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Generating Power from the Sun
 Most forms of energy on earth originally gained their power from the sun. Even fossil fuels such as coal, oil or gas, were formed when the sun's energy through photosynthesis created organic matter that was later trapped underground. The sun continues to provide more energy on the earth's surface than we could ever need - so wouldn't it be great if there was a way of converting all this energy to electricity?
The good news is that it is possible, using something called the photo-electric effect. Special cells can be made that generate a small electric current in sunlight; these can be linked together to form photovoltaic panels (usually just called PV panels for short). These panels can then be situated where they can catch daylight - building roofs are best - and used to charge batteries or linked to the national grid.
This part of the NEF website brings together practical information on PV panels, especially how they can be mounted on roofs. Some of the material about roofs was first created in a Europan project called "EurActive Roofer".
There is information in this section on:
The National Energy Foundation can help you identify the right size and location for photovoltaic panels. It can also advise on their suitability compared to other forms of renewable energy, or to making savings through energy efficiency. We can provide estimates of the likely cost and benefits of a PV installation, and advise about any incentive scheme, such as feed-in tariffs, currently available in the UK. Please contact us for more details.
NEF would like to thank its partners in the EurActive Roofer project for their assistance with this section. The information given is for guidance only and should not be used in place of proper engineering calculations in accordance with the relevant British or European Standards.
The EurActive Roofer project ran from 2005 to 2008 and was supported by the European Union's programme for Horizontal Actions involving SMEs.
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