Breaking News from energyhelpline.com: the gas & electricity switching service that compares all energy suppliers: Cheap energy from the sun may be on the way - 29/04/2009

People looking for cheap energy from renewable sources could soon find it is being supplied from solar power.

Despite the technology having gone out of fashion in recent years, being replaced by the success of wind farms and wave technology, the Daily Telegraph reports that new developments mean it is now cheaper to harvest the sun's power for our own energy use.

"Nations have been putting solar panels on space satellites for the past 40 years but recently there have been major quality, cost-efficiency and manufacturing improvements, and the operating costs of a solar park have come down by about 20 per cent," Tom Murley, director and head of the renewable energy team at private equity group Hg Capital, told the newspaper.

It is hoped these developments could push a move towards more green energy production across the UK, as cheap energy from the sun becomes an increasingly viable option.

Energy and climate change minister Ed Miliband has recently called for the production of green energy by any means possible and has refused to rule out any method.

The government has already announced plans for new coal-fired power stations that will use carbon-capture technology to make them more environmentally-friendly, while a new wave of nuclear power is also being developed to deliver more green energy.

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