This article will will take the time to review some of the most important aspects you need to be aware of prior to installing a solar PV system.
1. Does your roof have enough strength?
Certain buildings, particularly older ones, might not have the strength of the roof to hold solar panels. After 1970, most structures feature ‘W’-shaped frame roofs with trussing. They are able to support solar panels, which typically weigh about 20kg each. The older structures may require strengthening of the inter-truss, but this isn’t a particularly expensive process. Every roof should be inspected for any issues, since any roof could be affected by termites or woodworms that could significantly damage the roofing. Numerous solar companies provide surveys for free, and examine your roof’s suitableness.
2. Do you need permission to plan?
It is not necessary to have approval from the city council to use solar PV installers Peterborough however, it’s always worthwhile to check with your local planning officer in the event of. If you own an listed building or live located in a conservation zone the restrictions could apply as well, so talk to the nearest planning official.
3. Do you require to replace your tiles?
If you have to replace the tiles on your roof, after having installed the solar panels before this will cost you a lot of money because you’re going be required to temporarily take down the panels. So it’s worth having the panels checked prior to putting in the panels so that the issue doesn’t affect your home.
4. How many watts of electricity do you wish to generate?
A solar panel is typically able to produce 250W of power. Therefore, we suggest more than 10 panels that will result in the equivalent of a 2.5kW system. You could go smaller, but this is likely to reduce the amount of electricity produced and the cash you earn from the feed-in rate.
It is also highly unlikely that you’ll be able to build solar panels that provide all the electricity you require because you’ll need to set up batteries in order in order to make use of the power at night. This will significantly increase the price of your solar system, so, not many opt to live off grid.
A typical home uses around 4,800kWh of power throughout the year. A 3.5kW array (14 panels) typically produces around 2,900 kWh. This means that you’ll still need to purchase some of the grid. The limit for the amount of panels you can have will be how big your house is or what you paying – however, generally speaking, bigger is more efficient!
5. How much do you wish to invest in Solar PV systems?
It’s possible that this is a continuation some degree from point 4 however, in the end this will be the most important element. You could have the largest solar PV system on the planet however, if you just have a few pounds in your pocket, that will make the process of paying for it quite difficult.
6. You are trying to safeguard yourself from blackouts on the electrical grid?
Fortunately , in the UK there are a small number of blackouts. However, for those who have solar panels, if they do occur it is unlikely that you will be able to make use of the panels to provide power to your home. This is due to the fact that many solar panels have been connected to the grid via an inverter that is tied to grid that is connected to the grid. If the grid goes down to let necessary repairs take place, they will not require any power to feed directly into grid. Therefore, while they could be an excellent investment, they will not save you from an event of blackout.
If you’re looking to be protected from blackouts you’ll have to consider investing in battery backup . This is extremely expensive, however it is possible!
7. Do your panels have shade?
Shading has a significant impact on the amount of energy generated by the solar array. When the panels for solar are in the same location, and one panel is shaded, the other panels will have electricity produced limited to one panel that is shaded.
The shadowing effect may be limited to an hour every day when the chimney casts shadows however if it happens at 2pm , it is significantly reducing the value of solar panels. Therefore , you should have properly placed them (taking into consideration the advice of installation experts) and possibly you’ll want to install them on different strings so that you maximize the power generated by panels if realize that shading will be a problem.
And this is something that a lot of people don’t consider. Trees! They grow and get taller. Solar panels have an the potential to last for 20 years and beyond, and you should consider how the growth of the trees may result in shading. We see a lot of homes that do not think about this, and are now wondering why they’re not producing the same level of electricity they were two or three years ago.