A good way to live a much greener lifestyle and save money in the process is to install some form of solar energy system on your house.� It is something I have been considering for a long time and have therefore done lots of research on the subject.� Although I am not in the position to install a solar energy system on my house at the moment, I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a little about solar energy and the types of solar panels available.� I hope you find this information useful.

Many people hold the misconception that the UK is too dull and cold to make any solar energy system worthwhile.� This is completely untrue as solar collectors and panels use special radiation filters that extract the energy from the sun.� Therefore, a solar panel or solar collector system does not require lots of direct sunlight to operate correctly.

What Are The Most Common Types Of Solar Energy Systems?

I discovered when researching the subject that there was two common types of solar energy systems used in the UK, solar thermal collectors and photovoltaic solar panels.

What Are Solar Thermal Systems?

These are the most common form of solar energy system in the UK and are probably the most affordable.� Solar thermal collectors are used to produce the hot water for a household.� As well as providing households with water, they also entitle those households to apply for the Government’s Premium RHI Payment Scheme and could earn up to �350.

What Are Photovoltaic Solar Energy Systems

Photovoltaic or PV solar panels and collectors absorb the sun’s energy and turn it into electricity using either mono-crystalline or poly-crystalline cells, which are connected directly to a household’s power supply using an AC/DC converter.

The big misconception with PV panels is that households that have them installed will have power even during a power cut.� This is not true because this type of system is connected to the national grid and when there is a power cut the engineers working on the problem would be in danger if there was a back feed from household’s solar energy systems.

This is why many people decide to have some form of storage or battery back-up system in place, so that they can have power in their house even during a power outage.

When you are considering whether or not to install a form of solar energy system on your house, it is important to bear in mind the upfront installation costs, grants and paybacks you would be entitled to and the money that you will save in the long run.� By considering this very carefully and seeking the advice of a reputable and qualified solar installation expert you will be able to work out if it is a financially viable option for you and your household.

Whether you decide to go solar or not, I hope that at the very least this post has been a helpful introduction to the world of solar power and solar panels.

This article was brought to you by www.greenwonder.com