Saving money on your gas and electric bill and at the same time help fight global warming by reducing your carbon footprint.
Solar Thermal - Solar Water Heating Collectors
Solar energy can be captured by solar panels - these panels can then absorb the energy from the sun and transfer it to heat water in your home. Solar Power Solar water heating systems are the most popular form of solar energy used in the UK. The system is connected to the hot water system. Solar water heating systems can provide over half of a household's hot water requirements over the year. There are 2 types of solar water heating collector: flat plate and evacuated tubes.
Solar Electricity - Photovoltaic (PV) Panels
Solar energy can be captured by solar panels. Photovoltaic (PV) or solar electric panels transform the solar radiation directly into electricity. PV or solar electric offer the ability to generate electricity in a clean, quiet and renewable way. The variety of applications for solar electric are numerous. Photovoltaic (PV) cells are used in simple applications e.g. calculators and watches and also for domestic and larger applications. Large PV systems can be integrated into buildings to generate electricity for export to the national grid.
Heat from the Sun - Ground Source Heat Pumps
When the sun shines on the ground its heat energy is absorbed. Ground source heat pumps extract this energy, to use for space heating. So strictly speaking, the energy source that is used for ground source heat pumps is the sun and not the heat from the earth.