System Provides Both Power and Shade

The clients have a keen respect for the environment and wanted to do their part to limit greenhouse gases. They were motivated to get a PV system, if it could be obtained at a reasonable price. Their second story south facing roof receives perfect sun, but the near 40 year old barrel tiles would be damaged during installation. However, the owner was interested in replacing/upgrading an existing trellis that protected the family room from the afternoon sun and this provided a suitable location.

The client designed the shade structure with input from CCEnergy’s solar designer and had it constructed. Due to space constraints, a decision was made to use high-output Sanyo Modules in order to maximize the power yield from the limited space. This increased the cost, but the higher output was justifiable. A tilt-up support structure from UniRac was used to achieve the correct pitch. Once the array was built, lattice was placed under the panels which does a nice job of obscuring the structure from below and directs the eye out to the yard and swimming pool.