What are the benefits of solar panels?
The benefits of solar panels are vast, some of the main ones include:
Save money
Solar panels help your business save money. By generating free green electricity to be used onsite, you can lower your energy demand from the grid during daylight hours and save thousands of pounds every year on energy bills.
Save the environment
Generating your own electricity from solar reduces your carbon output and could offset most (if not all) of your business’ carbon emissions. With climate change a major topic of concern at the moment, green initiatives are a popular strategy for a business to achieve competitive advantage in their industry and strengthen relationships with their supply chain and customers.
Energy security
It’s an alarming reality that the grid is currently struggling to generate significant electricity supply to meet the growing demands of the UK. The cost of your business going off-grid needs to be considered against a solar panel installation that would keep you in supply should the unthinkable happen. The Government has already introduced mandatory energy audits from large businesses through the mandatory Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme, hinting that future energy usage from the grid could also be regulated.
What finance options are available for solar panels?
Even though the feed-in tariff scheme ended in 2019, it’s still possible for your business to make good financial returns if buying a solar PV system outright. However, for businesses that don’t have the capital, or would like the benefits of solar but prefer to invest their capital elsewhere, we can offer advice on your options for financing
If your business meets certain criteria, you may be eligible for a fully funded system through a power purchase agreement, where solar panels are installed on your roof at no cost to your business and generated electricity is purchased back from the funder significantly cheaper than your existing supplier, saving you thousands of pounds a year off your energy bills.
Do solar panels work in winter?
It’s easy to look outside in the summer and think that solar panels are a great idea, but looking out of your office window in winter might not have quite the same effect.
But does this need to be the case? Do solar panels work as well in winter as in summer? If not, does it matter that they don’t?
Answer: Yes, they still work in winter but will only produce around a fifth of the energy which they produce in the summer. Read on for more information.