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I bit the bullet last evening and ordered six 400W black panels plus a 2kW inverter, so I can have a go at building a solar canopy over the path down the side of our house. I think I've come up with a way of keeping the worst of the rain out of the gaps between the panels, needs a bit more research as the idea came to me as I was nodding off last night (as the best ideas often seem to).

I've also worked out how to make put a G100 export limiter together. This will monitor the total export with a power meter and if it exceeds the 6kW that we're already approved for, for a period of 5 seconds, it will shut down the second inverter (the DNO are fine with the existing 6kW inverter). I doubt this will ever happen, but it's fairly easy to do, I think, and means that I can add additional panels at a later date and use the same limiting mechanism, without the DNO getting stroppy.

Oldgreybeard wrote: ↑Sat Aug 27, 2022 8:16 am I bit the bullet last evening and ordered six 400W black panels plus a 2kW inverter, so I can have a go at building a solar canopy over the path down the side of our house. I think I've come up with a way of keeping the worst of the rain out of the gaps between the panels, needs a bit more research as the idea came to me as I was nodding off last night (as the best ideas often seem to).

I've also worked out how to make put a G100 export limiter together. This will monitor the total export with a power meter and if it exceeds the 6kW that we're already approved for, for a period of 5 seconds, it will shut down the second inverter (the DNO are fine with the existing 6kW inverter). I doubt this will ever happen, but it's fairly easy to do, I think, and means that I can add additional panels at a later date and use the same limiting mechanism, without the DNO getting stroppy.

Nice one! looking forward to seeing it going up. Congratulations!

OGB, I’m interested in your install too - got me thinking about our house. Roof isn’t ideal and I’ve been thinking of other options.

We have a path around the south side of the house - this side also has three large glass areas (bi-folds & window).

Installing something similar to yours would give two benefits - generation and shading in summer. Particularly interested in the fabrication of the supports as I’d prefer something totally wall mounted.

Edit - sorry, three benefits. If I can install a gutter on the front edge, it’s another rain gathering surface.

Bugtownboy wrote: ↑Sat Aug 27, 2022 9:08 am OGB, I’m interested in your install too - got me thinking about our house. Roof isn’t ideal and I’ve been thinking of other options.

We have a path around the south side of the house - this side also has three large glass areas (bi-folds & window).

Installing something similar to yours would give two benefits - generation and shading in summer. Particularly interested in the fabrication of the supports as I’d prefer something totally wall mounted.

Edit - sorry, three benefits. If I can install a gutter on the front edge, it’s another rain gathering surface.

I'll try and draw up a sketch of the brackets. SWMBO has accepted that galvanised strut will be OK (makes life easier and a lot cheaper) so it's just a matter of coming up with a way to knock up some cantilever wall brackets. I think the best way is to screw some vertical lengths of 21mm slotted strut to the walls, fit 41mm cantilever struts out for around 1m from the wall, then fit some 45° brackets to take a length of 41mm strut running at 45° that can take the rails.

I was going to just use standard panel mounting roof rails, but it seems these are unobtanium at the moment. Pity, as they are slightly easier to fit than strut and a bit lighter. I've come up with a way to just use a couple of long lengths of 41mm strut, fixed to the brackets that I can then mount the panels on. Rather than use standard panel brackets, which would leave gaps between the panels, I've come up with a way to close the gaps by using lengths of 25mm GRP box section to clamp the panels down.

If I spray these black to match the panels and use black flanged button head screws to fix these down to the struts I think it will look OK and make the "roof" created by the panels fairly rain proof. The whole lot can be tidied up by fitting black end caps to the strut and the GRP box sections.

The set of six panels will run for a bit over 6.5m along the ESE wall of the house, projecting out about 1.2m. With a gutter fitted the projection would be around 1.3m I think. Fitting a gutter should be easy, just a matter of fitting some upside down obtuse 45° brackets to the 45° bracket rails and fixing the gutter brackets to those.

We’re looking at approx 15m, ideally with a projection of about 1.2m The only thing I’ve got to work through is the wall having different ‘levels.

The ‘day room’ is set back from the main wall by 20cm and two chimneys project from the main wall by a similar amount.

Still, the plotting is half the fun.

Oh yes, SWMBO has given outline approval pending detailed plans (detailed )

Here's a rough sketch looking end-on at the panels up the 45° angle. The box section should clamp the panels down to the rails OK and also cover the ~6mm gap between the panels where the screws fit. I'll probably slip some plastic tube over the exposed threads between the panels. I'll try and do some other sketches of the brackets and list the parts, once I've worked out the details.

Got it ordered before the wife has a change of heart perhaps.
You might be interested in these aluminium sections to secure your panels. https://capalex.co.uk/aluminium-extrusi ... at-section

You can secure the panels to the strut with a galvanised bolt and washer if you like.

Stinsy wrote: ↑Sat Aug 27, 2022 11:49 am You can secure the panels to the strut with a galvanised bolt and washer if you like.

I could, but that would leave gaps between the panels and this does double duty as a canopy over the path, so I'd like to cover the gaps up where the bolts go, hence the idea to use a length of black painted GRP box as a clamping rail. I may well just run a bit of butyl glazing tape under that rail before bolting it down, just to get a bit better seal.

First iteration of the wall brackets:

Oldgreybeard wrote: ↑Sat Aug 27, 2022 8:16 am I bit the bullet last evening and ordered six 400W black panels plus a 2kW inverter, so I can have a go at building a solar canopy over the path down the side of our house. I think I've come up with a way of keeping the worst of the rain out of the gaps between the panels, needs a bit more research as the idea came to me as I was nodding off last night (as the best ideas often seem to).

I've also worked out how to make put a G100 export limiter together. This will monitor the total export with a power meter and if it exceeds the 6kW that we're already approved for, for a period of 5 seconds, it will shut down the second inverter (the DNO are fine with the existing 6kW inverter). I doubt this will ever happen, but it's fairly easy to do, I think, and means that I can add additional panels at a later date and use the same limiting mechanism, without the DNO getting stroppy.

Posted earlier but likely lost due to other postings made. The usual way to drain water from butted-together roof tiles is a strip of sticky flashing, folded into an upside-down top hat shape and stuck to both tiles. I expect a similar arrangement would suffice for PV panels?