Solar panels solution to UK electricity needs

If every built infrastructure facing south has solar panels installed, the UK would have all the electric power it needs, an energy expert has claimed.

Speaking ahead of the conference Solar Flair 2009, the New and Renewable Energy Centre’s (NaREC) chief technology officer, Tim Bruton, reported the business opportunities that solar power could bring to the country. He highlighted that the solar industry, forecasted to grow up to £28 billion in the following five years, is becoming more sustainable and accessible, and ultimately cheaper to use.

Bruton, who had written more than 70 publications about photovoltaics (PV), said that a study carried out by the University of Northumbria found that putting solar panels on south-facing buildings could generate all the electricity needed in the UK. He further believes that it would only take two to three years in making solar technology to be widely used in the country.

The specialist also informed that a subsidy structure, similar to California, Germany and Spain, will be launched by the UK government in April. A renewables feed-in tariff system will be introduced as well to give paybacks of up to 40p per kWh for both households and businesses that use solar technology for electricity.

Meanwhile, the Solar Flair conference will be held this week in Durham. Funded by the Electronic Knowledge Transfer Network (EKTN), the event would showcase a range of opportunities that PV could offer to companies. PV is expected to become a known method of providing homes and businesses with electricity, particularly with the implementation of the UK’s Clean Energy Cash Back scheme in 2010.