Do you need a bulky rooftop solar installation?

Luckily, you don’t have to choose between a bulky rooftop solar installation or nothing at all. Homeowners have several options to make use of the sun’s energy, from backyard solar panels to solar pergolas and beyond. Many of the best unique solar panel placement ideas integrate seamlessly into a home’s exterior. Ready to dive in?

Can you add solar panels to your home?

Homeowners can add solar over patios, outdoor living spaces, or even the front door. A pergola, carport, solarium, or gazebo constructed to hold solar panels makes for another elegant choice. And when you build the feature to suit your solar production, you can optimize performance by choosing the ideal orientation, direction, and slope.

Can you put solar panels on a roof?

Any panels that go on your roof are limited by the roof’s design. For instance, your roof may run east to west instead of north to south. This means you don’t have a south-facing surface to use when you install. As a result, you can’t take advantage of the maximum amount of sunlight.

Are building-integrated photovoltaics a viable alternative to solar energy harvesting?

Historically, solar energy harvesting has been expensive, relatively inefficient, and hampered by poor design. Existing building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) have proven to be less practical and economically unfeasible for large-scale adoption due to design limitations and poor aesthetics.

Can a sunroom function as a greenhouse?

Follow these principles when building a sunroom addition and you can get the triple benefits of a cozy living space, free solar heat, and a super greenhouse for plants.

How do solar photovoltaic cells work?

Solar photovoltaic cells are grouped in panels, and panels can be grouped into arrays of different sizes to power water pumps, power individual homes, or provide utility-scale electricity generation. Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (copyrighted)