Large-scale solar farms could help balance electricity flow to the grid from existing windfarms, claims a leading solar researcher.
“Solar is a complementary technology to wind,” said Anne-Marie Fuller from the Energy Technology Partnership – an alliance of 12 Scottish universities involved in energy research.
“We probably get about 85-90% of the sunshine they get down in Cornwall. It’s not a large difference and if you look at some of the solar radiation maps, the UK climate isn’t really that different from Germany which is the largest solar market in the world.”
There is potential in Scotland for solar schemes to sit alongside existing windfarms to offer a balance of electricity supply to the National Grid, she said.
The ideal scenario is a solar scheme harnessing electricity from the sun on mild days and a windfarm producing energy from wind on more wild days, she said.
“I think solar can perform better than people think,” added Ms Fuller. “It has been underestimated in the past, but the efficiency of the panels is getting better and the price of the panels has halved in the past few years.”
A spokesperson from the Solar Trade Association said: “As the costs of solar power come down, and the efficiency of the equipment goes up, more and more sites are becoming viable for solar generation – be that on homes, office roofs or in fields.
“Good quality solar farms don’t just generate cost-effective green electricity, they can help boost biodiversity too.”
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