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  • Energy crunch for UK power in seven years

    • Steve Holliday, chief executive of National Grid told the Times newspaper that Britain could face regular blackouts within seven years if the Government does not intervene to prevent an energy gap that will be created by future power station closures. The warning came after Ofgem, the energy industry regulator, said it was to consider fresh incentives to encourage the development of renewable energy schemes in Britain.
Worried about planning Permission?

Residential - From the 6th April 2008 homeowners will be able to install Solar Panels on their property without the need for planning permission as long as the following is adhered to:-

1) Roof mounted panels must not protude more than 200mm from the roof slope
2) Freestanding panels must not exceed 4 meters above ground level

See here for more details.

Commercial - In most cases this is yes however, a phone call to your local planning department will confirm the exact requirements. We can provide this as a service if required.

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The We Support Solar Campaign

We are backing the We Support Solar campaign who are working to highlight the value of solar PV in the UK and to ensure the Government sets an appropriate rate for the solar Feed-in Tariff to ensure a clean, renewable future for generations to come.

The Renewable Energy Assurance Scheme
We are members of the Renewable Energy Assurance Scheme (REAL) and abide by the high standards set out in their code of practice


The Greater manchester Chamber of Commerce

We are members of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce who actively promote and support North West Businesses.

Solar Ancillaries.

 

Pumps

A pump is required to move the water and antifreeze mixture around the solar system. It is this movement that allows the energy captured by the solar panel to be transferred to the hot water tank. As the solar system is pressurised there is a need to install a pressurised system kit. this comprises of the following components: filling loop (incl. double check valve, flexible hose and shut-off valve); pressure gauge, 3 bar pressure relief valve and a 12 litre expansion vessel incl mounting bracket.

Pumping Stations are basically all the above components packaged together ready to be installed and although more expensive than buying the individual components the installation time is significantly reduced along with the possibility of leaks as they have already been pressure tested. The controller can also be installed in the station or be located remotely.

 

Pipework

It is possible to connect up ther solar system with combination of 15mm and 22mm copper pipe and insulate it with a high temperature pipework insulation such as Armaflex. Do not use the insulation that you find in DIY stores as it cannot cope with the high temperatures generated by the solar panels and will melt!!

There is an alternative to copper pipe which is a corrugated stainless steel pipe already inside high temperature insulation that isflexible. Although more than twice as expensive than the copper pipe option it is possible to run directly from the solar panel to the tank and pump without any joints providing ease of installation and drastically reducing the possibility of leaks at joints.

Other Bits

Antifreeze

Although insulated there is a small ammount of outside pipework and water running through the manifold it is wise to add antifreeze to the water just to ensure that there are no icing up problems.

Thermostatic Mixing Valve

By adding a thermostatic mixing valve to your hot water tank (thermal stores have one as standard) you can heat the water to a higher temperature than normal therefore getting the most of the solar panels. When there is a demand for hot water the mixer valve reduces the temperature to a predefined temperature by mixing with cold water before sending to the taps.

Filling Kit and Air Vent

This allows you to fill and pressurise the solar system and one will be required if you are doing a 'DIY' system. An air vent is also recommended to help remove air from the system both during filling and operation of the system.