Over the past year, Expert Energy Group has been engaged in a comprehensive tender process to install solar PV systems across Hertfordshire for Settle Housing, commissioned by Wates Group under the SHDF Wave 2 initiative. To date, we have successfully installed over 180 solar PV systems, with capacities ranging from 1.6kW to 3.4kW, totaling 454kW of installed power. Each system has been equipped with monitoring capabilities, enabling the housing association to track energy generation and promptly identify any potential issues. In addition to solar PV installations, we have contributed to the deployment of energy-efficient lighting and decentralized mechanical ventilation systems. The SHDF program's objective is to enhance the EPC ratings of social housing properties to a minimum of grade C. Our proven expertise and commitment to excellence offer confidence to residents, the housing association, and the main contractor, ensuring our ongoing role in this project through 2025.

Discover the benefits of Solis inverters for your solar power system. High efficiency, flexibility, durability, and advanced monitoring and control make Solis inverters a reliable and cost-effective option. Learn more here.

Plyontech batteries and their benefits

Discover how the Feed-in Tariff scheme, falling costs, and increasing environmental awareness have driven the growth of solar PV in the UK over the last 10 years, reducing the country's reliance on fossil fuels.

Yes, solar panels do produce electricity in cloudy weather. They don’t produce as much electricity as they do on sunny days, but they have been shown to produce 25% of what they produce on a sunny day, or 10% when it’s very cloudy. You can still get sunburned even in cloudy weather, especially if your bald like me. Even thought clouds block direct sunlight, rays still penetrate the clouds and this is what burns us and also what we need to generate power with solar panels. To keep it simple solar panels only need daylight, not direct sunlight. So if you can see outside without artificial lights such as street lights, then there is enough natural light to be absorb by your solar panel. Cloudy weather can have far less of an impact on solar panel efficiency than many people think. The American cities of New York and Seattle, for example, are amongst the top US cities for solar panel savings. Similarly, Germany accounts for about 25% of the world’s solar power, while being simultaneously famous for its lack of sunlight. Nevertheless, it achieved its strongest growth output in about half a decade last year. So, how does that work for them with less-than-optimal weather? Basically, it’s because it’s the local cost of electricity, and not the amount of cloud cover, that influences the scale of the savings that people and businesses are able to make with solar panel installations. Interestingly, although they work better on sunny versus cloudy days, solar panels don't work best in particularly hot climates. In fact, solar panel output begins to fall if the temperature rises above 25 degrees Celsius. There’s even a phenomenon in which cloudy weather can actually lead to increased output of solar panels, compared to a bright and cloudless day. This is called the Edge of Cloud effect. Essentially, sunlight can get magnified through refraction, just when the sun is emerging from (or being hidden behind) a bank of clouds. This leads to a sudden burst of energy, which can lead to a temporary but dramatic increase in output. Either way, solar panels can generate in cloudy and clear days and are a great investment even here in the UK!