Renewable energy
Solar
Photovoltaics
Solar energy is becoming more and more popular as people learn about the benefits to the environment as well as the ability to cut back on energy costs . A large number of sports clubs have capitalized on solar power and they have gained tremendously from it allowing them to carry out their activities with less worry about declining funds for their respective organisations . A typical sports club spends around 30 % of its running costs on energy , and about £ 10,000 each year on electricity alone . By making changes to become more environmentally sustainable , club energy bills can be reduced by 10-20 %. This could mean an annual saving of over £ 2,500 , which can be fed directly back into sport . Football Focus Magazine takes a look at one of the ways a club may be able to reduce their energy costs and gain an additional source of revenue .
About Solar Photovoltaics ( PV )
Solar Photovoltaics ( PV ) is a technology that converts daylight to electrical power , taking advantage of energy from the sun , to operate electrical appliances and lighting . When sunlight strikes the silicon in the solar panels it effectively adds energy to the silicon atoms . They then shed excess electrons , creating an electrical current . Three of the types used are thin film or amorphous , polycrystalline and monocrystalline . Monocrystalline panels are considered top of the line due to their higher efficiency
whilst polycrystalline are the most common .
What Solar PV do
The panels are made up of solar cells arranged in a rectangular formation . The cells themselves are small wafers of silicon cut from a single silicon crystal ( monocrystalline panels ) or a block of several silicon crystals ( polycrystalline panels ), while thin film panels use a silicon coating over another material . The panels can be arranged to feed the current directly into a building , to charge batteries for energy storage or to feed
excess energy back into the regular electrical grid .
The Environment
The electricity produced by solar panels is completely clean which means that there are no harmful elements released into the environment . They do not produce pollutants such as carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) and they do not deplete any natural resources . Installing solar panels will considerably lower your carbon footprint . It is believed that you could save over 30 tonnes of CO2 over
the system ’ s lifetime .
Financial
One of the main advantages of Solar PV is that sunlight is free to use and so can play an important part in reducing electricity bills . With energy rates rising significantly ( average increase of 7 % per annum ) as well as increasing fears over the security of supply , investing in solar panels can play a vital role in a club ’ s future . Another positive is the incentives that the Government provides with owners of solar panels being rewarded for every unit of electricity they generate via the Feed-in-tariff .
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