Contrary to popular belief, light levels in the UK are sufficient to make photovoltaic cells viable throughout the country, with photovoltaics generating power even on cloudy days. In addition, solar energy works well in built-up urban areas and can be retro-fitted to existing buildings and houses relatively cheaply, to produce truly local power. The CIS Tower in Manchester, UK, provides an example of how a 1962 building was retrofitted with photovoltaics to provide part of the building’s power. The building was clad with a total of 7,244 Sharp photovoltaic panels generating 390kW of energy and began feeding electricity to the National Grid in November 2005. The building also has 24 wind turbines on the roof, and combined with the solar provide 10% of the total power used by the building. Read more about it and see photos at Solaripedia.com.
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