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Solar Photovoltaic
Photovoltaic panels convert the light from the sun into a DC current by harnessing the energy created by electrons moving between two thin films of oppositely charged silicon. This current can then be converted and matched with the national grid by an inverter or used to charge a battery storage system.

The panels need to be mounted in an un-shaded area facing South and can be roof mounted or supported by a specially designed frame for flat roof, ground, or façade mounting.

Photovoltaic panel efficiency is commonly between 12% and 20% so the area required for panels is around 8 times that required for solar thermal systems for the same power output. Typically a 1kW system will require 8-10 square meters of PV cells. Remote locations with off grid systems can benefit greatly from hybrid installations combining technologies such as wind and photovoltaics to benefit from higher wind speeds in the winter and greater sunlight in the summer. Here in Cornwall and the South West, we benefit from a good annual solar resource, so photovoltaic electricity generation works well either when combined with wind generation or where wind is not appropriate.

solar panels

Heat Pumps
Ground, water or air source heat pumps are commonly available and all work in a similar way to a refrigerator in reverse. Ground source heat pumps extract the energy from the earth using either a series of pipes buried in trenches or sunk in a borehole where space is limited. They will generally work most efficiently when supplying heat at lower temperatures (30-50 degrees) so are best suited to under floor heating. In this instance an operating efficiency of 400% can be obtained, that’s to say that every unit of electrical energy used to run the heat pump generates 4 units of heat energy. Similarly water source heat pumps extract their energy from a body of water, either directly or through pipes laid on the bottom of a lake. These are slightly more efficient even than ground source heat pumps but rely on a suitable water resource.

Air source heat pumps are generally less efficient (typically 300%) than ground source systems but have gainful and widespread application where the former are not logistically possible. In commercial premises, air to air heat pumps may offer the best solution providing both heating and cooling when necessary. Heat pumps are well suited to maximising the energy that is extracted from the sun or wind by a wind turbine or Solar PV.

Natural Generation will work closely with every customer to design and install the best integrated system that meets the end user's needs.
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