ARC Window Films

Energy Alternatives: Solar power

In the modern world most of us are aware of the importance of investigating different types of energy in order to cut down on the use of fossil fuels. But what do we know about these alternative energy sources?

At Arc Window Films we make it our mission to learn more about alternative sources of energy, especially since our window films are a method to not only protect your household items from light rays that beam through the window; but they also keep heat trapped inside your home and cut down on your use of central heating.

This week we are going to take a look at how we can take power from something that cannot be used up; the power that comes from the sun.

Solar energy; the basics

It seems that over recent years solar energy has grown in popularity and can be seen used on houses up and down the country. Simply put, solar energy uses the sun in order to create power, something that is readily available throughout the year (although during the winter it may seem that the sun is scarce).

How does it work?

The black solar panels that you see on the roofs of houses convert the sunlight into a usable energy source; solar thermal panels are able to heat water using sunlight whilst the solar photovoltaic panels cover sunlight that they capture into electricity.

Are there any disadvantages?

The one downside that we have in the UK when it comes to solar energy is something that we noted down earlier on in the blog; there isn’t much sunshine for us to take advantage of. That doesn’t mean however that we cannot have small scale solar panels; as you will see on plenty of houses and businesses, however the UK's climate is not an appropriate base for larger scale solar energy placement. 

But what about the good points?

Whilst we have already seen that the UK is never going to become an entirely solar powered country; there are some really great plus points that relate to the use of solar energy.

As the use of solar energy becomes more popular the affordability of it as a long term option is becoming more of a plus point. Also the carbon footprint that solar energy leaves is lowering as the production of the panels advances and improves.

So why are we not all using it?

Solar power is a great option in the search for clean energy and something that we feel would make an impact if used more in the UK. However the fact remains that not everyone can afford the initial costs and they may not appeal to everyone’s tastes.

At Arc Windows we are embracing these new, clean, green methods of fuelling the world and think that everyone else should take a step towards alternative energy too! For more information about the Arc Window Films please visit www.arcwindowfilms.com.