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How to install solar panels on your roof

A solar panel is a connected package of photovoltaic cells. Solar panels form a part of a photovoltaic system used for generating electricity through sun light. Electricity generated from solar energy using solar panels is quite eco friendly as no fossil fuels are burnt in the process, which emit carbon dioxide and other pollutants. Use of solar power in your house can also reduce your power bill substantially. They can be installed on rooftops, building tops, and stand alone facilities. But, in the case of residential areas where space is big constraint, rooftops are generally preferred. Lot of care should be taken when installing a solar panel to make them effective in generating electricity all through the year. This article details the steps for properly installing solar panels.

Solar panel installation

Solar panels could be installed on different kinds of rooftops. It is better to install when the house is being built or when the home is being re roofed. Installing solar panels during the roofing process will eliminate any leakages to the roof later. The first step in installing a solar panel is putting the posts in the roof and attaching the metal rails to the posts on your roof. After this, the next step is attaching solar panel mounts to the solar panels. The mounts on the roof should be fitted tightly using stainless steel bolts so that they remain in their place even when heavy winds are blowing during a stormy day. Solar panel installation on tiled roofs can be quiet challenging and the direct contact of solar panels to the tiles should be avoided to prevent any damage to the fragile tiles.

After installing the solar panels on the roof they should then be connected to the inverter. Inverters convert the direct current (DC) generated by the solar panels into alternating current (AC) as most of the household devices generally run of AC. The inverter should be connected to the electricity system of the home next. Proper wiring along with AC/DC switches should be put in place preferably by a qualified electrician for connecting the inverter to the home’s electricity system. If excess electricity is generated than that is adeauate regularly for a house, batteries should be connected to the invertors to store the excess electricity to use it when there is no sunlight for an extended period. The excess energy can also be sold back to the electricity utility company if batteries are installed along with the inverter. Important things like positioning of the solar panels and obstructions which are elucidated below should be kept in mind when installing solar panels for your house.

Position a Solar Panel to Direct Sunlight

A solar panel should be installed on a rooftop so that it has good exposure to sunlight. Solar panels perform most effectively when they have direct exposure to sunlight so that they can capture most of the sun rays directed at them. They should be positioned so that they get good exposure around the noontime when maximum solar energy could be captured. As the exposure to sunlight varies depending upon the season, solar panels should be setup in such a way that they can easily track the position of the sun in all the seasons.

Be Careful About any Obstructions

Care should be taken that there are no obstructions between the solar panels and the sunlight. Small obstructions like branches of trees can severely hamper the performance of a solar panel and should be removed at the time of installing of solar panels itself. The path of the sun should be traced for the whole day in advance so that there no object is obstructing the exposure of solar panels to sunlight all through the day time when the sun is shining. If it is not possible to remove some obstructions like neighbors’ walls and windows then solar panels could be tilted to an angle that overcomes the obstructions.

Using Mounts to Install Solar Panels

In cases where tilting the solar panels in an appropriate angle is not sufficient to overcome the obstructions, solar panel mounts could be used to install them in an appropriate way. Mounts can help in installing solar panels on the roof or even as a free-standing unit. They help in changing the exposure of solar panels to sunlight in a significant way. Solar panel mounts are available in different varieties like pole mounts, roof-ground mounts, and flush mounts.

Solar panels when installed properly following the above said steps do not need to be changed for a long time. It is important to install solar panels and the related equipment properly as they generally cost thousands of dollars and any mistakes committed during their installation could prove to be very costly in future.

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