Hybrid solar panel installation questions

Stuart Wright

As I understand it, the roof needs to face south to west ish.
Doesn't a flat roof face 'up'?

la gran siete

yups ,last time i looked at it.Should have said it butts on to a west facing roof.Guess a panel could be fixed there angled siightly southwards

huwsparky

Correct. The type of solar that heats the water has a temp sensor on the roof, temp sensor in the tank and a pumping station all connected to a programmer that controls it all. South facing again is obviously the best roof to mount them on but Grant do a system that you can use east/west facing panels but the cost would be slightly higher as there are two pumping stations instead of one.

Stuart Wright

Ok so typically what are the costs of the various components of a hybrid install?
How much per panel, for the isolator, inverter, pump, wiring, piping, fixtures, scaffold hire, installation labour of the plumber and of the electrician?

IronGiant

No,  I'm afraid not.  We had to have it and we had a flat roof extension acting as a handy installation platform in front of the sloped roof.  Did that help, no, because they had to erect scaffolding all around the extension just in case someone might walk off it.

IronGiant

I'm still struggling here. How can the water leaving the panels be hot enough to heat domestic hot water?  The idea is that panels get up to 60 degree and need cooling down to below (say) 40 degrees, to my (possibly simplistic mind) the fluid leaving the panels cannot be hotter than the panels, so if it is cooling the panels to 40 degrees it has to be at or less than 40 degrees itself.   This means there must be a way of concentrating this heat to get up to domestic hot water temperatures, which is entirely possible, but adds to the cost.

I may be thinking about this the wrong way of course and it may be that the photovoltaic panel just contribute some heat to the fluid and then the rest of the heat is collected directly from the sun.  It sounds like fascinating technology, anyone got any links to the science behind it, or shall I make that my mission and report back?

la gran siete

thats just plain over the top

Stuart Wright

I've heard that MCS insist that scaffolding is erected.
Of course it's just a consequence of the human rights act and the inevitable compensation culture problem.

GasDad

Would you work on a pitched roof in the rain without scaffolding?

The 2005 Working at Heights regulations were introduced for a reason - to reduce the number of deaths and injuries. And they have been largely successful in doing so.

Andyjc

Wonder how long it will be before these guys hit our shores....

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