Regeneco is a national business delivering renewable energy and low carbon solutions with focus in the following areas; renewable energy solutions for buildings, onshore and direct wind energy, community and district energy and related project finance and investment.
Solar PV
Solar Photovoltaics, also known as solar PV, convert the light from the sun to produce electricity. As opposed to direct sunlight, the solar PV requires only daylight to work.
The electricity is converted from direct current, which is not usable by household appliances and the national grid, to alternating current through an inverter and the electricity can then be used in the property, exported to the grid or a combination of both.
Solar PVs can be fixed directly to an existing pitched roof or replace existing tiles and integrating it into the roof. For flat roofs, they can either be bolted to the structure or held down with ballast.
Solar Panels
Solar Photovoltaics (PV) convert light from the sun to produce electricity and are therefore generally building or house mounted. PV panels comprise cells containing two layers of semi conductors. One is positively charged and the other is negatively charged. An electric field is created when light shines upon these conductors causing electricity to flow from one cell to the other. These cells are interconnected and encapsulated in a module or as more commonly named panel. Generally, a series of these will be connected to form an array.
The electricity produced is in the form of direct current (DC) which cannot be used in a commercial or domestic setting. To harness the electricity produced, the modules or panels are connected to an inverter (via a DC isolator for safety), converting the DC current to alternating current (AC) which can be used both by household appliances and the national grid.
How much does it cost?
The total installed cost of a PV system will depend upon the size of the system and how it is mounted. Please email chris.hawker@regeneco.co.uk for a quote.
How much energy will it generate?
There are five main factors that will impact how much energy a solar PV system will generate:
- The total size of the PV array.
- The latitude of the location.
- Which direction the PV panels face.
- What slope the panels are mounted on.
- Anything which shades the panels.
As an example, a south facing roof mounted 1.3kWp PV array in the
How do I get paid for my generated energy?
The Government announced in July 2009 the details of the proposed Feed-in Tariff (FIT) for micro-generation systems from April 2010. The consultation for this ended on the 15th October 2009 and the Government has now announced the final proposals as detailed below.
In summary FIT is expected to provide all generators of renewable energy with a higher rate of income from all their generated power than they currently receive, making renewable energy systems significantly more economic. The rate of income will be determined by the size of the system and the current proposals are as detailed below;
System Type | Size | Rate/kWh |
Solar PV | 0 - 4kWp (new build) | 36.1p |
Solar PV | 0 - 4kWp | 41.3p |
Solar PV | 4kWp - 10kWp | 36.1p |
Solar PV | 10kWp - 100kWp | 31.4p |
Solar PV | 100kWp - 5,000kWp | 29.3p |
All qualifying systems installed after July 2009 are expected to qualify for the Feed-in Tariff from April 2010.
How does it connect to the grid?
Your solar PV panels are all linked together and connected into an inverter which converts the DC power from the solar PV panels into mains voltage compatible AC.
For solar PV systems producing less than 3.6kWp you do not need permission from your electricity company to do this, but you must inform them afterwards.