at home with Sarah Beeny - August 2012 - (Page 221)

YOUR GREEN HOME You’ve got DO YOU REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT SOLAR PANELS DO AND WHAT VARIETIES THERE ARE? THESE ECO FRIENDLY ENERGY MAKERS ARE BIG BUSINESS… S olar cell technology started way back in the 1800s with the French physicist AntoineCésar Becquerel. While experimenting with a solid electrode that was dipped in electrolyte solution, he was able to see a photovoltaic (PV) effect. He even saw a voltage develop when the sunlight fell on the electrode. The earliest solar cells and panels created were extremely ineﬃcient and the energy conversion received from the sun stood at less than 1%. In 1954, three American researchers, Gerald Pearson, Calvin S. Fuller and Daryl Chapin were able to develop a new solar panel that had the eﬃciency level of 6% when it came into contact with direct sunlight. Solar power Photovoltaic cells are made from layers of semi-conducting material, usually silicon. When light shines on the cell, it creates an electric ﬁeld across the layers. The stronger the sunshine, the more electricity is produced. Groups of cells are put together in panels or modules that can be mounted on your roof. The power of a PV cell is measured in kilowatt peak (kWp). That’s the rate at which it generates energy at peak performance in full direct sunlight during the summer. PV cells come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Most PV systems are made up of panels that ﬁt on top of an existing roof, but you can also choose to ﬁt solar tiles. Changes to feed-in tariffs Did you know? The country that has the most solar panels in the world is gloomy-skied Germany. A global leader in electricity generated through solar panels, it produces almost half of the world’s total solar electricity. Fifteen of the 20 biggest solar panel plants in the world are in Germany, in line with the decision by the German government to phase out all of its nuclear power plants by 2020. Germany’s photovoltaic solar electricity now forms almost 10-15% of the total electricity production in this country at peak times. Prices of PV systems have decreased more than 50% in the last ﬁve years. The German government aims to have 66GW of installed solar PV capability by 2030. The government’s popular Feed-in Tariﬀ (FiT) was a big incentive for people to have solar panels ﬁtted, but unfortunately the rewards have been slashed by half. FiTs, which currently pay 43.3p per kilowatt hour (kWh) generated, plus a further 3.1p for each kWh that is exported back to the National Grid, have now been halved. Those people who had solar panels installed after 12 December 2011 will only earn 21p for each kWh hour generated. This means that it will take around 20 years to earn back the money from the installation, but you will still make and save about £640 per year from the electricity generated. If you had solar panels installed before this date, however, you will still receive the original tariﬀ. > www.athomemagazine.co.uk AUGUST 2012 | 221 ___ _ _ _ _ _____ _ THE POWER ON THE TILES MOST SOLAR PANELS FIT ON TOP OF EXISTING ROOF TILES ALTHOUGH YOU CAN GET SOLAR TILES, TOO ____ __ _ __ ___ __ http://www.athomemagazine.co.uk

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of at home with Sarah Beeny - August 2012

EDITOR’S LETTER
WELCOME FROM SARAH
NEWS
AWESOME AUGUST
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
TABLE TALK
THE THRIFTY FIFTY
TRENDS ON TRIAL
BEENY UNCUT
ESSENTIAL HOME-BUYING GUIDE
SURVEY SAVVY
WHAT’S THE SCORE?
THE NEW FACE OF PROPERTY?
SELLER SECRETS
LOCATION LOCK-UP
SOAP AND GLORY
OPEN UP
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
TOP SHOP
THE BRIGHT STUFF
GET THE JUNGLE LOOK
WARDROBE WARS
A ONE OFF
MOSAIC MAGIC
GLASS ACT
TAKE TO THE FLOOR
FRAME GAME
IT’S A BLINDER
SNUG AS A BUG
BURNING QUESTION
THE A-TEAM
QUICK FIX
BEAT THE BUILDING BLUES
LET THERE BE LIGHT
GOING DOWN
GARDEN GREATS
DIRTY DEALINGS
ALIEN INVASION
JUMP RIGHT IN
LITTLE WONDER
OUT OF SIGHT
PROFESSOR GREEN
ECO EXCLUSIVE
TALKING TRASH
PRO PLANET PROJECTS
HELLO, SUNSHINE
CARBON-NEUTRAL COVER
STAR GLAZER
EARTH HOUR
HOT TOPIC
MASS REDUCTION
WASTE NOT
SWITCHED ON
ETHICAL INTERIORS
YOU LIVE WHERE?
COMING SOON
WINNING SPOT
LUXE LINEN
CATCH-UP
STOCKISTS

at home with Sarah Beeny - August 2012