Do you have some south-facing roof space? Most people have a pitched roof, so there’s a good chance that you do – but if you don’t, an east-west roof is fine. An east-west roof can actually be better, as you’ll get full sun on some of your panels all day – so you’ll have more opportunity to use it as it’s generated.
Flat roofs
And if you have a flat roof, that’s fine too. Your panels will be attached to plastic trays weighted down with ballast. They look like this:
And here they are on the flat roof (one tray per panel):
They’re filled with ballast:
The panels are fixed to the trays:
And here’s the finished array:
Shading
If your roof is shaded from a chimney or a tree, you’ll need micro-inverters – a tiny inverter behind each panel. If you had one central inverter, a bit of shade on one panel would reduce the performance of every panel. With a micro inverter, only the output from the shaded panel will be reduced.
Planning permission
Solar pv panels come under permitted development. You don’t need to let the planners know as long as you’re not in a listed building or a conservation area. This doesn’t mean you won’t be allowed to have them in those places however, and they could even be visible from the road. And even if they’re not allowed on your building, they could be situated on the ground at the back of the building, or even at the bottom of the garden.
Thanks to Norman Phipps for the information.
