Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Should You Install Your Own Solar Shingles?
Solar shingles can be a good alternative to installing solar panels on the roof. They are made with
flexible thin film photovoltaic solar cells that are not only lighter weight than solar panels, but
will deliver similar solar energy. If you do not like the idea of a large solar array installation
on your roof, and you are good with a hammer and nails and a measuring tape, you may even be able
to do some of the installation yourself. Here are some facts that will help you decide whether you
want to install them yourself or hire a pro.
The design of your roof will influence how easy the job will be. The easiest installation
environment is a large gable roof with composition shingles. This design provides large areas of
unobstructed roof surface, and the thin film solar shingles can be easily integrated into the
composition shingles. Since thin film shingles produce about half of the electricity of traditional
solar panels covering that same area, you should estimate using about twice the surface roof area
that a solar panel array would require.
Installing the solar shingles is very similar to installing traditional composition shingles, and
you can even use regular roofing nails. But solar shingles contain wiring that transfers the
electricity produced by the solar cells into the electrical system of your house. For each shingle,
you will need to drill a hole through the roof, insert the electrical wire, and then connect it to
the rest of the array from underneath the roof. The holes and wires must be precisely placed, which
can make for tedious work if you are installing the PV shingles over a large area.
For this reason, it is important to plan ahead and know exactly where you will install the solar
shingles. Also keep in mind that they cannot be cut like composition shingles, so there is much
less room for error during installation. But if you are willing to take the time and effort, you
will have an attractive roof that delivers clean and inexpensive solar power to your
home.
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