sine wave signal. Some appliances (such as computers) simply don’t work unless they are powered by a pure sine wave signal, so we recommend strongly that you spend a little more to get this type of inverter.
Grid tie inverters differ slightly from your regular inverters in that the AC pure sine wave signal has to be perfectly coordinated with the waveform from the grid. As such, these tend to be more expensive than the typical inverters that you buy. They also have a built-in safety feature to cut off power from the solar array if the electricity grid goes down for any reason.
It is also worth noting that most inverters now also have ‘Maximum Power Point Tracking’ (known as MPPT) installed within them, which helps to maximise the electrical output of your solar photovoltaic array system.
The principle of MPPT is to extract the maximum available power from the photovoltaic module by making them operate at the most efficient voltage (known as the maximum power point voltage). The algorithm included in the MPPT inverter compares the output from the photovoltaic module with grid voltage and then fixes it at the most efficient voltage, to allow you to export the maximum amount of kWh of electricity back to the grid. An MPPT charger in your solar photovoltaic system will improve your power gain by 20-45% in the winter and 10-15% in the summer.
Benefits
All solar PV panels are rapidly decreasing in price due to better production techniques and increased competition between manufacturers and suppliers.
Monocrystalline solar PV cells are the most efficient type of solar PV cell (rated between 15-24%), so smaller panels can produce equivalent amounts of electricity compared to other solar cell types.
Polycrystalline solar PV cells are easier to produce than the monocrystalline solar PV cells and therefore cheaper to buy, still providing decent efficiency levels (13-18%).
Amorphous solar PV cells are the easiest to produce and as the silicon is deposited on any surface, these panels can be made into any shape.
Hybrid solar PV combine amorphous and monocrystalline cells giving you the advantages of both of these two types of solar cell.
Limitations
Polycrystalline and amorphous solar PV cells are less efficient than monocrystalline, and therefore bigger panels are needed to produce the equivalent electricity output.
The technique for building monocrystalline solar cells is more difficult and this is reflected in the higher price of this type of panel.
The battery
One of the major issues with solar PV systems is that they only produce electricity when the sun is shining. If you are looking to go ‘off-grid’ or have battery back up in times of grid blackouts, you will need batteries within your solar PV system.
In these systems, electricity produced from the solar cells is either used in the home as required, or if there is no demand in the home, it is converted to chemical energy in the form of batteries. These batteries can then produce the electicrity at night to allow you to use your solar PV system ’24/7′.
The electricity produced by your solar system is stored in deep-cycle lead acid batteries that look very similar to the ones found in most cars today (although structurally different). The two most popular types of battery are GEL and Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM), which store the charge very well and do not degrade nearly as fast as the common lead acid (wet cell) battery. Both types of batteries are designed to gradually discharge slowly and recharge 80% of their capacity a multiple number of times.
An automotive battery is a shallow-cycle battery, and this is designed to discharge only about 20% of its electricity so is unsuitable for solar photovoltaic set-up. The reason being is that if any more than 20% is drawn more than a few dozen times, it will get damaged and no longer take charge.
Solar photovoltaic batteries tend to operate at 12 volts, and can be arranged in banks (multiple batteries), increasing the storage potential of your solar photovoltaic set up. A bank of batteries organised in a series increases the capacity of your storage but also increases the voltage delivered from your bank, while multiple batteries organised in a parallel circuit increase the capacity, but keep the voltage the same (mains electricity runs at higher voltage, so if you have a grid tie system it is likely you will try to match this by running the batteries in series).
Solar Charge Controllers
Solar Charge Controllers (also known as Solar Charge Regulators) are used in solar photovoltaic systems to prevent the batteries from being overcharged. If you decide to implement a ‘grid-tied’ system, a solar charge controller is not necessary, as any excess electricity that you don’t use at any particular moment is sold directly back to the grid.
However, for any of the other three setups, a charge controller is necessary; it acts to regulate the flow of electricity between the solar photovoltaic modules, the batteries and your appliances (known as the load).
When the load is drawing power (e.g. you are watching television), the charge controller allows electricity to flow from the solar panels directly (if the sun is shining), or from the battery, or from a mixture of the two. The charge controller also prevents damage to the battery by monitoring the flow of electricity in and out. For instance if your system overcharges the battery, it will damage them. The same is also true if you completely discharge all the charge held within the battery.
At night, when the solar units are no longer producing electricity, the solar charge controller prevents reverse current flowing from the batteries back into the solar panels.
Solar charge controllers also are equipped with highly effective charging programs that maximise the charging speed, while still preventing overcharging.
Most are also equipped with maximum power point (MPPT) charging. The principle of MPPT is to extract the maximum available power from the photovoltaic module by making them operate at the most efficient voltage (known as the maximum power point voltage). The algorithm included in the MPPT solar charge controller compares the output from the photovoltaic module with the battery voltage and then fixes it at the best charging voltage, to get the maximum charge into the battery. The maximum power produced by the solar photovoltaic module is dependent on the amount of sun hitting the solar cells and the temperature of the cells. Incorporating a MPPT charger into your solar photovoltaic system will improve your power gain by 20-45% in the winter and 10-15% in the summer.
Solar array mounting
As discussed earlier, the amount of power that your solar photovoltaic system produces is dependent on the intensity of light hitting your solar array. There are three types of mounting you can get for your solar panels to help maximise the amount of light that they receive.
Fixed solar array mountings
These are the simplest of all the mounting systems, and also the cheapest. In this system, the solar panels will not move at all at any time during the year, so you want to ensure that when you put in the panels they are facing the equator to maximise sunlight.
Manually adjustable solar mountings
These can be changed a few times a year to adjust for the winter and summer sun. The sun is highest in the sky during the summer months and lower in the winter, so by being able to adjust the angle of your solar array ensures that the sunlight hits the array at the best angle to avoid reflection.
Fully automated tracking solar mount
These mountings track the sun, to ensure that at all times the angle of the solar array is maximising sunlight. These are certainly the most expensive type as they are constantly moving, but they are also by far the most efficient. Despite this, it has been proven to be more cost effective to add an extra solar panel to your array and use the fixed or adjustable mountings.
Installing Solar PV
Are you thinking about installing a solar PV system at home? We have scoured the country for the best tradespeople, so that we can make sure we only recommend those we really trust.
If you would like us to find you a local installer to help install a solar PV system in your home, just fill in the form below and we will be in touch shortly!
Each solar setup has its own benefits and limitations, and it is important to gain a real understanding of these before you invest in a potentially expensive solar PV system, to help avoid disappointment further down the line.
Grid-tied solar PV Systems
99% of solar systems installed on people’s homes in the UK are what’s known as ‘grid-tied’ systems. These grid-tied systems allow you to use the free electricity you create from the solar PV system, as well as electricity from the National Grid. This gives you flexibility, since you have a constant supply of electricity, whether or not the sun is shining.
Any shortfall in supply from your solar PV array can be met by additional electricity supplied via the grid, but there is also the added benefit of being able to sell any surplus back to the grid. In essence, a grid-tied system will go some way to reducing your dependence on the utility companies, and also save you money, while still giving you the comfort of as much electricity as you need from the grid. The lack of batteries also makes this type of solar setup cheaper to install.
Grid-tied solar PV installations have become incredibly popular in the UK recently due to generous government subsidies (guaranteed for 25 years from the date of installation).
Producing 100% of your own electricity in a clean and sustainable manner is the dream scenario for many people; the thought of never paying another electricity bill, and never suffering from grid blackouts is obviously a very attractive proposition.
However, an off-grid system does not need to be very sophisticated and grand in scale – it can simply power a light in your garden shed, or a water fountain in your garden. For this reason, off-grid installations are the most common type of solar installation across the globe, providing electricity to any isolated location (normally where no other electricity source is readily available).
The disadvantage is that you essentially become the utility company, so any costly repairs fall under your remit. Also, if there is a problem with your supply for any reason, you will not have electricity. Solar power is also an intermittent source (i.e it doesn’t power 100% of the time), so if you need electricity during the night (for lighting etc), you will need to install batteries within your system. These enable you to store energy during the day and use it when you are not generating.
The rewards for installing an off-grid system are clear; however the increased responsibility of owning your home’s electricity supply could make this kind of system a potentially daunting task for solar PV beginners.
Grid-tied with battery backup systems
The issue with this system is its added complexity compared to the grid-tied solar PV system described above. The batteries will require additional maintenance and add significantly to the final cost, and they will also introduce additional inefficiencies within your system – potentially a 15% loss in overall performance.
Grid fallback systems
This is where electricity is taken from the batteries and run through an inverter to provide the electricity required in the home. Once the batteries begin to go flat, the system automatically switches over to grid power, allowing the solar panels to once again charge the bank of batteries, and the process starts again.
Installing Solar PV
Are you thinking about installing a solar PV system at home? We have scoured the country for the best tradespeople, so that we can make sure we only recommend those we really trust.
If you would like us to find you a local installer to help install a solar PV system in your home, just fill in the form below and we will be in touch shortly!
Getting Solar PV on your roof – is it worth it?!
April 16, 2013
As part of the Green Deal, I am going to a lot homes at the moment and solar PV tends to come up a lot. People are unsure about how the numbers stack-up, they have heard in the news about the recent drop in the Feed-in-Tariff payments, but they are also aware that energy prices are going up substantially every year. So is getting solar PV installed on your home still worth it?!
In a word – Yes!
But the speed of payback is actually fairly dependant on when you use the energy, as you will see in a minute. So here goes and if you want to query any of the numbers, please drop a comment at the bottom of this post. A typical system is about 3.6kW (3,600 watts) in size, which will cost you approximately £6,000.
How much electricity will your Solar PV system Generate?
If you take this figure (or the size of the system you are interested in getting – obviously the bigger it is the more electricity it can produce) and multiply it by 0.8 it will give you the approximate number of kWh the system produces in a year, so in this case a 3.6kW system would work out as follows.
So 3600 x 0.8 = 2880kWh
To give you a rough guide, the average home uses about 4,800kWh each year, although your energy bills will reveal what you actually use.
The Generation Tariff – payment for every kWh of electricity produced
As part of the Feed-in Tariff, the Energy Suppliers are obliged to pay you 15.44 pence for every unit of energy you produce, regardless of what you do with it – this is known as the Generation Tariff and is guaranteed for 20 years, i.e. regardless of whether the FiT drops over the coming years, you will get this payment of 14.90 pence for every kWh you produce.
2880kWh x 14.38 pence = £414.14
But there is more!!
The Generation Tariff is only half the story!
Now unfortunately, as anyone who has done GCSE science will be able to tell you, it is not possible to store electricity so you can either use the electricity as it gets produced by the solar PV system or you can export it back to the electrical grid (you have have battery back-up, however in the UK 99% of homes with Solar PV have grid-tied systems).
The final payback of the system is dependant on the ratio of using the electricity in the home compared to the amount exported.
The Export Tariff – payment for every kWh of electricity exported
For every kWh produced and sold back to the grid you get 4.77 pence (this is known simply as the Export tariff), but for every kWh you can use in the home, it means you don’t need to buy it from the grid at approximately 15.32 pence / kWH.
I hope you can see therefore that it is about 3 times better (financially) to use the electricity you produce rather than export it back to the grid.
Having said all that – it is worth bearing in mind that most residential solar PV systems installed in the UK don’t come with a export meter, so they will simply half the generation meter reading and assume you export that this – this means you will be paid as if you exporting 50% regardless of whether you use all the electricity in the home or none of it.
As a result of this – in an ideal situation you would use 100% of the electricity in the home and you would still be paid as if you were exporting 50% of it to the grid – so a nice little bonus!
In the scenarios below however, I am going to include the export calculations as if you have an export meter, since the move to smart meters will unfortunately remove this nice little bonus!
Maximising the return from your Solar PV investment
So the key here is obviously to have lots of panels, all facing south, and use every kWh of electricity that they produce, however in most cases this simply isn’t feasible.
Imagine being at work all day, your solar system is producing lots of electricity, but you aren’t there to use it. Conversely, a stay at home mum would be much better placed to use all the electricity.
So in the next section I am going to look at 3 scenarios which will determine the amount of electricity a household can use in the home and how much they need to sell (remembering you can’t store the electricity), and therefore their total yearly return from installing a 3.5kW solar system within their home.
Scenario 1 (Parents both working, children at school)
In this scenario, it makes sense that the family will only be able to use their energy early in the morning and when they get home in the evening (obviously they can set washing machines / dishwashers to run as they leave the house), but lets say they use 25% and sell 75%.
Export tariff – 75% x 2880kWh x 4.77 pence = £103.03
Saving on Energy Bill – 25% x 2880kWh x 15.32 pence = £110.30
Scenario 2 (1 Stay at home parent, other at work and children at school)
In this scenario, while parent at home will use a decent proportion of the electricity produced, it will be nowhere near the usage if all the family where at home at the weekend for example. In this example lets say usage is about 50% and therefore 50% needs to be sold back to the grid.
Export tariff – 50% x 2880kWh x 4.77 pence = £68.69
Saving on Energy Bill – 50% x 2880kWh x 15.32 pence = £220.60
It goes without saying that the bigger your solar array, the more electricity it will produce, but how else can you be sure you are maximising your return?
Orientation of the panels
Solar panels in the northern hemisphere perform best when facing due south. This ensures that they receive the maximum exposure from the sun as it travels east to west. There is little point putting solar panels on a north-facing roof, so you may need to install them on a solar array mounting on the ground to ensure you can get the panels angled in a southerly direction.
There are different types of solar array mounting, but you can get fully automated tracking solar mounts. These mountings track the movement of the sun to ensure that the angle of the solar array is maximising exposure to sunlight at all times. These are expensive, but they also make sure you are getting the best yield.
Casting shadows on your solar PV array
It is important to ensure that shadows won’t fall on the solar panels during the peak sunlight hours, as this will obviously adversely affect the output of your solar system.
The effect of shadowing is amplified if your solar PV array has been set up with string inverters. In this setup, each panel is connected to the next panel in a series of strings, with each panel feeding a DC current to the inverter. When a cell underperforms, bypass diodes reroute the current around the underperforming cells. The problem is that rerouting the current loses not only the potential energy from these cells, but also lowers the entire string’s voltage.
The inverter then has to decide whether to optimise the voltage of the underperforming string or maximise the energy harvest from the unaffected strings. Normally the inverter chooses to optimise the voltage of the underperforming string, causing the performance of the whole string of panels affected to drop significantly. Just 10% shading of a solar PV panel can result in a 50% decline in output in this type of setup.
Solar arrays with micro inverters do not suffer anywhere near as badly from shading compared to the arrays with string inverters.
As a result of the shading issue, it is important to ensure that shadows won’t fall on the solar cells during peak sunlight hours as this will obviously adversely affect the output of your solar system. It is also important to have the foresight to predict tree growth in the coming years, as solar panels should go on producing electricity for 25 years; therefore trees that are currently of no concern could very easily grow to sufficient size in 15 years to cast shadows, diminishing the power producing capability of the solar photovoltaic system.
Keeping your solar panels clean
The operating efficiency of a solar PV panel is dependent on the amount of sunlight that hits it, so if you panels are covered in dirt they are going to produce less electricity. It is suggested to wash your solar panels 2-3 times per year for maximum efficiency. We cover the various techniques for cleaning your solar array here.
You should also coat your solar panels with protectant to reduce reflection and increase transmissivity.
Ambient temperatures of the panels
One of the key factors impacting the amount of electricity your solar panels produce is the temperature at which they operate. It is easy to presume more sun and therefore heat results in more electricity but this is wrong. Different solar panels react slightly differently to the operating ambient temperature, but in all cases the efficiency of a panel will decrease as the temperature increases.
The negative impact of temperature on solar panel efficiency is known as the temperature coefficient.
Solar panels are power tested at 250C, so the temperature coefficient percentage illustrates the change in efficiency as it goes up or down by a degree. For example if the temperature coefficient of a particular type of panel is -0.5%, then for every 10C rise, the panels maximum power will reduce by 0.5%.
So on a hot day, when panel temperatures may reach 450C, a panel with a temperature coefficient of -0.5% would result in a maximum power output reduction of 10%. Conversely, if it was a sunny winter’s morning, the panels will actually be more efficient.
It is therefore really important to maximise airflow around the panels to try to keep them cool so their efficiency isn’t negatively impacted. Rather than installing panels flat against your roof, you could try lifting them slightly to allow air to circulate underneath.
Use more of the electricity in your home
As mentioned in the solar PV costs section, it is best to use the electricity you produce from your solar PV array in your home, since that means you don’t need to buy it at 15p from the electricity company. Selling the electricity back to the grid means you are eligible for the export tariff which is only 4.5p/kWh.
One way to do this is with a solar diverter. These send excess energy that isn’t being used by your appliances to your immersion heater instead, helping to heat your water.
You can also make behavioural changes to ensure that you are using as much of your self-generated energy as possible. It is worth changing some of your energy usage behaviour. For example, it is better to run washing machines and dishwashers during the day – so set them to start as you leave for work.
The other way to use all the electricity you produce is by incorporating batteries into your solar PV array. Batteries will increase the upfront cost of your array and will require maintenance, but can be really worthwhile in the long run. Any electricity you produce during the day can be stored in the batteries and then used as and when you require it.
Final thoughts on investing in a solar PV system
Having received quotes for solar PV installation, you need to run the numbers to see if it makes financial sense for you to invest. It is important to bear in mind though, that solar photovoltaic arrays are modular, therefore new panels can be introduced at later dates as finances allow, further increasing the electrical output potential of your system.
Installing a solar photovoltaic array on your property should not be solely a financial decision though; you should also take into account energy security.
As demand for electricity in the UK continues to increase, the supply side is not keeping up. Over the next 3 years, 8 of the UK’s coal power plants are going to close, due to EU legislation on emissions, and by the end of the decade some of our nuclear capacity is also due to be decommissioned. Experts have predicted that the UK could face blackouts in the next few years.
A solar photovoltaic system can therefore reduce your reliance on energy companies, helping to minimise the impact of energy scarcity on you and your family in the future.
Installing Solar PV
Are you thinking about installing a solar PV system at home? We have scoured the country for the best tradespeople, so that we can make sure we only recommend those we really trust.
If you would like us to find you a local installer to help install a solar PV system in your home, just fill in the form below and we will be in touch shortly!
Combined heat and power (CHP) boilers produce both heat and electricity in one single process. This process is sometimes referred to as cogeneration and the technology that supports it has been around since the 1970s, but has mainly been confined to industry and large dwellings such as hospitals and sports centres.
As the price of fuel has increased over the last few years, it now makes economic sense to bring CHP technology into the domestic setting.
A micro-CHP boiler is defined in the EU Act on Cogeneration as a domestic unit that is limited to 50kW of capacity.
The different types of CHP boiler
There are three types of micro-CHP boiler:
The Stirling engine CHP boiler
The Stirling engine CHP boiler is a type of external combustion engine, where the combustion engine is heated when the boiler is fired up to produce the hot water. This heats up the fully enclosed working gas within the Stirling engine, causing it to expand. The expansion of the working gas forces a piston to turn up and down between a copper coil, generating an electrical current, which can then be used in the home. The working gas usually used in a Stirling engine is helium, due to its strong heat transfer properties.
The main limitation of this type of boiler is that it only produces electricity when you have the central heating on, so despite being a very efficient type of boiler, it does not produce an abundance of electricity. A key advantage is that the combustion process involved in a Stirling Engine CHP boiler is much quieter and more efficient than internal combustion engines.
The internal engine CHP boiler
This type of CHP boiler is commonly used in large dwellings such as hospitals. It involves using a fuel source to drive a turbine, which is connected to the electricity generator. The waste heat from this combustion process is captured to produce hot water for the space heating and warm water. This is the most common form of CHP boiler found to date. However the process is noisy and you have far less control over the hot water generated, so fuel cell and the Stirling engine CHP boilers are often preferred.
Fuel cell CHP boiler
Fuel cell CHP boilers use fuel cells which convert fuel and air directly into power and heat through a quiet, efficient, solid-state electro-chemical reaction. A video demonstration of how a fuel cell CHP boiler operates in the home can be found on the Ceres Power website.
Fuel cells generate power significantly more efficiently than internal combustion and Stirling engine CHP boilers. This is because fuel cell CHPs convert chemical energy directly to an electrical current, maximising their efficiency.
This type of CHP boiler is still in development so is not yet commercially available on a wide scale.
How CHP boilers work in the house
A home would typically use a boiler to meet its heating and hot water needs only, and then source its electricity from the grid. Central generation wastes a significant proportion of the energy it creates, through heat losses in the power station and in the transmission and distribution network.
Micro-CHP boilers avoid these losses, and capture the heat for use within the home. This efficiency can save the consumer around 25% of total energy costs (around £600 off your bill if you have a typical 3-bed semi-detached house), and reduce each home’s CO2 emissions by up to 1.5 tonnes per annum. Micro-CHP boilers are designed to generate all of the heating and hot water and a significant percentage of the electricity needed by a typical UK home.
The CHP boiler can use a variety of fuel options including the gas that is supplied by your current provider, but also hydrogen, LPG & biofuels. Even during the summer when the home’s central heating system is turned off, the heat produced by the micro-CHP boilers when generating electricity can be stored in a back-up hot water cylinder and then used for domestic hot water. Therefore the micro-CHP boilers are capable of operating all year round, maximising energy bill savings 365 days a year.
Micro-CHP boilers are designed to one day replace your normal condensed boiler, using the same types of connections; they also have similar installation and maintenance requirements. A micro-CHP boiler only requires one connection to the electricity network in the house and it’s ready to go!
Industry development
Micro-CHP boilers are an example of a microgeneration product for the home. The UK Government has estimated that microgeneration products (such as micro-CHP boilers) have the potential to supply over 30% of the country’s total electricity needs and help meet its international environmental obligations, such as the 2020 EU carbon emission reduction targets.Owning a micro-CHP boiler is one step in the right direction. Full costs in the UK of a micro-CHP boiler including installation are yet to be made fully transparent; however incremental cost estimated in the region of £2,500 to £3,500 versus a condensing boiler, therefore a full installation is then estimated at between £5,000 to £7,000.
Research commissioned by the Government has shown that micro-CHP boilers have the potential to become the micro-generation ‘system of choice’, replacing the condensing boiler, which is the standard system in most UK homes today. Commercial experience has also shown that realising the benefits early pays off the most over the long-term.
Currently only the Stirling engine-type micro-CHP boilers have been made available on the domestic market. For example the Baxi Ecogen product is one of the few available micro-CHP boilers that is commercially viable and available for the home. By the middle-end of this decade, the expectation is that fuel cell models such as the Baxi Gamma 1.0 will be fully available to the UK consumers.
When fuel cell micro-CHP technology is commercially available, the consumer should see the price of Stirling engine models fall. In addition with the competition in the fuel cell space (Baxi, Ceres Power, etc), this should also make those models commercially competitive. Current evidence suggests that the take-up in UK homes has only been limited, with a lower number of Micro-CHP boilers currently installed in the UK than expected by the government – as opposed to Denmark and Germany where the technology has been more widely adopted.
CHP Boiler Technology Summary
The following list is a quick summary of the CHP boiler features:
Delivers central heating, hot water and electricity
Simple to install, replacing an existing gas boiler
Easy to use with automatic operation
Can use the same gas supplied by British Gas, NPower and other gas providers
Lifespan of the fuel cell boiler, yet to be determined (but typically 10-12 years)
Remember micro-CHP boilers are efficient because they generate heat and electricity in one place. They will save you money and help the environment. Currently only the sterling engine type of CHP boilers are available to the residential market (internal engine CHP boilers are available for large properties), but in a few years’ time fuel cell micro-CHPs will also be available. Micro-CHP boilers are a strategic domestic technology for micro-generation that will help homes with their energy needs, but also help the UK (and other EU countries) meet external carbon emission targets.
Benefits
CHP boilers are more environmentally friendly, reducing a typical home’s CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions by up to 1.5 tonnes per annum in the UK.
Mounting a CHP boiler can help you reduce your energy costs by 25% or more.
Most CHP boiler manufacturers have partner agreements with the major suppliers (e.g. with British Gas) who provide installation services. Potential customers should check first with the manufacturer if you would like to arrange their own private installation.
Limitations
The payback on the premium, which is the additional cost of a CHP boiler versus a condensing boiler, can pay for itself over the product’s lifetime. Note: Research in this area is not extensive as there are currently only a few commercialised producers of domestic CHP boilers.
Cost
The full cost of installing a CHP boiler is somewhere between £5,000 to £7,000, depending on the type of installation and home specification, which is quite a big investment for a typical household.
Ed’s Blog: Air Source Heat Pumps
January 21, 2013
Ed, is a pilot and has recently bought a Victorian property with his wife just south of Reading. He is quite conscious about the environment and his carbon footprint, but due to his job, he appreciates his carbon footprint is not where he would like it to be.
Over the next few months, he will be writing a regular blog for us, sharing the steps he is taking to make his home more energy efficient and his life more environmentally sustainable.
Ed’s Blog: Air Source Heat Pumps
Christmas maybe over, but with more cold snaps being forecast, it looks like winter is stretching out for a few months yet! Typical for January, everyone appears busy adhering to their new year’s resolutions and I am no different. Two of my resolutions for this year are to reduce my carbon footprint and to get a better hold on my personal finances!
I’ve heard lots about air source heat pumps (ASHP), and I was wondering if they would work on my property. So earlier this week I talked to an installation company about the prospect of installing an ASHP in my home and through this blog I am reporting back on what I found.
ASHPs are a brilliant way of extracting heat in air particles to warm buildings. They basically work like a refrigerator in reverse. In a fridge, you remove the heat from the air inside it, making the interior cool. This is why the pipes on the back of the fridge heat up, because they channel the heat to the outside. Air source heat pumps take heat from the air outside your home and channel it into a building, therefore warming it up.
Planning permission for heat pumps
So, I had this very lengthy conversation with the ASHP engineer and this is what he told me:
Firstly there is no need to get any sort of planning permission for an air source heat pump if you live in England; ASHPs are considered a permitted development.
The ASHP does however need to be situated at least a metre from the edge of the boundary of your property and it must also be in a place that doesn’t impact the external appearance of the building. (I think what he meant was that it would be better to place it on the side or round the back of the property, which would not affect the view of the house from the street).
You just need an outside wall, so they can be installed on almost all properties; detached, semi-detached, terraced, bungalows and even flats.
The pump itself isn’t very big. The one the engineer showed me measured about 3 ft high, 4 ft wide and just was less than 2ft deep, which according to him was sizeable enough to source my property.
The conversation got very technical and I was worried I would have to make additional investment such as installing new plumbing to be able to cope with this new system (understandably was getting concerned about the potential cost at this stage!). However those fears were allayed when I found out that the ASHPs can be fed into the current central heating system without much additional cost and effort.
In addition, I would say if you have a bit more to spend and are looking to upgrade your property throughout, ASHPs can also be used to heat water, both for use or to supply your new underfloor heating system.
The engineer also recommended that in parallel I ensure that I have the best possible insulation in my property, because ASHPs work best when they have this in place. Luckily, my property is pretty well insulated, and this was one of the attributes that I looked for before I decided to buy.
Cost of an Air Source Heat Pump
So the important figures for me are and what you will be interested in too is, ‘how much I money would I actually be saving’. He said: I would be looking to spend around £6,500 for the system, which would save me about £650/year. So in ten years it would have paid back. Further down the field, having a microgeneration system attached to a property is also a good selling point as I would expect that this feature would increase its market value.
The savings bit (above) covered off my personal finances checkbox and the other half of my resolution was also covered – installing an ASHP system would also reduce my carbon emissions by 5,400kg/year!
I’d like to add, the other advantage I have in the property is that I have electric heaters installed. This property feature according to the engineer would benefit more from an ASHP, than someone supplied with mains gas, because it would be cheaper to run.
Ensure MCS Accreditation of your Air Source Heat Pump
The good news is that if you buy your pump from a certified MCS installer it comes with a ten year warranty. ASHPs are relatively maintenance free, though the engineer did recommend having them serviced every three years or so. Some of the general maintenance I am confident I could do myself such as: making sure there is no growth near it; ensure inlets are free of debris and ensure there is a good airflow going into the system. I even reckon it would be quite easy to check the levels of antifreeze myself if someone showed me how to do it.
Make money via the renewable heat incentive!
A little further down the line (late 2013), there is also the government’s Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) to think about. The RHI, when it comes in later this year would offer me between 6.9 and 11.5p for each kWh of heat energy that I produce. It’s hard to know exactly how much that would save me, but it’s got to be worth a few extra quid over the next few years.
So, all in all, I’m going to go for it. I’m lucky that I’ve got the right property with the right insulation levels, serviced by a relatively modern system, which will complement the heat pump. I’ll blog some more once it’s installed (end of February) and let you know how it’s going.
After the closure of the Feed in Tariff (FiT), the government introduced The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) which launched in 2020. The scheme allows growth in electricity generation from green microgeneration technologies.
How does the Smart Export Guarantee work?
Licensed electricity suppliers can offer a tariff and make payment to small-scale low-carbon generators for electricity exported to the National Grid (considering certain criteria are met).
The following low-carbon, renewable technologies are eligible for the SEG:
solar panels (solar pv)
wind turbines
hydro electricity
micro combined heat and power
anaerobic digestion
If you decide install any of the above renewable generation for the home, you should be eligible for the SEG tariff, providing you meet certain criteria.
Your installation must be 5MW capacity or less (50kW for micro-CHP).
You need to take electricity readings from your meter – this is going to be easier if you have a smart meter installed, which will automatically take the readings for you.
Your installation must be MCS-certified.
Savings on electricity bills
Every kWh of electricity that you create yourself and then use in your home means that you don’t need to buy that unit from the electricity company. Electricity is currently priced at about 15 pence/kWh when you buy it from any of the big six energy companies, so the more electricity you produce and use in your home, the more you save.
Smart Export Guarantee registration
In practice in the UK, the energy companies with over 150,000 customers (British Gas, EoN, SSE, Scottish Power, EDF and NPower, etc) are required by law to provide the SEG to homes and businesses. Other smaller electricity suppliers may not offer the SEG as it is not compulsory for them to do so. The full list of registered SEG licensed suppliers is available on the OFGEM website here.
Once you have the product installed through the MCS, you should receive a certificate confirming MCS compliance. Speak to your energy company that is approved for the SEG – express your interest in receiving the SEG. Your supplier will confirm your eligibility, cross checking your details to the MCS database. On confirmation of the SEG your details will also be added to the OFGEM Central SEG Register.
You may also need to agree a process for meter reading and whether you want to opt out from export tariffs. An important point to note is that it is far more economical to use as much of the electricity you produce in the home as you can, rather than selling it back to the grid. Using a kWh of the electricity you produce in your home saves you buying it from the energy suppliers at 15p, while you can only sell it back to the grid for 4.77p.
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