PV cells come in a variety of shapes and colours, from grey "solar tiles" that look like roof tiles to panels and transparent cells that you can use on conservatories and glass. The strength of a PV cell is measured in kilowatt peak (kWp). That's the amount of energy the cell generates in full sunlight. The benefits of solar electricity:
* Cut your carbon footprint: solar electricity is green, renewables energy and doesn't release any harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) or other pollutants. A typical home PV system could save around 1200 kg of CO2 per year - that's around 30 tonnes over its lifetime.
* Cut your electricity bills: sunlight is free, so once you've paid for the initial installation your electricity costs will be greatly reduced. A typical home PV system can produce around 40% of the electricity a household uses in a year.
* Sell electricity back to the Grid: if your system is producing more electricity than you need, or when you can't use it, someone else can use it - and you could make a bit of money. Read more about feed-in tariffs and selling electricity.
* Store electricity for a cloudy day: if your home isn't connected to the national grid you can store excess electricity in batteries to use when you need it.