A solar PV installation turns daylight into electricity for the property. Green Solar Solutions fits roof-mounted systems on pitched and flat roofs, and ground-mounted arrays, for homes and businesses in London and the South East. The work includes planning the layout of the array and mounting the panels so that they suit your roof or plot.
Pitched roofs, flat roofs and the ground
On a pitched roof, panels sit on rails fixed to the roof structure. On a flat roof they are normally held on angled frames, and on open land on frames set into the ground. Each type raises different questions: on a pitched roof, where the rafters are and what condition the covering is in; on a flat roof, what the structure can carry and how the waterproof layer is protected; on the ground, the foundations, the cable route and the access for maintenance. Which of these suits you is settled from photos and the details of the property.
What is looked at before a layout is drawn
The direction the roof faces and its angle, shade from trees, chimneys and neighbouring buildings, the condition and structure of the roof, the space for the inverter and a route for the cables, and the state of the consumer unit. In the UK a south-facing roof generally produces most, but east- and west-facing roofs also work and spread production across more of the day. None of these points decides the matter alone; they are weighed together.
Laying out the array
Panels are wired in groups called strings, and the way they are grouped affects how shade on one panel influences the others. The layout therefore avoids roof vents, hatches and edges, keeps clear routes for access and maintenance, and arranges the strings so that parts of the roof that are shaded at different times of the day are not wired together where that can be avoided.
Working at height
Roof work is work at height and is planned accordingly, with scaffolding or edge protection where the job needs it and safe access for people and materials. Work on a roof does not go ahead when it is wet, icy or windy. The same care applies on the ground, where the installation of the frames and the cable trenches are planned for safe access.
Permissions
Many domestic roof installations in England do not need planning permission, but conditions apply. Listed buildings, conservation areas and flats have extra rules, a leasehold property may need the freeholder’s consent, and a ground-mounted array has its own planning questions. Say if any of these might apply and it will be raised at the start.