Contractor Blog

For many commercial flat roofs, we install solar PV with Van der Valk mounting. It’s high quality kit, produced in the Netherlands, that offers flexible layouts, compact ballast, quick install time and affordable prices.

Read on for more on the challenges of flat roof solar and why we recommend Van der Valk.

Love them or loathe them, SAP requirements are a key part of building new homes. We know how tricky it can be to meet the regulations for energy performance and CO₂ reductions. But as solar panel installers with long standing partnerships in construction, we’re determined to help you meet SAP requirements with solar PV as simply as possible.

A couple of months ago, we announced that we would be offering our free CPD training online during the coronavirus restrictions. Since then we’ve been running sessions and have been astounded by the interest and enthusiasm from people keen to learn about renewable technologies - and pick up some new skills in lockdown.

Spirit recently installed solar PV at the new home of one of our sales team. Since there’s no better way to live and breathe the technology than through personal experience, Mark shares his take on the process of installing SunPower panels with an integrated GSE mounting system.

As we settle into life on lockdown, we’re all finding new ways to keep our businesses running and make the best use of our time. The Spirit team is working remotely, but we’re determined to keep sharing our knowledge, even if we can’t visit companies to deliver our usual CPD sessions.

So, after a bit of testing, we’re delighted to announce that we can now offer online CPD training. Your staff can dial in from wherever they’re based for a virtual session on solar PV, battery storage or EV charging.

And best of all - it’s entirely free.

One of the questions we hear often is ‘Do I need to clean my solar panels?’. The short answer - it depends. So when should you invest in solar panel cleaning?

As it’s our 10^th birthday today, we felt that it would only be right to reflect on some of the most significant moments of our lifetime. It has been a decade of change within the company and the world of renewable energy, with shifting government incentives, growing awareness of climate change and improving technology. The makeup of Britain's electricity supply has changed dramatically over recent years, with approximately a third of the energy now coming from renewable sources. As Spirit continues to grow we will hopefully see the number of homes and businesses generating their own free and clean electricity increase, helping to further decarbonise the UK’s energy mix.

London has high solar ambitions. The city is committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050. To reach this, the Mayor aims to install 1GW of new solar by 2030 and 2GW by 2050.

The solar manufacturing industry is devoted to trends - from bifacial to PERC - always seeking ways to maximise energy generation. One technology that’s seen a meteoric rise in the last few years is half cell solar panels (or half cut solar cells), on track to become near ubiquitous across PV modules.

When researching solar PV, you may have come across the phrase ‘tier 1 solar panels’. It’s used as a selling point by some manufacturers and installers to demonstrate the reliability of their products. But is that really the case?