The British weather is almost globally infamous, and as a result, a common question often comes up in the context of solar energy: how can solar possibly work in a land so famous for its drizzle? The answer is simpler – and also likely more interesting – than you might think.
They’re not heat-dependent
Solar panels turn light into electricity. They’re basically indifferent to heat, with scorching sunshine actually knocking their efficiency down a notch. A crisp April morning, sun blazing but the air still absolutely jacket-worthy, is still perfectly well located in high-performance territory.
So long as there’s enough light, and the days are sufficiently long, the solar panels will be able to produce a sufficient amount of electricity to make them worth the investment.
The odds are getting better
Over the past decade or two, the costs involved in producing solar panels have come down massively. At the same time, electricity prices have increased substantially. As a result, the cost-benefit ratio of solar panels has become increasingly attractive for most homeowners, and for a lot of business owners as well.
You can make money
Surplus energy no longer vanishes into the ether. Under the Smart Export Guarantee, you can sell what you don’t use back to your supplier. Rates may vary a bit, but it’s nice to know that you won’t be wasting too much energy that you’re not using.
Some households go a step further and add a battery to store some of the ‘extra’ energy. They’re not exactly cheap, but it means that you can still use your solar power at night, or on rainy days that come between the sunny ones.
An EPC upgrade
A better EPC rating can unlock better mortgage rates, and is increasingly able to tempt buyers who’d rather not inherit eye-watering energy bills. Panels are one of the few upgrades that allow you to shift that score upwards, without forcing you into ripping out floors or windows.
You’ll end up quite clearly seeing a return on the value you’ve added to your home this way, in addition to the ways you’ll be earning a return whenever the light shines on the panels and gives you electricity.
Government incentives
The big Feed-in Tariff is history, but 0% VAT on solar gear is still going for another few years. Combine that with SEG, the Green Deal, Energy company obligation (ECO4), the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) and the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) and you should be able to get your hands on something. Companies like Thermly make it even easier to figure out which grants might be useful!
Is the UK the sunniest place on Earth? Obviously not. Still, solar panels thrive here for reasons that aren’t obvious based on common sense alone: cool bright days, rising grid costs, and policies that reward every spare watt you push back.
Think of panels as a slow-burn financial investment, a hedge against the kind of bill shocks we’ve all lived through lately. They won’t make you energy-rich overnight, but in ten years, you’ll look up at that roof and wonder why you ever hesitated.