Contractor Blog

Rewinding to the start of summer, we released a blog digging deep into the analysis of solar panel shading and the effective ways it can be mitigated. On the back of the technical flavour of this blog, I was contacted by Solar & Storage Live and invited to speak on a panel at the event.

The show brought together manufacturers, suppliers, installers, and councils as well as many other personnel from the industry, with over 4,000 attendees across the three day event. This provided a great opportunity to meet other members of the solar, storage, and electric vehicle industry as well as providing valuable insight into established and emerging technologies in the market.

We’re thrilled to announce some exciting Tesla news. Spirit has won Tesla’s Performance Excellence Award!

This recognises our work installing hundreds of Powerwalls to the exacting standards that enable us to be a Tesla Certified Installer. Much to our delight, the company also highlighted the value of our informative, impartial content in educating people about renewables and energy storage.

The demand for lithium ion batteries is rocketing. They are used in everything from mobile phones and laptops to electric cars and Tesla Powerwalls.

Data source: Bloomberg.

Energy dense lithium batteries are proving an invaluable technology in fighting our dependence on fossil fuels. They can help to decarbonise transport and store renewable energy from solar and wind. That’s one of the reasons the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to the developers of the lithium ion battery.

But with a predicted 9,300GWh of Li-ion battery capacity by 2030, what will happen to all these devices at the end of their useful lifespan?

We’re in the midst of an energy revolution. Coal is due to be kicked off the grid by 2024, ending its 142 year reign. Solar and wind capacity has increased by 579% since 2010. The Big Six has been broken.

This rapid transformation of the UK’s electricity grid opens up many possibilities, and challenges. Chief among them is the precarious balance of supply and demand. Intermittent renewable generation, combined with electrified heating and transport, makes this a pressing task.

But can solar, alongside battery storage, be part of the solution?

With energy prices rising, we often get clients asking if they can go off-grid with solar PV. It’s an alluring idea, especially since affordable battery storage has brought greater grid independence within reach. But living entirely on solar power is not so simple.

In this blog, we’ll investigate how to go off the grid with solar panels and assess, crucially, if or when it’s worthwhile.

Image source: Wikimedia.

With more and more properties looking at reducing their reliance on fossil fuels, becoming more sustainable, and increasing their grid independence, opting for a heat pump ticks a lot of these boxes. Heat pumps may also see a significant rise in the coming years due to the announcement that it is highly likely gas boilers will be banned in new build properties in the next few years.

Though Spirit does not install heat pumps, we are interested in how they form part of a renewable energy powered home.

When in the planning and design stages of a solar PV project, you may come across the term export limitation. Essentially the process involves fitting a device to cap exported power going from the solar system to the grid. But why would you want or need one? Read on to find out...

At present, electric car charging is simple: you plug in and top up the battery. But many predict that in the future, EVs will have a more symbiotic relationship with our national electricity network. Enter vehicle to grid charging.

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.

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.

Free sessions can be found on the following link:

If you'd like to arrange a private training session for your team, please email us at info@spiritenergy.co.uk. Any session arranged beyond the 6 free annual webinar sessions will be chargeable.