Solar power is a clean, green way to power your home and more and more homeowners in Scotland are investing in solar panels.
Despite the typical Scottish weather, solar panels still generate a sufficient amount of power. They can even produce more electricity than what your home requires at times. But what happens with this excess electricity?
Read on to find out what happens to any excess electricity your solar panels have generated.
Solar Power and Solar Panels
Solar power is a clean, green way to power your home as it is a low-carbon, renewable energy source. It can help reduce your energy bills by reducing your reliance on the national grid. It can also generate money by selling unused electricity back to the grid.
The downside to solar energy is that it can’t be generated during all hours of the day.
Solar panels need sunlight to generate electricity and therefore do not produce electricity for your home 24/7. This means that when your panels are generating little to no electricity, such as on cloudy days or at night you are still relying on the grid.
How Do Solar Panels Work?
They work by absorbing solar energy through photovoltaic (PV) cells in the panels. This is then converted into usable electricity. The panels don’t need direct sunlight to work however they will need sunlight to produce power.
The electricity produced will then be sent to the appliances and devices that require it.
What Are the Benefits of Solar Panels?
There are many benefits to solar panels including:
- Reducing your energy bills – By generating your own electricity you will not only cut your reliance on the national grid but also the money you are spending on your energy bills
- Reducing your carbon footprint – Do your part to help tackle the climate crisis by switching to solar power as it is a low carbon renewable energy source
What Happens to Excess Solar Energy Your Solar Panels Have Generated?
If your solar panels are producing more energy than your home is currently using any excess electricity will be sent back to the grid. Solar panels can’t store any unused electricity. So, when your panels aren’t generating electricity – such as through the night – then you will need to rely on energy from the grid for any power needed.
However, there are ways to make sure you are making the most of the electricity your solar panels are generating.
Smart Export Guarantee (SEG)
The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is a scheme for homes and businesses. The scheme allows for those who generate their own electricity to be paid for any unused electricity they send back to the grid.
Households will not be automatically enrolled in the scheme. If you are interested you will have to enrol to be paid for the electricity you are sending back to the grid.
Your solar power system must also be certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) to qualify for the SEG scheme. You can read more about this here.
Solar Batteries
Solar batteries, or solar power storage, allow the energy generated from your solar panels to stored. The stored solar power can then be used at a later time instead of selling it back to the grid. This means that when your panels aren’t generating electricity, your appliances and devices will still have power.
Solar batteries are the cheapest way to store solar energy, however, they can be expensive. Despite this it may well be a worthwhile investment for most homeowners. This may be because homeowners aren’t using all the energy their solar panels are generating or not home during peak generating hours.
This means that you can use your unused solar power to power your home when your solar panels aren’t instead of drawing power from the grid. This is because it may be cheaper to use your stored electricity over the cost of using electricity from the grid.
Can I Benefit From Both?
Yes! You can sign up for SEG as well as having a solar battery. Just keep in mind that not all energy suppliers who purchase solar energy will take energy that has been stored in a battery.
Looking for Solar Panels?
If you are looking for solar panels you can get a free no obligation quote here.
At Homeshield Scotland, we have providing our customers with ways to make their homes more energy efficient.
We have been installing renewables such as solar panels in customers homes for a number of years
Start your journey to a warmer, cheaper and greener future today!
