Over the course of last year, solar panels have been used almost twice as much by households across the UK. There is now enough energy produced from solar panels in the UK to supply around 1.5 million homes.
The fact energy prices are going up is no secret. It has been the case for a long time and it doesn’t look like it’s going to change anytime soon. This price rise has been blamed on several factors, ranging from the introduction of green subsidies on energy bills and the increase in the wholesale price of energy.
Many experts have stated that this increase in energy prices is down to that fact that we are attempting to become more energy efficient as a country. This means that costs of modernising, and improving, the way we create and distribute energy are being passed on to the consumers.
As a result of this, many homes in the UK have decided to invest in their own sources of renewable energy. The most popular renewable energy installation at the moment is the solar panel – with over 650,000 of them now nationwide. These solar panels also offer users the ability to sell their excess energy back to the national grid for a profit, when the amount that they produce exceeds their energy requirements.
Mintel analyst, Claudia Preedy, stated:
“Although the market remains in its infancy, demand for solar panels has exploded since 2010 and there continues to be strong growth potential. The market was originally driven by residential roof-top installations, reflecting the introduction of the Feed in Tariff scheme in April 2010.”
CEO of the STA (Solar Trade Association) said:
“This milestone achievement is testament to the hard work of Britain’s several thousand solar businesses, almost of all of them small and medium-sized companies, who are all at the forefront of a real solar transformation as the technology steadily becomes one of the cheapest sources of clean, home-grown power.”
It is likely that this trend will continue as prices continue to rise, more and more people are expected to turn to renewable energy sources. Solar panels are not the only available options out there, alternatives such as wind turbines and hydro electric motors are also great sources of energy as long as you have access to the necessary environment.
