Water heating evacuated solar tubes (left) Water heating flat solar panels (centre) PV electric solar panels (right)

About solar panels

There are three industry recognised forms of solar water heating panel (solar Thermal collector).

Unglazed flat plate: This type of technology is best described as a central heating radiator, painted black. This technology is still offered by some low end solar suppliers. No attempt is made to maximise the heat collection properties or reduce heat loss. Life expectancy of this type of collector is normally a few years.

Glazed flat plate: This type of technology is the most common for it applies to all flat solar collectors that have a glass of plastic front cover; Glazed Flat plates range from the Schuco Premium Line range with a 30 year+ life span, down to units constructed from plastic some of which degrade in as little as a few years.

Evacuated Tube Solar Collectors: These take advantage of the thermos flask principle of keeping heat in, but not all evacuated tubes work in the same way when it comes to heat collection, a tube with a 360° collector surface is known as a Sidney Tube (as it was developed by a joint venture between Sidney and Shanghai Universities. Other types of evacuated tube include single skin (test tube like) tubes with fins inside which you point at where you expect the sun to be at its strongest.

Quality is the key factor in selecting an evacuated tube collector some of our trade customers have told us about competitive products are rusty when they arrive, tubes without vacuums, tubes of differing colours from the same box and boxes full of broken glass due to poor packaging and transportation.

The test EAN results for one of our competitors evacuated tube collectors showed performance was equivalent to an unglazed flat plate collector, and due to corrosion the test centre had to saw the collector in half after the two month test in order to get it back in the packaging for return to the supplier.

Why solar panels?

Solar panels for the 'energy crunch' news

North Sea gas is running out and Russia is proving an unreliable source.

The UK over the next 3 years will have to come to terms with 75% of our energy coming from Russia, as the North Sea output declines rapidly. The 2009 Ukraine and Russia despute has highlighted the problems the UK faces being at the end of the supply chain. The UK is vunerable. Scary enough, but whats in store over the next decade?

The UK energy industry is currently in turmoil with many of our power stations due for de-commissioning with no new stations due for another 10 years, but more importantly, output from the world's oil fields are declining at 9%. "Current global trends in energy supply and consumption are patently unsustainable.

We now warn that the global peak of oil production will arrive unexpectedly early, resulting in not just a global energy crisis, but potentially the withholding of exports by oil producers causing energy famine".

Learn more at UK energy news >>

Solar panels for investment

With bank rates falling to 1.0% if you have saved money, you will almost certainly get a better return on investment in energy efficiency and solar products, especially solar water heating.

Selling your house? - Investing on a solar panels installation will increase your property value, by *£10,000 approx and save on your energy bills. *Energy Saving Trust

Solar panels for tommorow

Despite the numerous warnings about mankinds destructive impact on our world, despair has set in that our governments have failed to act. This is the same world our children and grand children are going to have to live in. So what are we as a collective species going to do about it. The green revolution starts at home, pioneer!

Solar panels for the environment

In the history of the planet, humanity's time on earth has been short but powerful. Taking responsibility for our own personal impact is why many people install solar panels.

The human drive to ensure its own survival and quality of life has revolutionized industry, science, nutrition and medicine.  But it has also effected unprecedented changes in the delicate balance that makes life on earth possible.

Shaped by oceans and rainforests that generate oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide, govern climate, weather and temperature, the planet earth is under siege.  The alchemy of natural greenhouse gases that enables life has been augmented with chemicals from tail pipes and smoke stacks.  For every truckload of product produced, many more truckloads of waste are created.  The oceans have been flooded with mercury, heavy metals, toxic chemicals and plastic, killing species and bringing these chemicals up the food chain. The forests are disappearing, deserts are widening, the arctic sea ice is melting, the permafrost has begun to crack.  The earth has grown warmer.

These changes reveal a larger story that needs to be told; a human story that takes into account who we are and the state of our relationship to this planet, our only home.  We are in an environmental age whether we like it or not. In addition to over 50 leading scientists, thinkers and leaders who present the facts and discuss the most important issues that face our planet.

Not since the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, have so many forms of life gone extinct. We must all take responsibility, make changes, and these changes must begin at home. Global warming is the biggest threat to our future generations.

Solar panels to invest in your childrens future world.

Learn more at Friends of the Earth >>

Quality matters with solar panels

Buying solar panels can be a daunting task. With lots of different solar panels technologies and solar companies selling varying levels of quality, which can mean the difference between your solar system lasting 5 or 30 years.

With 43 years combined solar industry experience, Solar4U Ltd, only showcase the best performing and highest quality solar panels with 'no quibble guarantee of quality' for your peace of mind.

Water heating solar panels

PV electric solar panels

There are also PV solar panels which generate electricity and your surplus energy is sold back to your energy company for which you are credited.

Photovoltaic solar - PV solar panels produce electricity from daylight through a process called PV. "Photo" refers to light and "voltaic" to electricity. Although a more expensive solar technology, this solar allows for longer term benefits for your domestic home: Easily installed onto existing or new build roofing, an on grid connected system will generate electricity or export your surplus out to the national grid and be paid by your existing energy company. With a minimum 1kW (peak performance rating) going up to a max of 5kW, this can produce from 750 kWh - 4500 kWh per year (UK average 4000kWh). With no moving parts, this solar lasts many many years, and no maintenance is needed after installation. Working with basic energy saving measures, this type of solar panel will be a smart move over the coming years, with HIPS assessments, allowing PV solar panels to be a real financial investment opportunity. 30 - 40 year lifespan. Did you know... 1. Germany has the great amount of PV solar installation in the world. As you may be aware they have a similar climate to the UK. 2. PV installed in Japan in the 1960's is still going strong today. 3. Once installed with PV solar panels you will have two meter readings, one for 'imported' electricity, and the other will measure 'exported' electricity.

Domestic grid-connected PV solar panels system

Learn about the LATEST solar panels
<< PV Solar Panels l Evacuated Tubes Solar Panels l DIY Solar >>

Water heating solar panels

Heating your hot water tank takes a lot of energy, whatever fossil fuel you use. This accounts for upto 30% of your energy bills. Once a water heating solar panel system has been fitted, this will dramatically reduce the need for you to use your traditional heating methods. From March - September your traditional fossil fuel method will become redundent, except for a quick booster top up, in the night. During winter months despite the reduced solar energy, solar can still contribute massively to your water heating and reduce your fuel bills for the next 30+ years.

PV solar panels

As our lives have become more dependent on electrical appliances, so our domestic consumption has risen too. PV solar panels generate a large percentage, or possibly even all your needs, but this however depends on the consumption level of your home, and the size of system you get installed.

Being on-grid connected means you still benefit when you are not at home, as the surplus energy produced, will be sold to the National Grid, allowing you to earn money, or offset your electric usage (produce during the day, to use during the evening), for the next 30 - 40 years.

Or as one of our customer's put it:

" We had solar panels installed on our house, and it was worth every penny, if not to reduce our energy bills, but for our grandchildren. They will always remember that granny was one of the first to have solar panels on her house "

Our ethics

We don't use hard sell salesmen to sell our products, because we know our products are the highest quality. This approach allows us to sell our products at more affordable price's than our competitors. We will not hard sell to you, so please contact us, if you need us.

Finding a reputable solar panel company

As with any industry, you get good and bad companies. The solar industry, unfortunatley has more than its fair share of bad solar companies. With the solar business still in it's infancy, we are now starting to see certain companies, who are trying to exploit this, and take advantage of the up and coming energy crisis.

With 'double glazing' style hard selling, and inferior products beeing sold at premium prices, Avoid such companies with our comprehensive guide, to help you through the minefield that is the solar industry:

1. Solar companies that insist a sales person (or so called surveyer) has to come and see you personally, without answering any questions on the phone. Ask technical questions on the phone.

2. Solar companies that insist your hot water tank needs replacing, even though it is in good working order. This is bumping up the profit margin, at your expense.

3. Solar salesmen/surveyor starts to offer you large discounts from the original price. Common sense dictates that the original price must have been over inflated to begin with.

4. 'Big discounts', 'reward packages', 'get your installation for free' type incentives. The big juicy maggot on an very expensive hook.

5. Do not sign any contract there and then, especially not in your home.

6. The 'quick payback', 'frightening energy stories', are the sign of a lying salesmen. There is no quick payback with any renewable energy product.

7. Extremely low warranties, usually a sign of an inferior product. Free service or maintenance offers are usually as worthless as £1 note, as rogue companies never honour these.

8. Junk mail advertising. The favoured marketing of a rogue solar company. Not very eco is it.

9. 'Middle men' or 'get a quote/quoter' middlemen websites usually work hand in hand with such solar companies.

10. Beware low quality systems such as plastic and rubber panels. Poor quality at premium prices.

With 43 years combined experience in the solar industry, we have sourced and cherry picked the best of the best components and systems, based on performance and quality. Our 'no quibble' guarantee of quality and our non-intrusive, non-hard sell approach to selling solar panels, means we are trusted by customers up and the whole UK.

100 years of Solar panels technology

Solar panels and solar energy has been used my mankind since the dawn of humanity. The sun and solar energy has provided life itself on our planet earth. Solar panel technology can be traced back to heating water as far back to before Roman times.

The history of PV solar panels dates back to 1839, when French physicist Antoine César Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect involving an cell that was made up of two metal electrodes. The first  production solar cell was created in 1907, with the refinement of the technology taking place upto 1941.

The PV (electric) solar panels work very easily by exciting the atoms in a wafer thin layer of silicon. This then produces electrons, which when diverted, can produce an electric current down wires and eventually to be used by your household appliances.

The other solar panels technology is 'water heating solar panels' commonly known as solar thermal, flat plate solar panels or evacuated tubes or solar tubes, which simply involve insulating a space, were water runs through. The heat in the solar panels increase to a point were the water traveling through gets heated too. A simple and very effective technology.

Over the last 50 years, solar panels have gradually been refined and tweaked, to a point now, were we can get great performance out of these technologies, even in the UK and northern hemisphere.

100 years of solar panel technology has brought us to the latest developments in PV (Photovoltaic) solar panels and 'direct' evacuated solar tubes.

The best solar panels technology for your particular household depends on many factors including; roof space, budget and existing plumbing set up:

1. For a longer term solution with a large area of roof space, then PV solar panels are a great choice.
2. Roof space limited and budget limited, then evacuated tubes solar panels are a great choice.

Learn about Evacuated Tubes Solar Panels >>
Learn about Photovoltaic Solar Panels >>

Solar panels reduce your bills for the next 30+ years

The Fight for Human Civilisation, is Won! The Challenge of Keeping it, has just Begun!