Bright times for solar power

Concerns about rising energy costs has sparked demand for solar PV installations, which can be even more effective when combined with heat pumps – Jonny Hancock, product manager at NIBE Energy Systems, highlights some of the key benefits.

There has been a significant increase in solar PV installations across the UK. We’ve seen quite a flurry of activity across the industry and it is something that must be celebrated. Figures from the MCS show that 79,560 solar PV installations were completed from January – August 2022. This is a 30% increase on the number installed over 2021.

This upward trend is something we’ve seen in the heat pump market too and I think it signals a real shift in consumer mindset. We’re all concerned about energy costs right now and solar PV is being touted as a solution to tackling increasing bills. Installing solar PV as part of a property retrofit is definitely something that should be considered, as it can have a massive impact on running costs and carbon emissions. It’s clear that consumers are awakening to the benefits. In August alone, there was a 144% increase in registered solar PV installations compared to August 2021, at 12,411 and 5,082 respectively.

Now you may ask what has this got to do with heat pumps? Well heat pumps and solar PV go hand in hand, and one is often a catalyst for the other. With rising electricity prices, customers with heat pumps could benefit from the installation of solar PV by reducing their reliance on grid electricity. Also, households that already have solar PV may look to heat pump solutions as a means of lowering their heating costs.

At NIBE, we’ve even combined the two in our innovative multi-source heat pump system using Photovoltaic-Thermal panels! The panels are used as an alternative collector source for the heat pump, reducing or removing the need for traditional boreholes or ground arrays. These systems produce both thermal and electrical energy for the property.

So, there is a fantastic opportunity for heat pump installers to not only provide low-cost heating alternatives to traditional fossil fuel boilers, but they can also further reduce household running costs by recommending solar PV or PV-T alongside them to provide zero cost clean renewable energy. In fact, over a third of MCS heat pump installers also offer solar PV.

Now we appreciate that heat pump running costs are mainly felt in the winter months when there are naturally less sunny days. Nevertheless, hot water is needed all year around and a well-designed system can provide free hot water throughout the summer. As many people know, an efficiency ratio of 1:1 can be achieved by using solar PV to power immersion heaters, but by using a solar PV to power a heat pump, an efficiency ratio of 1:4 can be achieved, meaning that households can get three times more free heat for hot water, when compared to powering an immersion heater. This efficiency can result in cost savings, as data from across NIBE installations suggest that a cost saving of 24% could be achieved by adding a solar PV system to a heat pump.

In addition, when there is no electricity demand from the heat pump, solar PV systems can be used to power all household electrical appliances, which provides further savings on electricity bills. Furthermore, with the phase out of petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2035, more and more of us are looking to electric vehicles. Meaning a solar PV system can also reduce commuting costs.

Heat pumps also allow customers to make the most out of their solar PV system throughout the year. On those shorter sunny days, customers can store energy to run their heat pumps in the evening, this can be done in several ways, by topping up the buffer vessel during the day or by using battery storage. Installers can also gain MCS certification for battery storage providing further peace of mind and options for customers.

The NIBE S-series has also been designed with connectivity in mind, and incorporates Modbus communication as standard to connect directly with solar PV inverters. This allows an S-series heat pump to display solar production information, and optimise how solar generated electricity is used by the heat pump to provide heating and hot water.

If you are interested in expanding your business to include heat pumps, please contact us about becoming a NIBE Pro, or if you are already a NIBE Pro and want to offer solar PV or battery storage technologies to your customers, our partner certification Body NAPIT will be more than happy to assist in your journey to certification.

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