Geograph - photograph every grid square

This series of photographs shows the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on a semi-detached house. The job was completed in one day by two electricians working inside, and two installers working on the tiled roof. The first stage on the roof is installation of support bars, so there is an air space between the solar panels and the tiles. The panels are installed and their DC output taken through into the loft, where an inverter produces AC. The cable from the inverter goes down through the house to the meter cupboard, where a generation meter and isolating switches are installed. The contractor was Treadlighter Ltd, chosen on a recommendation in Which? Local; they employed Ecovolt to install the panels. The system has a rated peak output of 2.4 kW; on the first day of operation, at the end of September, the peak output was 1.84 kW. A display unit connected by Bluetooth to the inverter shows the history of generation. One thing this showed was the major impact of any shadow; as the shadow of the chimney came onto the panels at 4 pm the power output dropped suddenly.

See other images of Installation of solar PV panels