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The problem is that roofs leak and now you've gotta remove a bunch of solar panels to fix it.

by treis 6y ago

labawi 6y ago
Why not make a roof out of solar panels? You will need to deal with the gaps and it's not trivial, but if you are already putting huge panels, would it not be easier to route rain/snow/ice from the gaps, than to build a separate rain/snow proof layer with a bunch of mounting holes? It shouldn't be hard to add some overlapping flaps to the panel (during manufature), and roofs with tiles like these [1][2], only use around 5cm of overlap, so 10-15cm might be sufficient and simple for a big solar panel. [1] https://www.diyhowto.com.au/guide/how-to-clean-terracotta-roof-tiles/ https://www.diyhowto.com.au/guide/how-to-clean-terracotta-ro... [2] https://www.recycledbuildingcentre.com.au/terracotta-roof-tiles-5-each https://www.recycledbuildingcentre.com.au/terracotta-roof-ti...
- treis 6y ago
  People are trying but it's quite a bit more expensive than a traditional roof.
  - labawi 6y ago
    More expensive than roof+solar? Do you have references to any solutions, other Tesla's popular, pretty and expensive version? A flush panel-only roof seems more aesthetic than shingles + raised solar, and would be good-enough for me.
    - treis 6y ago
      >More expensive than roof+solar? Comparable, but that's not the right comparison. It's between a roof and buying your power from the power company and roof+solar. The first is way cheaper. If we want to be green than still, a roof + 1,000 sq feet of solar out in the country connected to your house by wires is way cheaper.
- Animats 6y ago
  Why not make a roof out of solar panels? Tesla offers that, but it's not cheap.[1] [1] https://electrek.co/2019/06/14/tesla-solar-roof-quote-price/ https://electrek.co/2019/06/14/tesla-solar-roof-quote-price/
  - labawi 6y ago
    That's a gimmick with thousands of panels and connectors. Very pretty, but seems like a fire waiting to happen, or at least a regular failure. Also seems expensive financially and materially with all those individual connectors and cables. I was thinking of something a bit more brutalist-fashion, with the roof designed for standard 1-2 m² panels, and a small dose of non-solar same-color panels for any chimneys, corners or other unavoided irregularities. Not small shingles to fit any roof.
foolmeonce 6y ago
That's not really much different than having a terrace or a green roof to deal with when roof problems occur. Sure you can make a plain roof but it is a ridiculous waste of outdoor space, which leads you to need to reserve other space. I would like to see terrace materials with mediocre efficiency solar collection, similar to the solar streets idea, but dealing with a realistic amount of wear and tear.
- treis 6y ago
  Flat roofs are significantly more expensive and tend to have lots of difficulties in climates with significant snowfall.
  - foolmeonce 6y ago
    If you are talking about a single family home then build a solar A-frame, or better yet don't build it. But most larger buildings need to have a significant amount of flat roof.

The problem is that roofs leak and now you've gotta remove a bunch of solar panels to fix it.

by treis 6y ago

The problem is that roofs leak and now you've gotta remove a bunch of solar panels to fix it.

Why not make a roof out of solar panels? You will need to deal with the gaps and it's not trivial, but if you are already putting huge panels, would it not be easier to route rain/snow/ice from the gaps, than to build a separate rain/snow proof layer with a bunch of mounting holes? It shouldn't be hard to add some overlapping flaps to the panel (during manufature), and roofs with tiles like these [1][2], only use around 5cm of overlap, so 10-15cm might be sufficient and simple for a big solar panel. [1] https://www.diyhowto.com.au/guide/how-to-clean-terracotta-roof-tiles/ https://www.diyhowto.com.au/guide/how-to-clean-terracotta-ro... [2] https://www.recycledbuildingcentre.com.au/terracotta-roof-tiles-5-each https://www.recycledbuildingcentre.com.au/terracotta-roof-ti...

treis 6y ago
People are trying but it's quite a bit more expensive than a traditional roof.
- labawi 6y ago
  More expensive than roof+solar? Do you have references to any solutions, other Tesla's popular, pretty and expensive version? A flush panel-only roof seems more aesthetic than shingles + raised solar, and would be good-enough for me.
  - treis 6y ago
    >More expensive than roof+solar? Comparable, but that's not the right comparison. It's between a roof and buying your power from the power company and roof+solar. The first is way cheaper. If we want to be green than still, a roof + 1,000 sq feet of solar out in the country connected to your house by wires is way cheaper.
Animats 6y ago
Why not make a roof out of solar panels? Tesla offers that, but it's not cheap.[1] [1] https://electrek.co/2019/06/14/tesla-solar-roof-quote-price/ https://electrek.co/2019/06/14/tesla-solar-roof-quote-price/
- labawi 6y ago
  That's a gimmick with thousands of panels and connectors. Very pretty, but seems like a fire waiting to happen, or at least a regular failure. Also seems expensive financially and materially with all those individual connectors and cables. I was thinking of something a bit more brutalist-fashion, with the roof designed for standard 1-2 m² panels, and a small dose of non-solar same-color panels for any chimneys, corners or other unavoided irregularities. Not small shingles to fit any roof.

foolmeonce 6y ago

That's not really much different than having a terrace or a green roof to deal with when roof problems occur. Sure you can make a plain roof but it is a ridiculous waste of outdoor space, which leads you to need to reserve other space. I would like to see terrace materials with mediocre efficiency solar collection, similar to the solar streets idea, but dealing with a realistic amount of wear and tear.

treis 6y ago
Flat roofs are significantly more expensive and tend to have lots of difficulties in climates with significant snowfall.
- foolmeonce 6y ago
  If you are talking about a single family home then build a solar A-frame, or better yet don't build it. But most larger buildings need to have a significant amount of flat roof.