In an earlier article, we explored a common misconception that our overcast skies make the United Kingdom poorly suited for solar energy. Many believe that due to excessive cloud cover, we don’t get enough sunshine for photovoltaic (PV) panels to generate electricity.
And yet, the UK is one of the most active solar markets in the world.
Today, we’ll tackle another common myth – solar panels are worthless because they don’t work at night.
To be fair, this isn’t really a myth. When the sun goes down, your system stops working. You can’t generate solar electricity without sunshine.
But in the following paragraphs, we’ll show you why this doesn’t matter.
Grid-Tied Solar PV Systems
In the UK, almost every residential and commercial solar installation is tied directly to the utility grid. What this means is that you always have access to electricity whenever you need it:
- During the day, you mostly rely on the solar electricity generated by your panels (when utility rates are higher)
- At night, you buy the power you need from your local utility provider (when electricity rates are lower)
There’s no need to invest in batteries. You’re fully covered 24/7 – even if your solar panels only work 8 to 16 hours a day and you benefit from lower electricity bills and a smaller carbon footprint.
Thanks to a special solar incentive called the feed-in tariff, the UK government is prepared to pay you a generous “tariff” for every kilowatt of solar electricity that you generate. You get paid when you use your own solar power and you get paid even more when you feed excess solar electricity into the utility grid.
You’re not just saving money – you’re actually monetizing the free sunshine that hits your roof.
To find out how much you could save, request 3 free quotes from SolarLinker today.