SOLAR in DUNEDIN to Deal with This Is to Encourage the System Is Installed

FREQUENTLY ASKED FREQUENTLY ASKED Guidelines for QUESTIONS QUESTIONS, CONT. Solar Ready Design How do I balance shade trees and solar? Some municipalities may encourage the Going Solar Can Save planting of shade trees on the south side of Money homes in order to provide shade and reduce cooling loads. However, solar cannot be installed cost-effectively on a shaded roof. There is a direct trade-off between shading Why is this the right pitch? a home’s roof with trees and preserving the In general, the pitch of a solar system ability to install rooftop solar. One strategy should be equal to the latitude at which the SOLAR IN DUNEDIN to deal with this is to encourage the system is installed. The latitude of Dunedin planting of tree species that will not grow is 28.0° N. Pitch is less critical to maxim- high enough to shade a home’s roof, but izing solar output than orientation and will still shade windows and walls or to shading, though, and there is some flexibil- encourage other “green” building tech- ity for solar-ready homes in this regard. niques that minimize cooling loads. How much roof space does solar need? As a rough guide, solar panels produce 1 The cost of electricity is getting higher every kW of energy per 100 square feet. In day, and will only continue to rise. But by Florida, a 10 KW system—the largest that generating your own power with solar, you can easily be installed by a Florida home- can stabilize your cost of electricity and even owner under current policies and reduce its sensitivity to future rate hikes. regulations—would take up approximately 1,000 square feet of roof space. With Florida’s solar resources, a 10 KW would By considering these Solar Ready design guidelines for new residential construction, homebuilders can produce roughly 13,600 kWh every year, make new homes solar ready without adding to the just under the average statewide household cost of construction. Owners of solar-ready homes consumption of 15,000 kWh. Many can then make the decision to install a solar electric homeowners choose to install a smaller system later, with less difficulty and at a lower cost. system that does not completely offset their energy usage, but these will still require Contact Us Today: several hundred square feet of rooftop Lael Giebel, LEED AP BD&C Christina Perez Sustainability Office space. Development Services 737 Louden Ave 1070 Virginia Street 727-298-2755 727-298-3215 x24 [email protected] [email protected] Printed on recycled paper The sun bathes the earth with enough energy every 10 seconds to meet the world's electricity needs for a year. ROOF DESIGN INVERTER AND Preserve Rooftop Space for Solar Collectors. MECHANICAL SYSTEMS The south-facing portion of the roof should include a contiguous area, free of rooftop obstruction, of sufficient size to allow for a solar Reserve Wall Space for Inverter. system. At minimum, an area of several square A 3’ x 3’ area of wall space next to the feet (100 sq. ft. per kW) should be identified. building’s main electrical panel, with an ORIENTATION AND Residential solar systems in Florida may cover up additional 3’ of clearance space in front to 1,000 square feet of roof space. of the wall, should be reserved for the LOCATION Flat Roof Configuration. Ensure that the building installation of an inverter. To minimize has adequate roof access, and consider integrating voltage loss, the meter box and reserved rooftop safety equipment such as guardrails when inverter space should be located just Orient Roofs to Face the South. appropriate. The area identified for solar collection below the rooftop space reserved for the Buildings should be oriented to should be near the middle of the roof, away from solar collector. afford a south-facing roof and any parapets to avoid shading. Any rooftop HVAC Install Conduit. Metallic conduit at designed in a way that minimizes equipment should be positioned to avoid least 2” in diameter should be installed the obtrusiveness of solar panels conflicting with the location of the solar collector. that will run through the building from that may be located on the south Pitched Roof Configuration. For pitched roofs, the area identified for the inverter to the face of the roof. take into account the degree of pitch that would area identified for the solar collector. Avoid Shading. Buildings should maximize the generation of solar panels located Leave Room for PV Breaker. The be designed in such a way that flush against the roof. In the Tampa Bay region, an electric panel should include the there is no shading to the south. optimal roof pitch for solar is 27° to 29°. necessary space for a power input break- Shade tree species should be Allow for additional weight. The roof should be er at the opposite end of the electric ser- selected and planting locations adequately reinforced to allow for the additional vice panel from the main breaker. identified that will allow trees to weight, including both the weight of the solar Provide Adequate Home Electrical shade windows and walls but not systems itself and the impact of wind loads. Solar Service. Electrical service of at least the identified solar collector PV systems add 3-6 lbs. per sq ft to the dead load 200 amperes in residential buildings is location on the roof. of a roof, and up to 45 lbs. at specific attachment preferable to ensure that PV power points. If a ballasted system is installed on a flat generation can be roof, it may add up to 20-30 lbs. per square foot to accommodated. Studies have indicated that homes with the roof’s dead load. solar systems sold at a greater price Record Roof Reinforcements. Any reinforce- point than homes without such ments to the roof should be recorded on official systems. drawings, such as the code sheet, for the benefit of solar developers. .

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