Solar panel installers are presented with a number of challenges when designing and installing flat roof solar panels.
Is it ok to lay solar panels flat on roof.
Usually rain alone is enough to keep solar panels clean on a typical sloped roof because rainwater will flow off them carrying away dirt.
The last thing a solar panel company wants to hear after installing them on a roof is some bad news about a customer falling off the roof trying to carry out some routine maintenance on them.
On a flat roof the solar panels are typically installed on free standing frames that can optimize array performance by providing the ideal tilt and directional orientation.
The most effective way to clean your solar panels is with a hose and a bucket of soapy water.
This can be done in different ways.
Solar panels installed horizontally on a roof at the st george hotel in st george qld.
Before installing solar it is important to make sure that the roof is in a good condition.
One way is by adjusting the solar arrays to optimum tilt angles and to optimum direction where the modules will face on the roof.
It is actually perfectly possible to install solar panels on a flat roof and this page takes you through how it can be done.
This is an important thing to be included during the design stage.
Check with your solar installers and providers to determine if there is any information about solar panel cleaning recommendations and dos or don ts when it comes to cleaning your system.
The frames and clamps used are designed to match the roof profile and provide a water tight seal.
On a flat roof an upgrade a few years into the solar system installation won t actually be too disruptive.
How do solar panel systems work on a flat roof.
It s clearly easier to take free standing panels off a flat roof than it is to take bolted panels off a sloping roof.
Flat roof solar panels need to be at a 20 50 degree angle.
In the past panel manufacturers would not offer warranties on panels installed at an angle lower than 2 degrees but these days most of the top manufacturers will give warranties even if their panels are installed at 0 degrees completely flat.
If you look around you will find companies which will maintain your solar panel system for a yearly fixed fee somewhere in the region of 100 to 200.
This allows solar panels mounted on flat roofs to be tilted upwards enough to ensure they capture as much sunlight as possible.
This also helps to keep the array clean as rainfall will remove surface dirt that could reduce panel efficiency.
Flat roof solar systems are most commonly found on commercial buildings where the roof is typically made to be flat.