I am doing doing a second story addition and cannot afford panels at this time however I would like to prep for the possibility down the road. I am just outside of chicago any suggestions?
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You should get a PV vendor to at least plan your installation and possibly install the panel mounting hardware now.
This would be the time to "reserve" the area(s) of the roof where the panels will go, prepare for the wiring and equipment you'll need, etc. Good prep work now will make installation much easier later.
Have you talked to a PV vendor lately about installation costs? Around here (San Jose, CA) several solar companies are offering $0 down, long term leases, etc to get around the high initial cost of going solar.
Only way it will be cost effective (without the massive solar subsidies in places, which you aint gonna get for prep work) is to DIY 100% of the prep work.
Probably the best approach for you would be to install the trunions for a trough concentrator type array. Also install conduit for roof penetration of power and control leads.
I wouldn't worry about all the standoffs and that stuff now, as it can be easily added later. I would make sure I had multiple empty conduits running in a fairly straight line from the basement to the attic. That way you can run PEX, wiring, whatever at a later date.
FWIW we usually run empty conduits anyway--there's always something you want to run throughout the house, and with a connection from the basement to the attic it's usually much easier.
Thanks thats exactly what I had in mind, what size and howmany?Thanks again
Not sure, but I should find out because an addition we're doing right now has the same situation. Maybe (4) 1-1/4" pvc conduits? Two for PEX, one for power, one for spare (always a good idea!).
I also put some blocking in my rafters to attach structure to at a later point (rather than attempt to find the 1 1/2" joist. I ran copper pipe up and out and then just used 3/4 or 1" conduit for the PV wire. The piping ... for solar hot water of course. Don't know if my conduit size is right, but I think it will work OK (just guessing, though).
One thing I really hate about solar collectors is that they don't usually match the size of the roof, so they look like random junk up there. If you research the kind of panels you're ultimately going to get, you could design the roof with a little more or less overhang to exactly match an integer multiple of the panel dimensions. For instance, the Sharps I'm looking at are 32.5" x 62". It'll look a lot better, and you'll probably get more electrons to sell to the power company.
-- J.S.
How about independently mounted PV collectors? I have a half acre or more of ESE facing open space near my next home site.
Wouldn't it be more efficient to build a pipe frame to precisely align the collectors or even put them in motion, following the sun?
Pros and cons of both roof mounted and independent frame?
Here is another option:http://www.solar-components.com/pvshingl.htmhttp://www.oksolar.com/roof/
These do look like a step in the right direction -- especially if it's OK to step on them. You'd still want to design the roof in multiples of their 86.4" width. The next product they need to add to this line is matching dummy shingles (much less expensive) that could be cut so you could forget the multiples of 86.4" and make proper looking valleys and hips. (And of course for roofs that are much larger than you need or could afford to do all solar)
-- J.S.
Install conduit from the roof location to your service panel area. Make plans/room for an inverter. Install blocking in the roof structure or make other provisions for a structural connection when you mount your panels. These items cost you very little and set you up for success should you or the next owner want to put it in. Ditto two pipes for solar hot water heating.
Might be a little late to mention this, but this is one of the fundamentals of good solar design: set your roof pitch equal to your latitude - if it works architecturally with the rest of the house, that is. A latitude-tilt system is the most effective for year-round production, and this way they blend in more easily with the house rather than stick up. Also, the mounting hardware is simpler.And you may want to add barbed wire to the budget, people are starting to steal PV right off of people's roofs.