New roof options for solar PV installation

[191]

Hello everyone

Forgive me if the question of "solar panels as a primary roofing material" has been asked before, but...

Sometime next year I plan to replace the flat roof on my garage with an apex roof. The ridge will run roughly north to south.

Aside from potential planning issues about building upwards, and the dubious wisdom of placing PV panels on east/west facing slopes, I would like to look into the feasibility of covering both sides of the new roof with PV panels (instead of tiles).

I'm not in a conservation area, and I would be happy to have a standing seam roof, or even a corrugated 'tin' roof if there was a price/robustness advantage over traditional tiling. As I plan to cover the roof in PV cells anyway, why go to the expense of tiling it first if I'm going to cover it in PV solar panels?

I have seen the PV shingles that look like tiles, but I'm not worried about the aesthetics. Plus I think the cost of these shingles would be prohibitive.

Can I use large PV panels as the primary roofing surface instead, with a suitable weathertight supporting structure/membrane beneath?

I look forward to your answers and debate!

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

This is an interesting (well slightly) topic and indeed why go to the expense of a conventional roof finish and then cover it over with another layer. I have seen panels installed as a roof but I think they are installed into frames much like large rooflights rather than adjoined roofing panels.

I suspect using panels as roofing panels per se will become common place as it makes perfect sense, though this sector of the industry is really in its infancy at the moment.

There is still debate as to the payback of course.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

http://www.viridiansolar.co.uk/Products_Solar_Panels_for_Pitched_Roof_Installation.htm

http://www.cernunnos-homes.co.uk/technology/solar-heat/types-of-solar-thermal-systems/

http://www.espenergy.co.uk/our-services/solar-thermal

There are no doubt others

 

[191]

Thanks for that.

"In roof"! That's the term I'm looking for.
I also found these on the Romag website:

http://www.romag.co.uk/solar-pv/roof-tiles

http://www.romag.co.uk/common/attachments/Romag PV Brochure.pdf

I know what you mean about payback time, but I'd be more inclined to go for a dual-purpose roof surface than do a conventional tile and then pay extra again for the panels - makes no sense whatsoever.

I'd be interested to hear from anyone that's used any of these systems, though.