Solar Energy

Greenshop Solar is a long-established renewables company delivering efficient, high quality systems in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire and Oxfordshire, from its base on top of the Cotswolds, at Bisley, Stroud. Over 30 years’ experience of developing systems and pioneering new technologies have made Greenshop Solar the leading Gloucestershire installer.

Greenshop Solar is MCS Approved giving our customers access to the Smart Export Guarantee, SEG, payment. Our team are happy to offer solutions for Grid Connect and Off Grid systems, storage and even battery back-up systems.

If shading has proved to be a problem we can provide a range of inverters from SolarEdge and SMA that optimise the output from each panel, this minimises the effects that shading has on the whole system.

If you have shading issues on your existing PV installation we can install panel optimisers that maximise the output from each panel and negate the output reducing effect from the shaded panels on the whole system. This can generate thousands of extra kWh and be worth thousands of pounds over the life of the system.

We have learnt over the years that using the more efficient and longer guarantee components gives the most secure long lasting installation, unfortunately these are often more expensive.

Solar thermal systems provide you with heat energy that can be used for hot water at the taps and can also supply your heating system. The system works by having solar panels (collectors) usually positioned on the roof that convert the solar radiation into heat which is then transferred through pipes to a hot water cylinder or heat store. This system does not require direct sunshine to operate so it will work all year round.

There are two types of panels, the flat plate panel and the evacuated tube panel. The flat plate panels look like large roof windows and are often preferred for looks over the tube collector as they can be roof integrated like velux windows. The evacuated tube panels consist of glass tubes in which the solar radiation is converted into heat. Some vacuum tube collectors have reflective mirrors behind the tubes to increase the amount of energy that can be absorbed. They deliver more heat in the autumn, winter and spring than the flat plate panels due to the vacuum insulation retaining more heat than the mineral wool in flat plate collectors. We recommend the evacuated tube panels if you require both a hot water and a heating support system.

If you only have a low hot water use it is more cost effective to install solar PV and use a smart diverter to divert exported electric energy to your immersion. If you have a limited roof space the electric energy is also more financially valuable and has a more flexible use range than solar thermal. If you have a large heat demand solar thermal is more appropriate because it is more efficient.

A new technology is coming which is solar PV with thermal pipes underneath, they transfer heat energy to a heat pump, run from the PV, and then to a thermal store which then transfers the heat for your heating and hot water delivery. Look at the Solink from Consolar, our sister company.

Greenshop Solar Ltd can design, supply and install domestic, commercial and swimming pool systems.