Solar electricity panels, also known as photovoltaics (PV), capture the sun’s energy and convert it into electricity that you can use in your home. By installing solar panels, you can generate your own renewable electricity. How do solar panels work? A solar PV panel consists of many cells made from layers of semi-conducting material, most commonly silicon. When light shines on this
Just over half of Europe's single family homes could technically be fully energy self-sufficient with a combination of solar energy and storage systems, according to a report by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Already today, 53 percent of about 41 million buildings included in the analysis could theoretically go off-grid and have a fully
The Energy Act 2023, which has been called the “biggest piece of energy legislation in the UK’s history”, received Royal Assent yesterday (26 October). The Act, which has now become law, includes a number of major changes aimed at creating a more efficient energy system that can uphold the growing number of electrified technologies being
Renewables are set to contribute 80% of new power capacity to 2030 in the stated policies scenario (STEPS), with solar PV alone accounting for more than half of this, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). In its flagship World Energy Outlook report, the IEA expects solar manufacturing capacity to exceed 1.2TW of module nameplate capacity
Fossil fuel-powered generators are strapped with emission concerns, maintenance needs, and potential personal risk, whereas a battery-based energy storage system is safe, efficient and has a very low operating cost. We are living in an era of extreme weather, and there is no end in sight. In July 2023 alone, there were devastating wildfires in
The UK has installed more solar power systems in 2023 than in all of 2022, according to data from the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), which accredits PV, wind and micro-CHP installations up to 50kW. Trade body Solar Energy UK (SEUK) said the data showed a new annual record for 2023 with 138,336 solar PV installations since
The cost of solar power has fallen by 87%, and battery storage by 85% in the past decade, according to a new study – here’s why. Berlin-based scientific think tank Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) has released a new study in the journal Energy Research & Social Science in which the researchers compared
Delaying the ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles by 10 years is likely to have less of an impact than scrapping plans to make rental homes more energy efficient by laws, which would have saved on tenants' energy bills, experts tell Sky News. The cost of living crisis has seen Rishi Sunak go
According to the latest national statistics the UK has a total installed solar capacity of 15.5GW from July 2023. This is an increase of 6.8% (977MW) since July 2022, demonstrating the highest annual increase since August 2017, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). According to the national statistics there were
A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) report has stated that solar photovoltaics (PV) increased its generation by 10% between 2021 and 2022. Solar PV generated 13.3TWh of electricity in 2022, an increase on the 12.1TWh generated in 2021. DESNZ stated that this increase was driven by longer average sunlight hours and