Can you put solar panels on a flat roof?

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To answer this question simply, yes you can install solar panels on a flat roof.

In fact, they can be a perfect location for your new solar panels to be installed. It may be slightly more expensive than the usual installation of solar panels on a sloped roof, as there will be an extra cost per panel for mounting. That said, the panels won’t be visible from street level, so from a visual angle you may prefer this. 

Most importantly, you’ll still gain the full range of benefits that come from the generation of solar energy for your home. In many ways, solar panels on a flat roof can offer greater flexibility to the design than with a sloped rooftop solar installation. 

It may even be that on some days you gain a little more in terms of energy generation from your solar panels throughout the day.

How do solar panels work on a flat roof?

After the installation of solar panels - whether on a flat roof or a sloped roof - the real work of generating clean and renewable energy for your home can begin. This happens through the technology within a solar panel utilising the PV (Photovoltaic) cells to turn sunlight into electricity.

The solar energy can be used directly towards your home energy usage; you are drawing from daylight to directly power your home and save on your traditional energy usage. Even though we live in the UK, where the weather isn't amazing year-round, you can still generate solar energy from your solar panels on a daily basis to contribute towards powering your home.

This offers great benefit, but there is even more to be unlocked in terms of home solar energy, namely the benefit of combining your panels with a solar battery.

How does solar battery storage work?

So, once your solar panels are installed on your roof, you’re generating energy throughout the day as your panels take in daylight. But what if you’re not using it at the time, or you use much more energy at home during the evenings?

This is a common issue for many homes, one that is best solved by the addition of a solar battery alongside your solar panels. Battery storage offers you the opportunity to store some of your excess solar energy generated throughout the day, so you can use it when the sun goes down.
The solar panels work in tandem with your solar battery storage unit, so that any surplus energy that is not used to power the household at the time, can instead be used to charge up the battery. At night, when electricity is no longer being generated, your home can then switch to use the solar energy stored in your battery.

This is a revolutionary way of taking control of your utilities, not only helping you to save on your annual energy bills, but also adding great environmental benefit.




So, in summary, we would say that it is certainly worth looking into installing solar panels, alongside a solar battery, even if you have to pay a slightly higher cost with a flat roof.


Your roof may be flat, but your energy savings certainly won’t fall flat!


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