As solar power continues to soar in popularity, our fitters have found themselves venturing further and further from the beaten track.
Located ten miles from the furthermost tip of Scotland, the wet and windy Orkney Islands may not seem like the ideal spot for solar panels. But having designed and installed systems for three homes on the Mainland, we’ve proved there’s a place for solar energy even in Britain’s not-so-sunny climes.
In the last month we’ve carried out three domestic installs in the town of Kirkwall, the administrative centre of the islands’ Mainland. The homes were each fitted with 16 x Hyundai HIS-250MG panels and will generate between 2,995 and 3,365kWh per year. That means the homeowners’ investments – all in the region of £13,000 – will provide good returns as well as reducing CO2 emissions.
Project manager Ben Colman explains that the main challenge was battling the extreme weather conditions to fix the panels securely. ‘Instead of the usual two rails per panel, we used four. This will make the panels twice as secure in high winds.’
It’s the furthest north our teams have ventured yet and goes to show that solar power is a viable energy alternative for the whole of the UK – come rain or shine.