Today is a big day at Spirit Energy.
It’s our 10th anniversary.
Most importantly we are celebrating with a big cake, but we have also taken time to review some of the milestones reached within the last 10 years, both at Spirit and within the wider community, focusing on cleaner air, climate change mitigation and sustainable fuel supply.
In the space of just a few years, the average panel we install on domestic projects has shot up from around 315W to at least 375W, with more and more residential modules breaking the 400W barrier.
This is down to a few factors, such as the widespread adoption of new, more efficient technologies, bigger cells and bigger modules:
You may think that solar PV is an established and accepted technology in the UK, but it’s surprising how many solar panel myths persist. At our last community event, a visitor confidently informed us that ‘Britain doesn’t get enough sun for solar power’, which may come as a shock to our clients, whose thousands of panels have been generating well for the last decade.
So let’s set out the facts to debunk common solar myths, from the misinformed to the absurd.
In these uncertain times, there’s a renewed focus on jettisoning expensive fossil fuels and strengthening the UK’s energy independence. By investing in the right technology, companies can support this through generating clean energy, improving their environmental impact, and saving on their energy bills.
Low Carbon Workspaces wants to aid businesses in this transition and is offering grants of up to £5,000 to invest in carbon-saving upgrades. This could be a grant for solar panels, battery storage, insulation or lighting.
Grants are available for SMEs based in Berkshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Milton Keynes and Northamptonshire, ranging from £1,000 - £5,000 to cover up to a third of the cost of energy improvements. The scheme is supported by the European Regional Development Fund.
When researching solar PV, you may have come across the phrase ‘tier 1 solar panels’. It’s used as a selling point by some manufacturers and installers to demonstrate the reliability of their products. But is that really the case?
In a surprise piece of good news, the government announced last week that solar panel VAT will be scrapped until 2027.
Why aren’t new houses built with solar panels? It’s a common question whenever we chat to people about PV. And we share the frustration - solar panels can be more cost effective and visually appealing when built in from the outset, not to mention cutting operational carbon emissions and future owners’ bills from the moment they move in.
So let’s try to uncover why new build solar panels aren’t standard, along with the reasons why they ought to be and best practices for doing so.
As the 2030 deadline for buying new combustion engine vehicles looms, electric car sales are beginning to ramp up. But the greatest changes are happening in commercial fleets - in 2020, businesses bought twice as many EVs as private individuals.
This may in part be due to the many incentives for companies to go electric, such as tax breaks for company cars. There is also the long-running grant scheme for installing chargepoints, which is due for a shakeup early next year...
Times are tough on businesses right now, with a triple whammy of economic uncertainty due to Brexit, Covid and soaring energy prices. But amid the chaos are some silver linings that could mean now is the perfect time to invest in solar for your company and cut down on energy costs. Low interest rates and the government’s super-deduction can save you a lot of money on solar PV purchases, which normally pay back in 6-10 years and can also help your company reach net zero targets.
We’ll run you through the benefits of buying solar panels in the present climate, as well as highlighting the potential issues you should be aware of from the beginning, such as solar panel business rates and planning permission.
