Many ask what the relationship is between solar panels and real estate. The contemporary term is to “solarize“. Solarizing and real estate go hand in hand for a variety of reasons, not least of which being the conservation of energy. Certainly no solar panel system can completely surrogate regular power and electricity. The reason is simple: no solar panel system can guarantee bright, sunny days year round. What this means is that solar panels exist merely as an additional means of obtaining energy. For the individual with solar panels properly installed across the rooftops of whatever properties they own, instead of solely relying on conventional means, they can save money through natural, perpetually available power. Furthermore, in the event there is an outage, the individual with solar panels will be able to retain electrical functions so long as the sun is available.
Many solar panels actually store energy for later use, which makes it possible to have power when there is no sun; but like anything, there’s a limitation to this storage capacity which depends on a number of factors. One factor is how many solar panels have been installed on the property, another is the size of the solar panels, and a third is the length of sunless time. Is it a three week storm, or is it a three day storm? Obviously in one scenario, the panels may have enough extant energy stored to ride out three days without sunshine; but three weeks is another matter entirely. Still, if the entire grid were to go down in some global economic collapse that incongruously knocked out the power lines, the individual with solar panels would have a clear advantage over neighbors.
Also, according to Wire Worldwide Investment in Real Estate, it’s good to take into account that solar panels can actually increase the value of a given property. This happens for a variety of reasons. One is that the solarization of real estate in the UK is currently a bit of a political trend. This means there’s a demand steadily becoming stronger for more properties with installed solar panels. Certainly if the trend can be maintained, it may be possible for the individual selling their own property to add substantial value by the simple installation of solar panels. Beyond politics, though, inbuilt solar panels do provide an option against the government’s offering in the event an unforeseen crisis rocks the nation, and they do provide the person who has them with some excellent savings. If one can switch energy consumption to that which is directly acquired from the sun, it’s more likely that one will be able to save on the electricity bill.
The UK averages approximately 1,493 hours of sunshine every year, which works out to about sixty-two days that are a straight twenty-four hours. If it’s imagined that the sun is only, on average, shining half of a twenty-four hour day (which is assuming against the change in seasons, but should be a reasonable average), that’s about 124 sunny days a year. There are 365 days in a year, so with solar panels correctly installed, the individual stands to save about 33% on their yearly energy bill. If the yearly energy bill were, say, £2,400 (£200/month), that means the individual with solar panels would save an average of £800/year. And that in addition to the savings that come from the government’s Feed-In Tariff.
The Feed-In Tariffs of the UK, abbreviated “FITs”, require an individual connect their solar panels to the grid itself, the idea being that over time, if enough people install them, this renewable, clean energy source can surrogate hangovers from the industrial era. To incentivize this, the UK is currently offering to pay individuals for installing solar panels even if they use the energy produced by them.
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