Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels get a mixed response in the UK media, largely due to our lack of full-on sunshine. How can solar panels possibly produce energy when the sun’s behind clouds much of the time?

Sheffield Solar is a research team based in the Physics department at the University of Sheffield whose remit is to study the performance of solar PV panels, both on site at the Sheffield Solar Farm and “in the wild” on private houses across the UK. The Farm hosts a mixture of panel types, ranging from the standard rooftop varieties to solar-collecting glass and specialised cells intended for use in space hardware. The energy output for each panel is normalised to kW/m² and made available to the public live through the project’s main website.

How useful is this data? For some PV system owners it has already provided the means to challenge the installer over unexpectedly poor output, as the database makes it possible to prove what the expectation should be. For those debating whether to take the plunge and invest in a PV system, it offers firm evidence of the likely return on that investment. And for those who are merely interested in whether PV panels can actually work in the UK, it offers welcome reassurance. Over the first two years of the Microgen project, the team’s findings have been that 98% of solar PV systems do exactly what they say on the tin.