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| Evaluate Your Home for Solar Energy |
You can easily evaluate your home for solar energy with a simple "eyeball" inspection
of your property.
Roof direction
Residential PV systems that are roof-mounted should be oriented to face as close to
south as possible to maximize annual power production, but you can still get 95
percent of optimal production even if your roof faces southeast or southwest. East and
west facing systems on shallow pitched roofs can be productive, but should be within
20 degrees of due south. Installing a system on a northeast, north, or northwest roof
would not generate much, if any, electricity, and would be a poor investment.
Roof condition
The life of a PV system is 20 years or more. Once a system is in place, it is time
consuming and costly to remove if the roof needs replacing. Therefore, before a
system is installed, evaluate the structural condition of your roof and shingles to
ensure that they will not require repairs or replacement any time soon. Some installers
recommend replacing the roof if it has a remaining lifetime of eight years or less.
of your property.
Roof direction
Residential PV systems that are roof-mounted should be oriented to face as close to
south as possible to maximize annual power production, but you can still get 95
percent of optimal production even if your roof faces southeast or southwest. East and
west facing systems on shallow pitched roofs can be productive, but should be within
20 degrees of due south. Installing a system on a northeast, north, or northwest roof
would not generate much, if any, electricity, and would be a poor investment.
Roof condition
The life of a PV system is 20 years or more. Once a system is in place, it is time
consuming and costly to remove if the roof needs replacing. Therefore, before a
system is installed, evaluate the structural condition of your roof and shingles to
ensure that they will not require repairs or replacement any time soon. Some installers
recommend replacing the roof if it has a remaining lifetime of eight years or less.
Shading
Solar energy systems should be sited to maximize their direct exposure to sunlight and
to avoid shading by a home’s structural elements (such as window dormers or
chimneys), nearby trees (including your neighbor's) and other buildings. Even a small
amount of shading on solar panels will interrupt the production of power, reducing the
system’s productivity. Full sun at either the front or back of your house from 9 AM to 3
PM every day is ideal.
Solar energy systems should be sited to maximize their direct exposure to sunlight and
to avoid shading by a home’s structural elements (such as window dormers or
chimneys), nearby trees (including your neighbor's) and other buildings. Even a small
amount of shading on solar panels will interrupt the production of power, reducing the
system’s productivity. Full sun at either the front or back of your house from 9 AM to 3
PM every day is ideal.
Ground mounted installations
If you're a homeowner with large amounts of open
land around your house, you have the option to
install a ground-mounted PV system.
The advantage of such a system is you can orient
it in the optimal south-facing direction and at the
ideal tilt to maximize electricity production. It is
also easy to remove snow and adjust the tilt of
the array to match seasonal changes in the sun's
angle.
Disadvantages are a higher cost due to the
expense of a ground-based super structure, the
potential for vegetation to cast shadows on the
system, and possible vandalism.
If you're a homeowner with large amounts of open
land around your house, you have the option to
install a ground-mounted PV system.
The advantage of such a system is you can orient
it in the optimal south-facing direction and at the
ideal tilt to maximize electricity production. It is
also easy to remove snow and adjust the tilt of
the array to match seasonal changes in the sun's
angle.
Disadvantages are a higher cost due to the
expense of a ground-based super structure, the
potential for vegetation to cast shadows on the
system, and possible vandalism.
| 1.2 kw photovoltaic system (4) 300 watt photovoltaic modules |
| Free standing solar panels |
Pole Mounted free standing solar panels
