Photovoltaic solar panels ''essential for homeowners''

Posted by Robert Shields

Property owners with free surfaces suitable for the installation of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels are not making the most of their opportunity to generate cheap renewable energy.

According to the Bristol Evening Post, efforts are underway in the city of Bristol to make it the UK''s solar PV capital.

Since the government introduced its Feed-in Tariff (FiT) scheme, the potential rewards of harvesting power from the sun now outweigh the cost of installing PV solar panels, the newspaper claimed.

It said: ''The long-term environmental benefits go without saying – if you have an unshaded, south-facing roof, you are sitting on an asset that should not be wasted.''

The journal also highlighted the importance of both individuals and organisations in the further development of solar PV technology across the UK, warning that Britain could be left behind if it does not fully embrace renewable energy.

A recent study by scientists at Imperial College London found that less than a third of British people considered climate change to be a ''serious'' issue.

This scepticism may help explain why the UK''s carbon emissions ranked higher than those of any other EU country involved in the research.