Solar PV panels that mimic roof tiles, like these examples from Solex, may allow you to obtain planning permission for arrays in conservation areas and on listed buildings
Gerald’s own south-facing 16-panel 3.04kWp photovoltaic array (right) – complete with pigeons – was installed in 2011, together with his neighbour’s 12-panel system, by Treadlighter under the original Feed-In Tariff
PHOTO CREDIT
Sunlight is the UK’s most abundant energy source. According to Octopus Energy, it produces an annual average of 100kW per m2on flat ground and 110kW on south-facing roofs – all entirely free. Using it to reduce your energy bills and reliance on the national grid requires fitting solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, which convert the light energy into useable electricity. Solar PV is the UK’s most popular renewable technology, with over 1.5 million panels currently fitted to homes – my own house being among them. Plus, over 180,000 new installations were recorded last year by the government ’s Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS). So, if you are considering this tech, how can you make the most of it?
Why I installed solar PV
I’d love to claim unusual foresight for my early take-up of solar panels, but in reality my involvement was pure chance. Back in 2011, my wife and I were finding it exceptionally difficult to book a heating engineer for an unreliable gas boiler in our Dorset holiday home.
When we eventually found one, he told us that he and most other local engineers were fully occupied fitting PV systems to the roofs of local retirees, who had realised that the government ’s Feed-in Tariff offered much greater returns on their investment than traditional savings accounts. It wasn’t long before we invested for our main house in London.