Thomas Edison 1931
Roof Mounted Solar Panels
The vast majority of PV installations will be roof mounted.
There are two main ways to roof mount PV panels on a pitched roof namely on roof and in roof.
The present market in the UK prodominately uses on roof PV mounting systems.
On roof systems are very easy to install and in most domestic cases the roofing side of the installation will be carried out in a single day.
On roof systems protrude about 80mm from the plane of the roof
The other PV panel mounting system is in roof.
In roof systems are a little more labour intensive as the roof covering needs to be stripped back in order to inset the panels. Once the tiles have been stripped a trough is laid onto the roof battens, covering the whole area of the array. The array is then fitted on the tray, much like a velux, and the roof covering is then made good to the edge.
The inset panels protude less than 20mm on tiled roofs
The inset panels need an air gap to allow the panels to cool. The warmer the panels get the less efficient they become. So an air gap is essential.
Flat roofs use different techniques. The two most common ways are Stainless Steel A-frames or preformed plastic consoles that sit directly onto the flat roof and filled with sand to weigh them down.(As per pictures below)
