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Most people have the same feeling about solar energy; it is all about the blue skies of southern Europe or the deserts. But, possible question is: Are solar panels functional in Scotland? Yes, they can and surprisingly so even when the weather in Scotland is stereotypically cloudy and rainy.
Solar Power Potential in Scotland
Scotland, like any other European nation does not have so much lucarive sunny days like in southern Europe however even without the sun the solar panels do work. As much as solar photovoltaic (PV) panels generate power using sunlight, the absence of bright sunshine does not mean that the panels will generate no power. Actually, current panels are very effective in cloudy weather, hence pv panels will work even in bleak circumstances with clouds in the sky.
On average, Scotland gets 1,100 to 1,500 hours of sunlight over the year which depends on the particular region. Although this is lower compared to some sunny countries, even this amount of sunlight can suffice for solar production. This development is highly attributed to better solar technology along with the reduction in the installation pricing of solar energy systems hence a good number of Scottish homeowners/businesses are going solar.
At the Same Time Solar Panels and Scotland’s Long Summer Days
One merit Scotland boasts of is the lengthy summer days. This does not mean that sunlight will be present all the time but rather the length of the summer days makes up for winter shorter days. Hence, this additional sunlight can produce a lot of solar energy in those months.
In addition, because solar energy systems are self-sufficient, it is possible to power those devices using the excess energy produced on those long summer days and which is stored and used during dryer winter days when the sun shines shorter and not so fully in Scotland.
Economic Reasons as well as Environmental Effects
In addition to this, a number of government initiatives within the UK, even Scotland, are also offered to solar panels. However, the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) gives an opportunity to customers to sell the surplus electricity generated to the grid, thus making use of solar power more economical. Therefore, with expanding energy costs together with the increasing awareness of carbon footprints, solar energy comes as a way out for the Scottish homeowners and businesses to cut on the utility prices while alleviating the environmental problems.
The solar panels help in minimizing the dependence on other forms of power which are damaging to the environment and hence helps towards the achievement of the positive goal in Scotland’s case of attaining net-zero emissions by 2045.
Conclusion
In brief, can solar panels work in Scotland? Yes, they can. In spite of high levels of rainfall and cloudiness, there are long summer days in Scotland, the solar panel technology is there, and financial incentives are on offer which means solar energy will be adopted over time as a good source of energy to the people. Clean energy is harnessed from the sun and that includes solar energy regardless of the cloud, gloom and doom associated with the weather. Whether for residential use or for corporate purposes, solar energy is complimentary to these economically and industry driven societies.
