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Installing a Photovoltaic System |
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Be sure to use the search bar to the right to
find installers and retailers of |
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Most PV
cells and panels are flat, reinforced panels, with or without frames, that
are attached to framing members in a home or building, or are attached to an
accessory structure for PV systems.
To the right, you can see the installation of the solar panels at our site. These panels are manufactured by Siemens Solar and are framed multi-crystalline arrays. Each panel produces up to 75 watts in direct sunlight! |
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The term
direct sunlight is the key. As you can see from the picture to the left,
these PV panels are mounted on a bracket which allows them to be adjusted.
By removing a pin or bolt from the back legs of the frame, the panels can be
adjusted to be perpendicular to the sun when it reaches is highest point in
the sky.
Below, you can see a square casting a shadow on the front of the PV panel. During most of the day, a shadow will always be present, but in this case the sun is at its highest point in the sky. This means that the panels must be adjusted to be perpendicular to the sun by moving the panel up or down. |
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Other systems use different methods of "tracking" the sun's path across the sky. As you may have guessed, these systems are called tracker or tracking systems. In general, a tracking systems purpose is to increase the sun exposure a
PV array gets by following the sun across the sky. Increases in performance
range from 2% to 19% or more depending on the latitude of the solar
installation. The closer to the equator, the more effective a tracking
system will be. |
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Tracking systems may function in a number of ways. Some manufacturers use
the suns heat to force fluid from one side of the panel to the other causing
it to follow the sun. Others use electric motors, powered by the solar
panels to move them.
Controlling the motors can be the job of a timer or sensors that measure
shadowing on the PV cells. Depending again on the latitude of the solar
installation this may or may not be cost effective. |
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Remember
the amorphous thin film solar cells? Here they are being installed on a
standing seam roof. Notice how they fit nicely between the seams! The are
attached to the roof with by an adhesive backing, similar to double-sided
tape which adheres to the metal. These types of panels should be installed by a certified professional for many reasons, one being that many manufacturers will not honor the warranty if they are not installed professionally. Not only that, but if you should need to move the panels or adjust them during installation, you definitely want the removal to be someone else's problem (the adhesive could stick an elephant to a canyon wall!). |
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Since these panels are adhered to the roofing materials, they are not adjustable, so the roof they are installed on should have predominately southern exposure. If they are going to be installed on a new site, the architect and builders should be made aware so that the roof pitch can be optimized for the latitude of the building site. |
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