Installation13 min read
Array layout and row spacing: the shading-density trade-off
A worked-trigonometry guide to inter-row shading geometry, solar altitude at the design hour, and how ground coverage ratio trades off against annual shading loss.
Installation
Mounting, wiring, commissioning and the practical craft of getting panels on a roof.
Design and workmanship, from the first roof survey to the commissioning certificate. The recurring theme is that most long-run faults are decided on installation day: cable route, connector brand, torque, and whether anyone measured the string before energising it.
What this hub answers
- How do you size DC and AC cable for an acceptable voltage drop?
- What loads must a mounting system be designed for?
- Which tests are required before a system is energised?
- How should earthing and surge protection be arranged?
- What belongs in a handover pack?
Start here
Installation13 min read
Ground-mount vs roof-mount PV systems: the real trade-offs
A technical comparison of ground-mount and roof-mount PV covering yield, tilt freedom, foundations, cost per kWp, cabling, permitting, and O&M access.
Installation13 min read
Wind and snow loads on PV structures under Eurocode
How EN 1991-1-3 and 1991-1-4 govern PV mounting design, from terrain factors and edge zones to uplift arithmetic and roof capacity checks.
Calculators
Field checklists
Terminology
- Ampacity
- Azimuth
- Balance of system
- Clipping
- Combiner box
- DC/AC ratio
- Derating
- Ground fault
All guides in Installation
Installation13 min read
Lightning and surge protection for PV installations
How to assess lightning risk and size, place, and coordinate SPDs on DC and AC sides of PV systems under IEC 62305 and IEC 61643-32.
Installation8 min read
Troubleshooting an underperforming PV array: a diagnostic workflow
A structured symptom-cause-fix approach to diagnosing PV yield shortfalls, from weather-corrected baselines through I-V curve tracing and thermal imaging.
Installation9 min read
Solar panel orientation and tilt: optimising for yield
How azimuth and tilt shape annual PV yield, when east-west arrays make sense, and how to weigh seasonal tradeoffs with worked yield calculations.
Installation10 min read
Shading analysis and mitigation in PV arrays
Why partial shading costs more output than the shaded area suggests, and how sun-path analysis, bypass diodes, and module-level electronics address it.
Installation9 min read
Building a PV maintenance schedule that actually catches faults
A structured annual and quarterly maintenance plan for PV arrays, covering inspection intervals, test methods, and the records that keep warranty claims valid.
Installation10 min read
PV commissioning checklist: testing and documentation
A full walk-through of PV commissioning per IEC 62446, from visual inspection and insulation resistance to IV curve tracing and handover documentation.
Installation9 min read
Off-grid vs hybrid solar systems: architecture and sizing compared
How off-grid and grid-tied hybrid solar systems differ in architecture, autonomy sizing, generator backup, and what actually happens during a blackout.
Installation8 min read
Cleaning solar panels: when it pays and when it does not
Soiling loss ranges by climate, cleaning methods and water quality considerations, safety practice, and the arithmetic that decides whether a cleaning contract is worth it.
Installation10 min read
Cable sizing and voltage drop in PV systems
A practical guide to sizing DC and AC PV cables, covering ampacity derating and voltage drop calculations with worked numeric examples and IEC references.
Installation13 min read
DC arc faults and rapid shutdown: physics, detection, and safety
How DC arc faults form, why AFCI detection differs from AC, and how module-level rapid shutdown architectures protect firefighters and equipment.
Installation12 min read
Flat-roof ballasted PV systems: ballast, uplift and membrane care
Ballasted racking avoids roof penetrations but trades that for weight, wind uplift risk and membrane wear that must be engineered, not guessed.
Installation12 min read
PV earthing and bonding: protective, functional, and equipotential
A technical guide to PV earthing and bonding practice, covering protective earthing, functional earthing, equipotential bonding, and IEC 60364-7-712 requirements.
Installation13 min read
Solar carports and agrivoltaics: structure, clearance and yield
Elevated PV over parking or farmland recovers land value but costs more per kWp in steel and yield; the case only closes when land use is priced in.
Installation10 min read
Roof Mounting Done Right: A Field Guide to Penetrations, Loads and Leaks
Most solar failures are not electrical. They are mechanical, and they start at the moment someone drills a hole in a roof.