solar solutions
11 Apr
Solar Energy, Solar Panels

How to care for your garden and keep your pool warm using Sustainable Energy

Now that the Spring sunshine has returned – at least some of the time – we can all start to think about spending more time outdoors. For those of us lucky enough to have a garden, this is the perfect time to plan how to power various elements of it sustainably. The more renewable energy we can use in our garden and outdoor areas, the less reliance we need to have on the National Grid and finite fossil fuels. Other benefits include a reduced carbon footprint, greater energy efficiency and cost savings.

From outdoor heated swimming pols to water features, irrigation systems and greenhouse lighting and heating, gardens can take up a lot of energy to keep them looking at their best and cultivating healthy plants. The bigger the garden, the higher the electricity bills. This is especially true during the colder months. We might be in Spring now, but there are still days when the skies are greyer and the temperature lower than many of us would like. Yet, the plants still need to be watered and protected from the worst of the cold spells – and the swimming pool is so much nicer to use when the water is lovely and warm.

Here are some outdoor areas that could benefit from sustainable energy sources, such as solar power and photovoltaic cells installed on the roof of the nearest building. From eco-friendly pool heating to renewable ways to power water fountains, there are so many ways to harness the electricity-generating power of the sun’s rays over the coming season.

Outdoor swimming pool

Solar energy is a highly effective sustainable pool heating solution that can provide heat all year round. It can provide an extended swimming season too, especially if you install solar water heaters to take the chill off the water in the Spring and Autumn. Using solar energy for pools is a quick and easy way to save on electricity bills without having to cover the pool up for long periods of time. Other pool area considerations can also include using solar powered equipment such as jet washers to keep the surrounding walkways clean and free from garden debris. Just a few green pool solutions to think about when considering installing solar panels this year.

Lighting the way

Solar powered lights are becoming very popular among garden designers and enthusiasts. They can highlight chosen plants, statues and other garden elements beautifully and line paths and driveways to help people find their way and stay safe in the garden and grounds after dark. There are so many ways to use solar lights in the garden, including lighting up garden ponds and switching to low-energy LED lights for porch lights, wall lights and hanging atmospheric lanterns in trees. Don’t forget to keep a few solar powered torches charged up for emergency use outside at night. These can also be helpful when cleaning solar panels in duller weather or after dusk.

Fountains and other ornamental water features

Gardens featuring flowing water offer an all-round sensory experience with sounds playing as important a role as sights and scents. If you have a fountain or other water feature in your garden, consider running it using renewable energy such as solar power. The cabling to set it up is not complex and energy can be drawn from solar panels on the roof of the house or shed to reduce installation expenses. If you have fish in the pond that rely on water being pumped through it, have a plan to continue providing electricity to the pump after dark, when solar panels will not be able to provide sufficient power alone. An energy storage battery would work well, or a hybrid system that enables you to switch to National Grid power when required.

Plant watering and care

Irrigation systems can save gardeners a great deal of time and effort, especially if they have a lot of plants to water. This type of system can be powered by solar energy for a more sustainable approach to plant care. Other watering solutions can also use solar power, including sprinklers, self-timed devices and drip irrigation kits for hanging baskets and pots. Plants being grown in the greenhouse also need careful attention when it comes to light and heat – again, these systems can be powered using solar energy to reduce electricity bills and increase crop yield. Perfect for growing salad plants, ready for lots of post-swimming pool lunches outdoors in the Summer.

Solar Panel Maintenance
26 Mar
Solar Panels

Solar Panel Maintenance made easy: A Guide for homeowners

Once you have installed solar panels, it makes sense that you will want to keep them in optimum condition to get the most out of your investment. The good news is that solar panels are designed to be low maintenance and only require basic cleaning to clear dust and debris. Cleaning solar panels can be very straightforward if you follow a few simple tips. Alternatively, there are some excellent solar panel cleaning services out there if you prefer to outsource the task. They can also usually carry out routine maintenance and servicing inspections, including inverter checks and battery performance, at the same time.

Either way, it is important to keep on top of routine cleaning and maintenance. It helps enormously with improving energy production, keeping the panels looking nice and protecting the whole system from damage and dirt. Before you set about hiring solar experts, take a look at the following routine care tips and cleaning techniques.

Timing is everything

You should aim to clean and maintain your solar panels at least twice per year. This will help with ensuring peak performance. The job should be done at the end of autumn to clear away any leaves or dirt left on the panels by the rain. Then, it should be repeated at the end of spring to get them as clean as possible before the strong rays of summer sunshine start to hit. If you live in a dusty area, or in the countryside, where there may be more pollen, you should look at cleaning and maintaining solar panels every three months. Choose an overcast day to clean and carry out maintenance. Good times of day include early morning or late evening when there is less (or no) sun hitting the panels. Do not work on them during excessive heat, rain, snow or high winds.

Pre-checks and visual inspection

Before starting work, do a thorough check of the solar panels to see if there is any damage or other issues needing urgent attention. Look for cracks, breaks or loose connections. You may need to call in an expert if there is serious damage or dirt needing to be shifted. Do not put yourself in danger trying to fix difficult issues yourself or climbing on rooftops to access tricky areas. If the panels are tilted, this will make it easier to inspect and clean them. Rain will also wash away dust and debris (to a certain extent) from tilted panels. If any sections have come away from the roof, you will generally need to have them reattached by a professional solar panel maintenance company. Do not attempt to repair the panels yourself in the name of making cost savings. This can not only be dangerous, but it can also invalidate the manufacturer’s warranty.

Gently does it

Never use an abrasive soap or sponge to clean your solar panels. Instead, use plain, lukewarm water, or a mild detergent that has been specially formulated for the job. Use a soft brush or cloth to rub away any stubborn dirt, taking care not to scrub too hard. This could cause corrosion or scratches to the panels and lead to problems for the inverter and connections. If you clean your solar panels regularly, you should be

able to get away with a gentle clean like this, or even just run a hose across the surface to get rid of any surface dust and debris. Allow the solar panels to air dry. If there is a lot of residue water, wipe them gently with a dry, microfibre cloth. Use a brush or cleaning pole with a long, extendable handle and clean from the ground for maximum safety.

Post-cleaning and maintenance checks

Once you have finished inspecting, cleaning and arranging solar panel maintenance, you should make a note of the date the task was completed, as well as any additional repair or upgrading work that was carried out. This will help you work out when the next clean and maintenance is due. Keep an eye on the inverters to make sure they are flashing green. This helps you with ensuring peak performance after the solar panels have been checked and cleaned. Take a quick look every day to check for anything obvious. Monitor your energy usage and battery storage statistics to make sure that you are generating the amount of electricity that you are expecting to. If anything looks unusual, then book a professional maintenance and/or repair.

energy-saving appliances
13 Mar
Solar Energy, Solar Panels

 Solar Smarts: Keeping your fridge cold and your wallet happy

We all rely on our fridge to keep perishable foods cold and fresh for longer. However, it can use a fair bit of electricity as it is never turned off at the mains. If you are looking at ways of lowering electricity bills, the fridge may not, therefore be your first thought. However, there can be several cost savings to be found via refrigerator efficiency measures that could become part of more sustainable living. These include switching to solar battery storage instead of relying on mains electricity to power your fridge and freezer.

Here are some more fridge and freezer energy efficiency tips for you to think about, ahead of the late spring and summer seasons.

Keep it clean

We all like to see a clean, hygienic and mess-free fridge. However, how many of us regularly clean the outside of the fridge as well as the inside? Dust and dirt that builds up on the condenser coils at the back of the fridge can stop the fridge from cooling properly, putting pressure on its mechanisms and reducing its efficiency by as much as one-quarter of its normal capabilities. Pull the fridge out so that you can access to the condenser coils and gently vacuum them to get rid of surface dust. Use a brush to shift any stubborn dust or dirt for greater energy efficiency. Vacuum underneath the fridge too, to stop any dust or dirt getting clogged up in the mechanisms and reducing energy efficiency.

Check the seals

If your fridge or freezer doors won’t close properly, the cold air will escape, leading to inefficient cooling and a lower return on investment (ROI). Your appliance will need to work harder and use more electricity to replace the cool air and keep your food chilled or frozen. Check the door seals regularly for signs of damage, warping or hardening. You can usually replace them yourself for very little money, helping keep the costs of energy management down. Keep a regular eye on temperatures inside the fridge or freezer to make sure that the seals are working properly.

Savvy storage

Never put hot food straight into the fridge, such as leftovers or freshly-baked goods. Allow them to cool down first on the side, or on a cooling rack. This will stop the heat from the newly introduced food from raising the temperature inside the fridge. Don’t leave leftovers sitting on the side for more than two hours for food safety reasons, however. If you have time, defrost frozen food slowly inside the fridge rather than leaving it out, or using your microwave’s ‘defrost’ function. The much lower temperatures of the defrosting food will help cool the rest of the refrigerator and reduce the work it has to do to keep everything cold inside.

Think before you open – or restock the fridge

Don’t overload the fridge, or it will be harder to keep things cool and prevent spillages inside. Keep it reasonably full, though, so you are not paying to chill empty space. Try not to open the door too often, or keep it open for too long. This will let

more warm air inside, reducing the effects of your energy-saving appliances on the electricity usage and household bills.

Choose energy-saving appliances

If it is time to upgrade your fridge or freezer, or you are looking for a second or even third model for extra food storage, choose an energy-efficient model, or one that can run using renewable energy. Check the energy rating of your energy-saving appliances to find the best one for sustainable living. Usually, the ratings go from A (most energy-efficient) down to G. You should balance the energy efficiency rating with size, price, capacity and other considerations when choosing your new fridge or freezer.

Solar panel installation

Last, but by no means least, solar panel installation really can make a huge difference to electricity costs. This is not just for fridges and freezer, but throughout the house. Households can enjoy maximising solar savings by switching wholly or partially to off-grid power for running kitchen and other appliances. Collecting solar power during the day means that any excess can be transferred to solar battery storage. This ensures that your fridge and freezer can continue to be powered throughout the night to keep food chilled or frozen and ready to enjoy.

solar panel in winter
12 Feb
Solar Panels

Combining solar with storage battery and other ways to make solar power work in the winter

2024 has started off with several periods of strong winds, heavy rain – and snow in some parts of the UK. Coupled with the traditionally overcast skies of January and February and you could be forgiven for thinking that solar power is not an option for powering a home or business in the winter months. This is very much not the case, however. While there may be less sunshine, the solar energy that can be produced is still adequate for most power requirements. In addition, generating electricity using solar with storage battery options means that any excess from unseasonably sunnier days can be stored for use during duller conditions, or at night.

Solar with storage battery

Being able to store solar power makes a photovoltaic solar panel system more efficient all year round. Using solar with storage battery in the winter months means that you can keep the lights on, even during the longer evenings using electricity generated from the winter sun. While it is true that solar energy can be more powerful in the summer when the sun shines for longer, it still generates energy when the weather conditions are less than ideal. Solar panels use sunlight to generate energy rather than temperatures. So, as long as there is still sunlight hitting their surface, solar energy can be generated by the system. Even during sub-zero temperatures or days when clouds are sitting lower in the sky.

How snow can help

When it snows, this can have varying effects on solar panels. If too thick a layer of snow falls on the roof or other surface where the panels are installed, this could, clearly, obscure them from receiving direct sunlight. In this case, it is best to try and clear away the snow if safe to do so to allow sunlight through. Thinner layers of snow – up to around eight centimetres – can still allow light through. However, snow can also have a positive effect in some circumstances. In what is known as the albedo effect, snow that has settled on the ground or elsewhere can reflect sunlight back up to the panels if the angles are right. This increases the amount of sunshine hitting the panels – from above and below.

Winter care for solar with storage battery systems

Another reason why you don’t have to pack away your solar with storage battery systems in the winter is how easily they can be maintained. In fact, winter may be a great time of year to book an annual service. The majority of solar panels are designed to withstand reasonable amounts of heavy rain, hailstones, snow and winds.

It could, however, be wise to cover them if a particularly strong storm or adverse weather conditions are forecast. That said, this is true all year round. If you are especially worried about winter weather damaging your solar panels, there are wire mesh protective covers available that still allow sunlight to get through. If you need to clear away heavy frost or obscuring coverings of snow, use a brush rather than a sharper implement (such as a rake) to avoid scratching the surface.

Top tips for winter performance

As with any system, solar panels will work better when maintained, monitored and handled properly. Keeping systems up to scratch during the winter can be made easier by following a few simple steps. For example, connecting solar with storage battery solutions will enable the system to store more energy for use during dull periods or at night. This is particularly important during the winter months, so ensure that a really good battery is installed and working correctly. Locate batteries somewhere insulated, sheltered and dry for optimum performance.

Keep an eye on the panels themselves too for signs of damage, wear and tear and dirt. The train will dislodge some debris, but regular cleaning and maintenance will keep the system in top working order. It is good practice to arrange regular servicing – your solar with battery storage provider should be able to arrange this. Routine visits for cleaning and inspection will help identify any problems sooner rather than later. It can also help you stay informed about upgrades, add-ons and general advances in solar power technology and design.

solar panel view from top
24 Jan
Solar Panels

Why your manufacturing or logistics business needs to invest in warehouse solar panels this year

Manufacturing and logistics businesses typically use a lot of electricity and energy to power machinery, provide lighting and heating for their factories and warehouses. Also to ensure that deliveries can be picked and transported. Such high amounts of electricity can result in sky-high fuel bills and rapidly rising overheads. This is where warehouse solar panels can make a huge difference, not just to a company’s sustainability goals, but to its financial bottom line.

Installing warehouse solar panels

One thing that everyone knows about warehouses is that they are very big indeed, with large, flat surfaces in multiple places. This makes the physical buildings ideal locations for installing photovoltaic panels. They can be positioned to capture as much sun as possible. Multiple sets of panels can also be installed on larger rooftops. Warehouses are normally built in industrial areas alongside other commercial premises. So, the aesthetics of warehouse solar panels are not as important as if they were to be installed in a residential our countryside area. Rather, sleek, elegant warehouse solar panels can actively improve the look of a large, flat roof and inspire other organisations in the vicinity to have them installed.

A long-term investment

Commercial projects involving renewable energy work best when there is room in the business plan for long-term investment. Warehouse solar panels will require an initial financial outlay for their purchase and installation. There may also be financial commitments around annual servicing and regular maintenance contracts. The longer that warehouse solar panels can remain in place, generating electricity for immediate use or storage, the more money they can save the company on energy bills, heating and lighting. Surplus electricity can also be sold back to the National Grid, which can help a commercial premises build up even more income over the longer term.

Climate change, sustainability and the journey to net zero

The green agenda is increasingly prominent in business plans and corporate goal setting. Manufacturing and logistics companies can produce far more carbon and use far more energy than other types of enterprise. Therefore, investments in warehouse solar panels will go a long way towards offsetting the carbon produced by fossil fuels and paving the way towards greater renewable energy use. Electricity generated from warehouse solar panels can help these types of companies improve their sustainability figures and move closer to their stated goals around reducing carbon emissions and achieving net zero.

Employee engagement and productive PR

Many companies are using climate change initiatives as a basis for attracting quality employees and raising awareness of their ecological work in press and PR activities. More and more people are choosing obviously green companies to work for. This is because they align with their personal values around sustainability and protecting the planet’s finite resources. Good manufacturing and logistics staff can be hard to find – and even harder to retain due to the competition and high demand out there. Being able to show prospective employees your warehouse solar panels helping to reduce fossil fuel reliance can be a big selling point when it comes to recruitment. Clearly visible warehouse solar panels can also become an excellent selling point in your company’s PR and marketing collateral. They make excellent subjects for promotional photography and the details of how much energy is produced, stored and sold back to the National Grid can strongly support any green agenda publicity.

Future proofing for your warehouse business

Warehouse solar panels need only be the start of a company-wide shift to renewable energy and green electricity generation. Having an effective, efficient solar panel system can inspire other initiatives that will future-proof the company. Lessening reliance on oil, gas and other fossil fuels to run a manufacturing or logistics business can provide stability in times of unstable geopolitics and conflict. The idea can spread out to other aspects of running the business. For example, electric or hybrid vehicles can be used to transport goods and move pallets around the warehouse. Employees can be incentivised to switch to electric vehicles to get them to and from work each day. Electric charging points and bicycle racks can be installed in the car park. These can even be powered by warehouse solar panels to increase synergy between existing green energy commitments and employees’ access to sustainable resources.

battery with solar panels
15 Jan
Solar Batteries

Solar battery storage and the rise of AI: Six solar energy trends for 2024

Now that 2024 is upon us, thoughts turn to what the next 12 months have in store for the versatile, rapidly evolving solar energy market. The growth of the popular renewable energy shows no sign of slowing down, with technological advances at the centre of its ongoing evolution. From solar battery storage solutions playing a vital role in ensuring stable energy supplies to artificial intelligence revolutionising energy production, 2024 looks set to be another exciting year for the sector. Here are six trends that look set to continue, or ramp up in the coming year.

Solar battery storage

Pivotal to a successful transition from traditional energy sources to renewable alternatives is the ability to store excess electricity until it is needed. Solar battery storage systems have been increasing in capacity and efficacy for some time. This year, it is thought that this technology will become even more important. Geopolitical instability in key energy areas such as the Middle East and Russia will render the need for renewable energy sources more vital than ever before. Having powerful, technologically advanced solar battery storage solutions in place will help hugely with the need to have access to energy and electricity generated closer to home.

Advances in solar panel technologies

As global attention remains firmly on renewable energy as a way to help combat climate change and reduce fossil fuel use, so investment in associated technology in will continue into 2024. Time and money will be spent on finding ways to ensure that solar power can be accessible and efficient. Advanced solar battery storage solutions will complement greater efficiencies in solar panels. Innovations such as bifacial panels, which can capture solar energy on both sides rather than just one will help with this predicted trend. Other advances are likely to be around increasing the amount of energy that can be collected, and the speed and efficacy of its conversion into useable electricity for a household or business.

Increased support from the Government

Linked to concerns over geopolitical issues affecting energy supply is a predicted continuation of, or even increase in Government support for renewable energy projects and equipment such as solar battery storage and photovoltaic solar panels. Sustainability issues and climate change policies will also shape governments’ responses to the need to support and fund renewable initiatives to help reduce reliance on fossil fuels and promote cleaner energy. Financial incentives like feed-in tariffs and tax credits will also drive growth in domestic and commercial markets.

Decentralising solar power

The trend of moving the control of energy production to individual households and businesses will also continue into 2024, as more people and companies wake up to the benefits of solar panels, solar battery storage and other renewable energy solutions. While the National Grid will continue to play a larger part in providing energy across the UK, more people will be able to produce their own electricity and sell back surplus to the National Grid to help offset the costs of photovoltaic panels and solar battery storage. This will help foster independence and greater resilience when it comes to energy production.

Ongoing interest in renewable energy issues from individuals and businesses

As renewable energy evolves and improves through technological advancements, so the subject will remain high on the agendas of media outlets and discussion fora. Global event such as the series of COP conferences will attract global leaders from around the world. High-level delegates will continue to discuss renewable energy solutions and how to support innovations in solar energy. This will include improving and empowering solutions such as solar battery storage and solar panel technology. The topic of renewable energy will be included on boardroom agendas, school curricula and social media platforms. As such, it will remain in the public domain for the whole year and play a large part in discussions about moving away from oil, gas and other fossil fuels.

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence is becoming more and more integrated into different sectors around the world, from healthcare to city planning; education to communications. Renewable energy and solar power is no exception. The clever technology is playing a larger part than ever before in controlling solar battery storage, optimising solar panel positioning and predicting energy production quantities and timings. The adoption of AI in solar battery storage and panel systems will lead to better performance overall and more effective processes.