Rooftop solar power in the UK – real world data

Twelve building-integrated PV (BIPV) projects in Britain were monitored under a UK government contract. Here are the cost and performance data.

A second look at solar power on roofspace

How much solar power will fit on England’s roofs? Here’s a second try at the question, this time with better data for total roof area.

How much solar power will fit on Britain’s roofs?

As the cost of solar photovoltaics falls, solar panels may well become ubiquitous on all domestic roofspace. How much energy would that give us?

The nanotech revolution in solar power

Nanotechnology promises to deliver a breakthrough is solar cell fabrication. New nanoparticle inks are being used to make spray-on solar cells. By replacing vacuum deposition with printing, these nanoparticle inks enable continuous roll-to-roll production of solar panels. Nanotechnology looks set to transform the economics of solar energy.

Insolation, and a solar panel’s true power output

The standard figures quoted for a solar plant’s “peak power” and “installed capacity” assume that the solar panels are illuminated by 1 kilowatt per square metre of incoming sunlight. The average insolation in northern Europe is about ten times lower than this, so the electricity output from solar panels in northern Europe is around ten times lower than the figures in the data sheets.