Solar panels can supply up to 25 per cent of the country's energy needs in summer but that figure goes down to an average of seven per cent throughout the rest of the year, a study has showed.

The study was carried out by the University of Malta and Joseph Cilia, director of research of Albertax Group, a company specialising in battery technology.

The research was aimed at investigating which technology was the most cost-efficient for Malta and even went into details of determining the best inclination of panels for local climatic conditions.

The company installed three different types of solar panels on the roof of its factory in Kordin: polychrystal panels, thinfilm technology and the turning panel.

According to the research done by the company, the first type offers the best performance but is more expensive and thinfilm technology is low cost and reliable but does not give as much energy as the polychrystal panels. The revolving panels are expensive due to the motorised parts that turn the panels according to the direction of the sun.

Dr Cilia said the costs vary significantly and were still high but he was expecting prices to fall once production picks up as a result of increased interest.

He said the output of all the installations were recorded separately, were connected via the internet and monitored from Germany. The solar panels were providing three per cent of the company's needs.

Visiting the company yesterday, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said every square inch of space in Malta is valuable and he urged the industry to make the best use of roof space to produce green energy.

Referring to the Budget 2009, Dr Gonzi said the government had earmarked several millions of euros for research and development as well as other initiatives such as energy audits.