Installation Guide for Household Distributed Photovoltaic Systems: Key Points for House Selection

In the pursuit of green energy and sustainable development nowadays, household distributed photovoltaic systems have gradually entered numerous households. However, not all houses are perfectly suitable for such systems. So, what kind of houses are suitable for installing household distributed photovoltaic systems?

At present, domestic building roofs can mainly be divided into sloping roofs and flat roofs according to their shapes. In principle, roofs of any form have the potential to install photovoltaic systems. However, during the actual installation process, there are many crucial factors that need to be considered to ensure that the system design is compatible with the house structure and harmonious with the surrounding environment.

Firstly, roof selection. In terms of building safety, it is of the utmost importance. Before considering the installation of a household distributed photovoltaic system, it is necessary to conduct accurate load-bearing capacity calculations for the building roof. Only when the roof’s load-bearing capacity meets the requirements can the design and installation of the photovoltaic system be carried out further. This is just like evaluating the load-bearing capacity of a bridge. Only by confirming that it can bear the weight of the photovoltaic system can the subsequent construction be ensured to be safe and reliable. For example, the roofs of some old houses may have reduced structural strength due to their age. In such cases, it is necessary to reinforce the roof or re-evaluate whether it is suitable for installing the photovoltaic system.

The convenience of construction cannot be ignored either. For a house suitable for installing a photovoltaic system, its construction surface should have good construction conditions, allowing construction workers to carry out their work smoothly. This means that construction materials, personnel, and equipment (machinery) can enter and exit the construction site conveniently. Just imagine that if the roads around the house are narrow and large construction machinery can hardly enter, or if the construction site is blocked by various obstacles and the work cannot be carried out, it will inevitably bring great troubles to the construction and increase the construction cost and time cost. For example, for some houses located in narrow alleys or villas surrounded by numerous garden landscapes, if a photovoltaic system is to be installed, it is necessary to plan the construction access and site in advance.

The convenience of grid connection is also one of the key considerations. An ideal house should be able to connect to the grid nearby, which can reduce the loss during the power transmission process and have a strong local consumption capacity. Connecting to the grid nearby can ensure that the electricity generated by the photovoltaic system is efficiently integrated into the local power grid, avoiding a series of technical and cost problems that may arise from long-distance transmission. For example, some houses close to substations or electricity load centers have a natural advantage in grid connection and can better realize the effective utilization of electricity.

The maintainability of the building roof cannot be overlooked. The roof should be open and free from obstructions or with few obstructions, so that it can receive sunlight to the greatest extent and improve the power generation efficiency of the photovoltaic system. Meanwhile, it is advisable to avoid existing facilities such as air-conditioning cooling units, ventilation pipelines, and water tanks to avoid conflicts and inconveniences during installation and subsequent maintenance. Reserved maintenance passages are for the convenience of regular inspection, repair, and maintenance of the photovoltaic system in the future to ensure its long-term stable operation. In addition, it is necessary to meet the appearance requirements of relevant buildings, so that the photovoltaic system can be integrated with the overall appearance of the house without destroying the original aesthetic feeling of the building. For example, when installing photovoltaic systems on some buildings with historical and cultural characteristics or modern minimalist styles, special attention should be paid to the coordination of the appearance design, making the photovoltaic components a part of the building instead of an obtrusive additional object.

In practical applications, there are many successful cases for reference. In the suburbs of a certain city, there is a detached villa with a flat roof covering an area of about 200 square meters. Before installing the household distributed photovoltaic system, a professional team conducted detailed calculations on the roof’s load-bearing capacity and determined that it met the installation requirements. During the construction, as there was a spacious courtyard around the villa, construction materials and equipment could enter and exit easily, and the construction workers successfully completed the installation of the photovoltaic system. The house is close to a local small substation, so the grid connection is very convenient. Most of the electricity generated by the photovoltaic system is consumed locally, reducing the power transmission loss. The roof is open and free from obstructions. Moreover, when designing, the air-conditioning outdoor units on the roof and other facilities were skillfully avoided, and a dedicated maintenance passage was reserved. Meanwhile, the installation of the photovoltaic components is in harmony with the overall architectural style of the villa. Not only does it not damage the original aesthetic feeling, but it also adds a sense of technology and modernity to the villa. Now, the household distributed photovoltaic system is operating stably and can provide a large amount of clean electricity for the family every year, greatly reducing the household’s electricity cost.

Another example is a self-built house in a rural area with a sloping roof. When installing the photovoltaic system, a special installation plan for photovoltaic components was designed according to the shape and structural characteristics of the roof to ensure a perfect fit with the roof. The roads around the house are unobstructed, making the construction convenient. After being connected to the grid, the surplus electricity is transmitted to the village’s power grid, realizing resource sharing. The roof has good maintainability. There are no tall buildings around to block the sunlight, and the installation position avoids the ventilation ducts on the roof and other facilities. The reserved maintenance passage is convenient for regular maintenance, enabling the photovoltaic system to always maintain a high-efficiency operation state, bringing long-term economic and environmental benefits to the farmer.

In conclusion, when choosing a house suitable for installing a household distributed photovoltaic system, comprehensive evaluations should be made from aspects such as building safety, construction convenience, grid connection convenience, and building roof maintainability. Only by comprehensively considering these factors can the household distributed photovoltaic system be successfully installed on the house and operate efficiently in the long term, providing clean and sustainable green energy for families.