RedRhino Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 We are at the very beginning of our self build so roof sizes / elevations are still to be defined. Why not use the PV panels as an alternative to conventional roof tiles? I appreciate you would still need to tile the non generating roof elevations. The black effect of PV is not at all offensive to me and it could be a simpler, more elegant solution compared to in-roof panels. The size of the array is going to be determined by the size of the roof rather than the KwH we want to generate so could be excessive. But as I say, our roof sizes are yet to be determined so have some chance to influence sizing. comments gratefully received Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nod Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 Solar panels look pretty naff at the best of times But a full roof 😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 There will be at least a 5mm gap around all the modules, and generally, there is an airpath below them. Fitting them just slightly proud of any other of covering generally makes them 'disappear', it is not as if you are looking down on them. I cannot see my roof from the street at the front of my house, so I would not have a problem with just having them bolted on rails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conor Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 No reason you couldn't do this with GSE in roof trays, they can run from ridge to gutter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dillsue Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 9 hours ago, RedRhino said: Why not use the PV panels as an alternative to conventional roof tiles? No reason not to, but..... You'd need to work out how to seal between the panels to keep them watertight but allow replacement of seals/panels if there was a failure. Speak to Spirit energy who posted the picture?? If the fixings are from underneath then you'd need access from inside the roof so how they've fixed them in the picture with a room in roof setup is interesting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone West Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 I think that's an excellent idea. I've not seen a tiled or slated roof that looks as good as the Spirit Energy picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 1 hour ago, Gone West said: I've not seen a tiled or slated roof that looks as good as the Spirit Energy picture Did Princess Kate do any work on it? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 If - as @SteamyTea points out if - Kate had nothing to do with the image, then roof design has been driven by solar panels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 11 hours ago, nod said: Solar panels look pretty naff at the best of times But a full roof 😂 I’ve looked, but can’t find a dinosaur emoji. Oh, hang on….. 🦖 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesPa Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 14 hours ago, RedRhino said: We are at the very beginning of our self build so roof sizes / elevations are still to be defined. Why not use the PV panels as an alternative to conventional roof tiles? I appreciate you would still need to tile the non generating roof elevations. The black effect of PV is not at all offensive to me and it could be a simpler, more elegant solution compared to in-roof panels. The size of the array is going to be determined by the size of the roof rather than the KwH we want to generate so could be excessive. But as I say, our roof sizes are yet to be determined so have some chance to influence sizing. comments gratefully received To my way of thinking all suitable roofs should be built like this. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 11 minutes ago, JamesPa said: To my way of thinking all suitable roofs should be built like this. There is probably less suitable roofs than we imagine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone West Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 31 minutes ago, SteamyTea said: There is probably less suitable roofs than we imagine. Maybe, but unfortunately developers are there to make money, not design housing estates to maximise PV output. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 The problem with this "whole roof" PV idea is you need to choose the panels at design time and know the size of them, and then design the roof to be an integer number of panels in each direction. And solar panels don't seem to be made to standard sizes. So you either want to order your panels as soon as you draw your plans based on that size, or hope and prey that the size you want is still available when you actually come to build it. Then because supply of that size of panels is not guaranteed into the future, you might want to buy some spares and store them away safely. The next obstacle is a bug bear of mine, we have a stupid system where anything over 3.6kW may not be allowed by your DNO or may only be allowed if you pay for upgrades. If we are going to have lots of PV on every roof, that limitation is the one big obstacle that needs removing. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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