Panel Potentiality

The next step in my project was to identify where I could put PV panels.  Ground-mounted panels would only work in the front yard and I didn't think that the neighbors would be very happy with that solution.  Fortunately, there were several roof-mounted possibilities, on both the house and the small garage to the south of the house.

Each of the surfaces on the house is nicely oriented to the south, and that on the detached garage is only a bit off of south.  The ideal orientation is directly south so all four of the marked potential sites are a win in that regard.

A second win came in the angle afforded by the roof surfaces.  The ideal inclination of solar panels is the angle of latitude of the site.  Our latitude is 39.5° and the roof surface is at an angle of 40°.  It could hardly be better!

'A' is by far the best location and offers several advantages:

• No shading from trees.
• Presents a large contiguous space reducing wiring requirements.
• Can support 8 to 10 kW.
• Very convenient to the service panel.
• Very easy to access for cleaning and maintenance.

Unfortunately, 'A' is also exposed to the street and would distress the neighbors.  We have an architectural council and CC&Rs in our subdivision and I was pretty sure it would be difficult to get approval for this area.  I might consider 'A' for a future expansion should the laws be changed to bypass local restrictions but I would still be reluctant to do something that would cause friction with the neighbors. Eliminated.

'B' is a nice location, too.  There is a minor shading issue from some tall trees to the east in the early morning, and from the roof line to the west in the evening.  The tree shading will be minimal during the winter.  Though not as convenient to the service panel, it's still workable.  And being on the back of the house eliminates any neighbor concern.  It can support about 5 kW and is also very accessible for cleaning and maintenance. To be considered.

'C' is not a nice location.  It's a long distance from the service panel, supports only about 2 kW, and is not accessible for cleaning and maintenance.  Eliminated.

'D' is a decent location, easily accessed for cleaning and maintenance, convenient to a service panel in the garage, and nicely rectangular.  There is a tree just to the south-east which would need to be removed in order to reduce shading.  It can support about 2.5 kW of panels.  Unfortunately, it's exposed enough to the street that I would not feel comfortable committing to this site without first talking with the neighbors.  To be considered.

'B' and 'D' together could provide about 7.5 kW which would chop the most expensive half of my annual usage under average weather conditions.

So 'B' and 'D' are under consideration.