Solar energy: uses, yield and price of the installation

Solar energy is an energy source whose raw material is the sun. Today, it is an essential source of renewable energy. More and more French people are moving towards solar energy for all the advantages it provides, but before embarking on such an investment, it may be interesting to understand how solar energy works, how use it, what is its price and how to optimize its performance to get the most out of it.

What is solar energy and how does it work?

To give a definition of solar energy in a few words, it is simply a renewable and inexhaustible source of energy which makes it possible to produce electricity or heat while respecting the environment.

Solar energy works as follows: it involves creating energy by capturing sunlight, through photovoltaic panels or solar thermal power plants. The installation of these systems can have a fairly substantial cost depending on the equipment used or the desired power, but solar energy represents a profitable investment, without forgetting that it is clean, inexhaustible and free.

There are mainly two ways of exploiting solar energy:

Photovoltaic solar energy : this technique consists of converting solar energy into electricity. The electricity obtained can be available in the form of direct electricity, injected into the grid, or there are techniques for storing solar energy, using batteries for example. Many electricity suppliers encourage the installation of photovoltaic panels for individuals, by offering them offers for self-consumption or the purchase of the energy produced;
Thermal solar energy : this involves converting radiation into heat using thermal sensors. The role of these sensors is to absorb solar photons and transform them into heat. This technique is generally used for solar water heaters and heaters, cookers, solar dryers, etc.

Namely that there is also thermodynamic solar energy which is a variant of solar thermal, that is to say that the radiation of the sun is transformed into heat, which in turn is transformed into electricity. Thermodynamic solar power plants are gigantic installations, relatively new in Europe. They are mainly present in France, Sweden, Belgium and Spain to date.

What is photovoltaic solar energy?

It may be interesting to expand on each type of solar energy, starting with photovoltaics, which is an economical, ecological and profitable solution for producing one's own electricity and meeting one's energy needs.

How to benefit from photovoltaic solar energy?

Reduce your electricity bills, reduce your ecological footprint, etc. The advantages are numerous, but how to take advantage of them, concretely?

What is self-consumption?

Photovoltaic solar energy makes it possible to produce one's own green electricity and use it directly to meet multiple needs: heating, water heater, cooking, powering one's refrigerator, television, etc. This is called self-consumption. It is a way to considerably reduce your energy bills and no longer depend on market prices, the sun being a free and easily accessible energy.

It is estimated that around 14,000 households consume their own solar energy in France. To take advantage of this, here are the steps to follow:

Request authorization : in general, you must first obtain prior authorization from your town hall before installing photovoltaic panels. If it is a co-ownership, the approval of the site will be done by the vote of the general meeting;
Have the panels installed by a professional : the installation of solar panels is quite technical, especially if you want to obtain a good yield. It is therefore advisable to hire a professional for this operation. Some suppliers, such as ekWateur, also offer solar panel kits that are easy to install yourself;
Connect the solar installation : even if it is solar energy, it is still necessary to connect the installation to the network by establishing a contract with the Enedis network manager. The individual will then obtain a Self-Consumption Agreement Without Injection (CACSI) to benefit from his installation, or a Connection, Access and Operation Contract if he wishes to resell part or all of his energy.

How is the resale of solar renewable energy going?

Self-consumption is one option, resale of energy is another. An individual can earn up to €1,800 in solar revenue per year for 20 years by selling all of their electricity production. Note that this amount depends on the type of installation and the power (the power can range from 3 kWp to 100 kWp). In the fourth quarter of 2019, the sale price of photovoltaic electricity was 18.57 c€/kWp for an installation less than or equal to 3 kWp.

Several suppliers and ELDs can buy back the electricity produced. It is for example possible to resell its solar energy to EDF, which has the obligation to buy back any energy produced and connected to the network. The EDF feed-in tariff for solar energy is set by decree and remains the same for 20 years. In France, there are approximately 350,000 individual electricity producers who resell their energy to EDF.

Namely that it is also possible to mix self-consumption and sale, only by consuming the electricity we need and selling the surplus production. It is also a cost effective solution.

How much does the installation of photovoltaic panels cost?

As explained earlier, installing solar panels is relatively expensive. It takes an average of €3 per Watt installed. To give a small estimate, here are some price ranges for an installation of solar panels in a private home, for information only:

It is an important investment, but profitable in the long term thanks to the savings that solar energy guarantees. In addition, there are aids and bonuses which make it possible to finance this intervention.

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What are the aids for the production of solar energy?

Those who decide to install photovoltaic panels at home are eligible for state aid, in particular the photovoltaic self-consumption premium. This premium is degressive and is spread over the first 5 years of operation. Its amount depends on the power of the installation:

Installations connected to the network with a power of less than or equal to 3 kWp can also benefit from a 10% VAT rate, whether the installation is used for total self-consumption, sale of solar energy or a mix of solar energy. self-consumption and resale. Other aids to solar panels exist.

How to evaluate the performance of photovoltaic panels?

The efficiency of solar panels corresponds to the quantity of electricity produced in relation to the solar energy received. The higher the yield, the more efficient the installation. For photovoltaic panels, their efficiency varies between 7% and 24%. Such a big difference is explained by the fact that the yield varies according to many parameters:

That is why it is advisable to hire professionals for such an installation, as they will be able to carry out the work in such a way as to obtain the best return. There are also online photovoltaic yield calculation tools, usually on supplier sites, to estimate the profitability of its installation.

Why invest in photovoltaic panels?

For those who have not yet decided to invest in solar panels, here are the advantages and disadvantages of photovoltaic solar energy:

Advantages and disadvantages of solar panels
Good points	Negative points

What is solar thermal energy?

Solar thermal energy is different from photovoltaic solar energy because instead of transforming radiation into electricity directly, it converts it into heat. Solar thermal energy recovers heat from the sun via panels or modules, in which a heat transfer liquid circulates. This hot liquid then transmits its energy to heat the running water (this is the system used for the solar water heater) or to supply the heating (combined solar system).

How to use solar thermal energy?

To explain in a more concrete way, here are examples of uses of solar thermal energy:

How efficient is solar thermal energy?

As with photovoltaic solar energy, it is always interesting to know the efficiency of its thermal installations. If we take the example of the solar water heater, its efficiency reaches 80%, which is quite impressive because it shows that the loss between the captured energy and the useful energy is very low.

That said, to achieve such a yield, it is necessary to take into account several factors:

Why invest in this energy?

For those who want to opt for equipment using solar thermal energy technology, here are some advantages and disadvantages of this technology to help in this choice:

Advantages and disadvantages of solar thermal energy
The positive	The negative

Is solar energy the energy of the future?

Solar energy is increasingly exploited thanks to its enormous potential. Researchers say that 5% of the surface of the deserts could produce all the electricity on the planet. Knowing this, technologies make solar energy more and more accessible and profitable. Indeed, in addition to being a clean energy, solar energy has demonstrated significant profitability. In more than thirty countries, it is produced at the same price or less than fossil fuel installations.

Solar energy is therefore a response to the environmental, energy and financial challenges of tomorrow's world. And it has a good chance of continuing to develop, knowing that at present its potential is far from being exploited to its fullest.