Solar PV
SOLAR PV
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. Sport in Profile 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.
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ISSUE 01
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 Feedin-tariff.
Sustainable Clubs
http://www.sustainableclubs.co.uk/
Sport England have set up the web-site listed above
which provides guidance to help community sports
clubs use environmental sustainability to reduce their
running costs. It contains a range of advice from
understanding how much energy a club uses through
to identifying, prioritising and funding sustainability
projects.