The Sun’s Abundant Energy

It is often underestimated the amount energy which can be harnessed from the sun’s radiation. In the UK, we receive a vast amount of solar energy. In an average year we receive as much as 60% of the solar energy which is received on the equator. In other words, this can be compared to the yearly output of 1,000 power stations. It is often argued that solar technologies can only be used within the summer months, this is untrue. In fact, the UK has a large number of clear spring, autumn and winter days, where the Sun’s radiation can be harnessed, meaning that solar technologies can contribute to energy consumption for the whole year.

The total average solar irradiation falling on a one square metre surface on the horizontal (the sun's rays falling on the ground), measured in kilowatt hours (kW-h) ranges from more than 1200 kW-h m2 in the far south west of the UK, to less than 900 kW-h m2 in central and northern Scotland.

By tilting a surface to an angle the amount of solar radiation falling on it will be greater than that falling on a flat surface. Fortunately, in this country, the average tilt of a UK house roof is about the optimum for receiving solar energy.

By using the Sun’s abundant energy, we can reduce our consumption of conventional fuels thus reducing our emission of harmful greenhouse gases, as well as gaining enhanced fuel security and cost effective savings.

Reference: The Solar Trade Association

WATTS? & KILOWATTS?:

A human climbing a flight of stairs is doing work at a rate of about 200 watts.
A typical passenger car engine yields a power output of 25,000 watts while cruising.
A typical household bulb has an average power rating of 60 watts.

The kilowatt (1 kW) is equal to one thousand watts (1000 w). It is typically used to state the output power of engines and the power consumption of tools and machines. In old money, a kilowatt is approximately equivalent to 1.34 horsepower.

The average annual electrical energy consumption of a household is about 8,900 kilowatt-hours (kW-h = see below explanation), equivalent to a sustained average power use of about 1 kW.

The kilowatt hour (kW-h) is commonly used by power companies for purposes of billing, since the monthly energy consumption of a typical residential customer ranges from a few hundred to a few thousand kilowatt hours.

One kilowatt hour = 1 kW-h = 1000 watts per hour, is the amount of energy used if work is done at a constant rate of one thousand watts for one hour.

Megawatt hours (MW-h), Gigawatt hours (GW-h), and Terawatt hours (TW-h) are often used for metering much larger amounts of electrical energy to industrial customers and in power generation.

kilo = thousand: 1000 watts = 1 kilowatt = 1kW
mega = million: 1000,000 watts = 1 megawatt = 1MW
giga = billion: 1000,000,000 watts = 1 gigawatt = 1GW
tera = trillion: 1000,000,000,000 watts = 1 terawatt = TW

URBAN ENERGY:

"To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care”.

Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Their expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.

URBAN ENERGY SOLAR HEATING:

Solar panels are typically located on the roof of your house or commercial property. These panels are able to convert everyday sunlight into heat energy stored within a cylinder, where it can be used to provide hot water for your home or business.

URBAN ENERGY SOLAR ELECTRICAL POWER:

Photovoltaic (PV) panels can be installed ‘on’ or ‘within’ the roof of your commercial property or home and are designed to convert day light into usable solar electricity. The solar electricity generated will be able to power any electrical device within the building without compromising quality of delivery. Their Photovoltaic panels have been designed to work within a grid system to permit the sale of redundant electricity to power suppliers, eradicating the need for unnecessary and costly battery systems found on other types of installations. Please visit our website for more information: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/