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Unless the installer specifies otherwise in the ticket, here are some best practices.Arrays should be designed in groups of 3 modules at a minimum (no solo modules)
Avoid single panels - but always refer to guidance provided by installers.
Always begin by choosing the best roof plane to design on.
Start with the most south facing roof plane.
If this doesn’t offset enough power move to the west facing roof plane.
If this doesn’t produce enough power design on the east facing roof plane.
No roof planes should be used outside of this azimuth range of 40°- 320°.Shading should also be taken into account if applicable
example: if there is a tree directly W of the home, and there is an available E face, the E face is likely a better roof face for solar.
Size of roof face is also another consideration.
If you can only fit a small array on a S face, but can fit a larger array on a W of E face that would offset 100% of their usage, then it makes sense to design 1 array vs 2.
Flat roof designs
Flat or low slope roofs (<5°) need to be designed differently than pitched roofs.
Typically tilt racks are used to tilt the panels to produce more energy
Follow the below steps when you encounter a roof that has a slope of <5°
After drawing the roof face, ensure the correct “side” is selected for your azimuth
Override tilt to 10°
Change “array type” to “Roof Mounted - open rack”
Change “orientation” to Portrait
Make “row spacing” 3 feet
Complete design
Add “flat roof” in the internal notes section of the Jira ticket
Refer to guidelines from the installer / ticket or send an internal note if looking for guidance
Azimuth
Refers to the direction the roof faces (North, South, East, West) in degrees. Important because it determines how much the system will produce
The roof edge from which you find azimuth is always the edge closest to the ground
Refer to guidance from installer for preferred Azimuth ranges we should be using (40° to 320°) Roof faces that are outside of this range (0-39 and 321-360) should not have panels added – if there’s no other alternative, add an internal note in the job for David Ellis(though they may not provide this)
When the image of the home appears in the Project Phase it is already in position so that north is north and so forth.
North = 0° or 360°
East = 90°
South = 180°
West = 270°
Equipment - use what is in the organization’s default:
Use what’s in the installer’s default, unless they specify otherwise on the ticket
Setbacks
Use what’s in the installer’s defaults, unless specified in the ticket
Shading
Use project sunroof data if available
If project sunroof is not available, use a best estimate for yearly or monthly solar access %.
if there are trees on either the W, E or S of the home, drop the yearly average by increments of 5% depending on the number of shading threats present
Try to design a system even if shading looks bad, just make sure it is accounted for in the solar access %
Pre-Existing Solar Thermal
You will encounter some homes with existing solar. Solar Thermal and is used for water heating and not for electricity. Solar thermal can be identified as they are longer black "mats" on the roof, and there is usually a noticeable gap between each one.
If a home has solar thermal, we should still design a PV system - design around the solar thermal system. If there are no usable faces for PV due to the solar thermal, design over it and note it (i.e. designed over solar thermal) as it can be moved to a northern facing roof if needed. Please please put an internal note on the Jira ticket if you have any questionsso David can reach out to the installer for more guidance
Quote Phase: Quote the EverBright financial products
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