The most common place for Solar Panels is on a roof, this can be :-
Pitched Roof types
- Tiled, most roof tiles are compatible
- Slate
These can usually be fitted either on roof or in roof
Flat Roof types
- Bitumen Felted
- EDPM / rubber
- Fiberglass
Other
Ground mounted
Insulated profiled sheets including trapezoidal and standing seam
Corrugated sheets
Our collaboration with a range of mounting system manufacturers including Renusol, Van Der Valk & SolarPort, enable mounting systems to be available for most roof types.
Manufacturers software enables us to offer carefully designed mounting systems, suitable for your roof and your location, providing peace of mind that your system has been designed to withstand forces imposed by the elements at your exact location.
Most residential and commercial pitched roof structures will be suitable for Solar panel installation, as the implied weight and load is minimal and spread over a wide area.
Flat roof areas often require a structural survey due to the weight of the ballast required to ensure the system stays in place. We work with local structural engineers who regularly undertake detailed surveys based on the property and our design.
Fixing to tiled roof types involve removal of a tile, fixing a roof hook to the roof truss, adjusting the tile as required and refixing.
A mounting rail is then bolted to the roof hook and the solar panels clamped to the rails.
This provides a solid fixing method, which is installed in line with the mounting system design.
Slate roof fixing is similar to standard tiled roofs, but slates are removed, a flashing kit is fitted around the roof hook and the slates trimmed and refixed around the flashing, finishing with a very secure and water tight fixing.
Flat roof solar installs are usually undertaken using a ballasted system, this avoid perforating the roof covering so maintains the integrity of the roof and prevents potential future water ingress.
Using systems such as Van Der Valk’s ValkPro + the mounting frame creates a sleek, low profile, secure base for the panels to be fixed to. Using the manufacturers own design software, a design is carried out to ascertain the correct amount of ballast required in your location.
Wiring solar panels. The solar panels are connected back to your inverter using DC rated cables, these will be installed in a safe and secure manner using a variety of cable containment systems to provide the most suitable and aesthetic method of routing these cables back to the inverter position.
Install solar inverter. The purpose of your solar inverter is to convert the DC current generated by your solar panels into a usable AC current, suitable for you to use. The cables from the Solar panels are connected to the inverter via DC isolators, to enable you to safely switch off the DC if required for safety or maintenance.
- Design. As part of your quotation, your system will be designed. As well as the obvious solar panel quantity, inverter size etc, the design will include a mounting design, to determine the required quantity of roof hooks or ballast for your exact location.
- Scaffold. They will set up scaffolding to enable our installers to reach the roof safely. From there, they can check the integrity of your roof, then install solar panel mounts.
- Solar panel installation. The roof hooks and rails are installed and the panels clamped to the rails.
- Wiring solar panels. The solar panels are connected back to your inverter using DC rated cables, and UV protection where required.
- Install solar inverter. The solar inverter will be installed and connected to your electricity supply and the new solar panels.
- Testing your panel system. The final step is to test the DC strings, turn on your system and complete the commissioning and issue the certifications, user manuals etc. From here you can start benefiting from your solar panel installation right away!
We strongly advise against installing your own solar panels if you haven’t received the proper training. You not only risk damaging expensive equipment, but also put yourself and others at risk. When spending large amounts of money on a solar panel installation it can be tempting to cut corners, however it’s simply not worth the risk.
Potential hazards include;
- An incorrectly installed mounting system with insufficient or incorrect brackets
- A potential falls risk during rooftop solar panel installation.
- Slates or roof tiles can be disturbed and hit people, cars etc on the ground level.
- You may cause damage to your roof when attempting solar panel installation.
- A damaged roof can lead to rainwater or damp getting into your home or business.
- With time, a damaged roof may lead to water ingress.
- Electric shock risk when installing the cabling, DC voltage from solar panels can be extremely dangerous.
- Prevent you from getting paid for exporting energy.
- Invalidating your home insurance policy.
- Creating problems if selling your property.
All our systems are designed by trained staff that can calculate the correct mounting system for your property, assess the required type and number of brackets, positioning of brackets and more, this is calculated using manufacturers software that considers the weather patterns in your location, the effects of surrounding buildings, wind loadings and snow loadings.
If the roof is showing signs of deterioration, or for flat roofs, we can undertake a structural survey to establish if your roof is capable of supporting the additional weight of the panels and mounting equipment along with the forces applied by the weather.
All the electrical work is undertaken by our in-house, trained and qualified electricians, and the at the end of the installation you will receive a handover pack including Building control notification, electrical test certificate and an MCS Certificate.
