What is a photovoltaic mounting system?

Photovoltaic mounting systems (also called solar module racking) are used to fix solar panels on surfaces like roofs, building facades, or the ground. These mounting systems generally enable retrofitting of solar panels on roofs or as part of the structure of the building (called BIPV).

What is a building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV)?

It started feeding electricity to the National Grid in November 2005 Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are photovoltaic materials that are used to replace conventional building materials in parts of the building envelope such as the roof (tiles), skylights, or facades.

Should a fixed PV module be tilted at the same angle?

It is a common practice to tilt a fixed PV module (without solar tracker) at the same angle as the latitude of array's location to maximize the annual energy yield of module. For example, rooftop PV module at the tropics provides highest annual energy yield when inclination of panel surface is close to horizontal direction.

Can a PV system be installed on a flat roof?

In all cases of retrofits particular consideration to weather sealing is necessary There are many low-weight designs for PV systems that can be used on either sloped or flat roofs (e.g. plastic wedges or the PV-pod), most however, rely on a type of extruded aluminum rails (e.g. Unirac).

Can a PV module be mounted on a noise barrier?

PV can also be mounted on or be part of sound barriers/ noise barriers. PV on noise barriers and has been around for since 1989 in Switzerland. There has been considerable not only on the PV module technology, but also in the construction of photovoltaic noise barriers (PVNB).