As PV technology advances and costs fall, more and more homes are choosing to install rooftop PV plants. There are many European countries and many different types of houses, from flat roofs to pitched roofs; from tile roofs to concrete roofs. Can I install photovoltaic panels on my home roof or not? What do I need to pay attention to before and after installation? What kind of photovoltaic panels are suitable for my house? Facing these questions, I hope you get everything you want to know through this article.
Is my roof suitable for installing a photovoltaic solar system?
First of all, you have to observe whether there are shadows around your own roof and whether the light conditions are good. And country houses are most suitable for installing rooftop PV systems – sunny and unshaded.
There are many kinds of construction materials for roofs, so we won’t discuss them for now. Here, we classify roofs into flat and pitched roofs.
Flat Roofs:
Flat roof PV systems are generally installed in the form of concrete columns and PV brackets. The investment cost is not high and the economy is better.
On a horizontal roof, we can determine the angle of the PV panels by adjusting the brackets so that the PV system receives the most light radiation to obtain the maximum power generation.
The biggest benefit of installing PV power plant on a flat roof is heat insulation and temperature reduction, which can generally reduce the temperature by 5~7 degrees.
Pitched roofs:
With a pitched roof of a PV plant, rainwater is automatically discharged due to the slope of the roof, no water will accumulate, and the PV panels can be cleaned automatically.
Pitched roofs do not need to increase the height of the bracket or calculate the angle of inclination, making it easier to erect and maintain.
However, pitched roofs are usually tiled, and special attention needs to be paid to tile protection and roof waterproofing when installing PV panels.
Do I have the right to install solar cells?
Building a home PV plant requires separate ownership of the roof. In rural areas where there is a separate roof, installation is relatively easy for villa dwellers. In urban areas, the roof of a multi-story building or high-rise building is a common area that does not belong to a family, and permission from all owners of the building is required to install PV panels.
What is the capacity of the panels I can install? How much do they cost?
This depends on the size of a roof. Typically, an average home can have a 3kW – 10kW PV system on its roof, but larger projects can certainly be built if the roof area is larger or if higher power panels are used. Generally speaking, a roof of about 10 square meters can be fitted with 2kW, but it is possible to adjust the layout to use higher power solar modules, and even 7-8 square meters can be sufficient for 2kW.
The cost of installing a PV system depends on the specific circumstances of each household. In Europe, for example, for a residential house of 160 square meters, the upfront investment for a 5kw grid-connected PV system is about 6,000-8,000 euros (including taxes).
What products do I need to buy to install a PV system and how do I choose?
A PV system consists of PV panels, PV inverters, grid-connected boxes, cables, brackets and other products, each of which requires careful brand selection. Maysun Solar is a professional manufacturer of rooftop distributed PV modules with 14 years of experience in the industry and can be contacted for product information via WhatsApp.
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