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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 Electricity DC Systems.

 

Low Voltage Power

This is probably the simplist set up as it is self contained. The solar panel can be directly connected to your appliance (eg a pond pump/fountain) and provide 12v or 24v DC - the same type of voltage provided by a battery. Obvoiusly the appliance will only work during daylight hours so if you want to use the energy at other times, for example lighting in your shed or garden, you will need to store it until required. This is quite simply acheived by connecting a charge controller and battery between the solar panel and appliance. The charge controller ensures that the battery does not get over charged causing irreversable damage. Any type of lead acid battery can be used, but the best batteries to use are 'deep cycle batteries', often called leisure batteries. Unlike car batteries, these are designed to withstand deep discharge without damage. They are made with much thicker and heavier lead plates, which are more resistant to damage, and last many times longer than conventional lead acid batteries.