new/replacement roof - anyone with experience integral pv roof tiles?

Question

My south facing tiled bungalow roof needs refurbishment. Does anyone have experience of integral solar pv tiles installed on the sunny side of the roof?

One example of the style under consideration is

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ie these panels are installed in place of the tiles - they are NOT the type of pv panel which sits on top of an existing slate/tile roof.

One option under consideration is to ignore the FIT tariff & simply use the pv tiles to generate watts (via an inverter) to power an extra immersion heater, completely bypssing the house 240V elec supply.

My focus at the moment is in building/installation/durability/engineering aspects etc - NOT economics!

Economics will be considered once one or more feasible options have been established.

TIA for any insights.

harryagain · Accepted Answer

What you are looking at is "integrated PV roofing systems." There are lots about. You certainly don't want to ignore FIT, it is a good money spinner. I looked at it myself.

Pros It looks neater. It covers the entire roof. You can get funny shaped one now for valleys, ridges etc. The wiring is accessible from the roof space . Cons It is less efficient as there is no cooling air on the back of the panels. Knocks off 5-10% in hot weather. PV panels like the cold.

If a panel goes kaput, will replacements still be available? (You could keep spares.)

They cost more than retrofits , but there is no "under roof" to buy.

It can be hard to remove a panel if it becomes neccessary. (They are interlocking) So repairs might be expensive.

It is hard to access panels not on the edge of the roof.

meow2222 · Answer

An economic nonstarter. A high price way to get low grade heat Work out the costs for what you get, or do it the quick way and just forget it NT

Vir Campestris · Answer

If you're going to do that you'd be better off with solar heating  panels. Far more efficient. Andy

new/replacement roof - anyone with experience integral pv roof tiles?

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