Myth 3: I need more roof space

Many people are unaware that panels can be mounted on the ground or on outbuildings. All manner of creative solutions have been implemented across the country to place panels away from the main home and yet still generate power and a healthy income.

If you have an area of ground at the end of your garden hidden from view and not shaded by trees during the day, there is a possibility you can place a ground array there. For some, mounting systems on the ground allows them to benefit both from a due south facing array, and an optimised angle of tilt toward the sun. This option negates the constraints imposed by the pitch of your roof.

Myth 4: Solar panels can only be installed on a south-facing roof

Very few people have a due south-facing roof and this is really not an issue. If your roof faces 45 degrees from due south (SE or SW) you only lose around 4% on generation. In fact, even if the roof faces due east or due west you still only lose around 10-12% of maximum capacity. As long as the panels are not put on a Northerly facing aspect of the home you can still generate significant sums of energy throughout the year.

Myth 5: Solar panels don't work in the UK - it's too cloudy

This is a very common question for most installation companies but, again, it is another complete myth. Solar panels rely on ambient brightness and do not need direct sunlight and clear blue skies to operate efficiently. Many days in the UK are cloudy but bright and, as a result, yields remain high all year round. Even my solar array at home produces energy on all but a handful of days a year. Often, the only days it doesn’t is when snow is covering them!

Myth 6: You make more money returning electricity to the grid

Many people think that money is made from solar panels by selling energy back to the grid. The reality is that there is no way, in a standard installation, to measure returned energy to the grid; let alone get paid for individual home export readings.

Now that the feed-in tariff is a distant memory, small amounts of money can be made using the Standard Export Guarantee (SEG) when electricity companies pay you a few pennies for every Kilowatt hour exported.

Using electricity at source is where the real returns are made at present. Electricity produced from the solar PV panels will naturally be used by appliances in the home before going to the grid, hence reducing your imported electricity bill. Electricity used at source in this way saves you 13p-15p per Kilowatt hour and is way more effective than selling back to you electricity company.

If you still have any questions about solar PV,
please don't hesitate to contact the Mesh team today.