Submitted by admin on Mon, 26/09/2011 - 9:01amBruce Cross, GB Sol, explains how the temptation to install as large a system as possible in the new market, out of scale with its surroundings, will demotivate others in the locality.
The industry should seek not just satisfied individual customers, but exemplars to encourage greater uptake. As the market develops people will start to appreciate there are different types of system at different levels of cost. As with any purchase for their house, the knowledgeable home owner will often chose a higher priced solution when there is a visual or quality difference.
In future we may find that the presence of a PV roof will increase the resale value of a property, but a ‘bolt on’ PV array could reduce the likelihood of a sale due to its visual appearance. In a maturing marketplace there is a clear differentiator in having an aesthetically pleasing integrated PV roof.
There are many ways of using the PV panel as the roof material, some which make a feature of it, and some that allow it to merge into the normal roofscape without being noticed. Roof Integration Systems RIS) use an aluminium lattice fixed to the rafters or battens into which PV laminates are clamped and sealed, whilst allowing natural buoyancy to provide ventilation behind and maximize the output.
There are PV tile and slate systems which link into standard roof covering materials and these are often the most camouflaged systems although there is usually a premium price due to the number of units required. Whether in the form of a ‘glazed panel’ system or a PV tile and slate system, these integrated systems will surely be viewed as the
Preferred solution.
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