Contractor Blog

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?

We are very excited to announce that we’ve been chosen as one of two installers for Solar Together’s current round of PV installations in London. Solar Together is a group-buying scheme, enabling thousands of people to sign up for a personal solar recommendation, which they can purchase at a very competitive price.

Our vision since we started the company almost a decade ago has been of a country where every homeowner can generate their own clean, renewable energy. Technology and costs have changed enormously in that time, but a project like this goes even further towards making solar an option for many more people. We’re delighted to be part of this journey.

The electric vehicle boom is imminent. The government recently pledged £400m investment towards EV charging infrastructure as part of its commitment to net zero by 2050. Emission-free number plates are set to turn green to boost driver benefits, awareness and uptake.

In a perfect world, UK roofs would all face south, with a 35° pitch and no shading in sight. But we don’t live in a perfect world. As solar installers, we have to find clever ways to maximise the potential power from roofs of all make ups, orientations and shaded spots.

This is best achieved by using micro-inverters or power optimisers - nifty bits of kit, collectively known as Module-Level Power Electronics (MLPEs). As that name implies, these bring a degree of power optimisation at the module level (i.e. at the level of each individual solar panel). This means you can get the most from panels under different levels of sunlight (facing varying directions or affected by shading, dirt etc).

But which is the best solution? Let’s focus on our favourite brand of power optimiser, and compare SolarEdge vs micro-inverters.

While solar panels are traditionally retrofitted to an existing rooftop, it’s becoming more common (especially in newbuilds) to integrate the panels into the roof itself. With in roof PV, you end up with a sleeker, more attractive result.

One of our favourite brands of integrated solar is Viridian. Manufactured here in the UK, Viridian solar panels have a bespoke mounting system to embed them in the rooftop with a sleek, low profile.

What is a PERC cell?

PERC solar cells are a variation on the traditional cells used in solar panels that offer enhanced efficiency. The acronym PERC stands for Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact or Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell. Over the last few years they have become more and more popular, to the point where they now make up over 40% of the solar technology market and are expected to dominate by 2021, according to the ITRPV.

Solar panel orientation is a key determining factor in the output of a solar PV system, as it dictates how much sunshine the panels will see over the course of the day. The more sunshine they see the higher the output. In the UK the optimum orientation for a high generation is to face the panels due south. However; what happens if the panels face off south or even directly east or west?