7 Questions Every Maltese Person Has About Solar Panels, Answered
Malta gets an insane amount of sunshine, with its 3,000 hours per year quota topping most European countries’. As a result of this, investing in solar power is a wise decision many people have recently been considering more and more. However, some details on the whole process might still be a bit foggy (pun unintended).
Here are seven questions every Maltese person has about solar panels, answered, to help you clear the air (this pun was intended).
1. How do solar panels even work?
As their name implies, solar panels work with direct sunlight. That’s the easy part. Simply put, a solar panel works by allowing photons (or particles of light) to knock electrons free from atoms. This process generates a flow of electricity. Solar panels are actually made up of many smaller units called photovoltaic cells. Photovoltaic simply means they convert sunlight into electricity. Inverters convert DC currents into AC, and viola’ – electricity at home thanks to the Sun’s rays!
2. Can I actually reduce my electricity bill to zero with solar panels?
The beautiful, short answer is yes. Solar panels are installed and connected to houses’ electricity PV meters, and the energy generated by this system is sold to the government at the agreed feed-in tariff rates. Potentially, this process will get your electricity bills down to zero.
And that means more money in your pockets.
3. Can I pay for solar panels in instalments?
In case investing in solar panels is a little out of your budget, financing schemes are available and systems can even be paid over three years at zero interest.
4. Are there any government grants available?
A government grant is currently available and will remain available till December 2018. Grants can go all the way up to €2,300, so be sure to check what you are entitled to.
5. Can I regularly and easily check how much energy I’m saving?
Yes, and it’s very easy. Most systems come with small kits that show you how much energy you’re producing (it would normally be a small box with a screen connected to the panels that you can put in your house). More advanced models even have apps which you can download on your phone and will tell you just how much energy you’re saving at any given time.
6. Do solar panels generate electricity when it’s not sunny?
Even if solar panels work through direct sunlight, that doesn’t mean shade would ruin the entire process. Thanks to the power of micro-inverters, each of which is connected to a single solar panel, the entire system keeps running smoothly even if there is a dirty or shaded part of the solar panel.
7. Is there anywhere I can meet experts and find out more about solar panels?
Thankfully, and naturally, yes.
Electrofix Group offers a wide array of renewable energy solutions, and even offer site visits, advice and assistance throughout the whole process. You can visit them at their showroom in Qormi or contact them to book a site visit.
They also have an Open Week coming up from Monday 3rd to Sunday 9th July, where you can meet with their experts, so the timing is pretty perfect.
Tag someone who needs to learn more about solar panels!
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