Sustain have an in-house design and engineering team that are on hand to create a solution that is specific to each of our clients. Every property is different and there are various roof types that require a certain kind of installation.
Regardless of whether you have a flat, pitched, tiled or corrugated roof our design team will analyse your circumstances in detail and provide an effective option for your property. If you have some spare land that you would like to use for a ground-mounted solar PV system, we will take into account a range of factors to design, supply and install the most appropriate mounting system.
Solar Survey
As part of the process you will receive a full site survey, which aims to understand the property in more detail. We will assess the type and construction of your roof, whether the roof will support a solar PV system, any budgetary constraints, solar panel specifications and your requirements in relation to building aesthetics.
Extensive Experience
Sustain have developed extensive experience within the renewables industry. Our work with both domestic and commercial clients has helped us to acquire product knowledge and design expertise.
As part of our comprehensive solar pv solutions, we deliver detailed solar PV design, supply and installation. At the heart of our organisation is a determination to continually improve and as such the Sustain solar team receive ongoing training and development.
By partnering with numerous market leading organisations, we’re not only able to deliver products and technologies that are state-of-the-art but we are able to keep our finger on the pulse of all the new opportunities in the industry.
Fully Approved
Our installers are appropriately approved and certified to install solar PV on domestic and commercial properties. We follow stringent guidelines in relation to technical requirements, as well as the service process required for renewable technologies. Our accreditations include:
MCS Approved
We are MCS Approved and this demonstrates our compliance to industry standards. MCS shows consumers that companies are appropriately qualified and are able to consistently install renewable technologies to a high standard.
Renewable Energy Code
RECC is an organisation that has been set up to safeguard how the MCS installer delivers a high quality experience to clients. As an MCS approved organisation, Sustain follow these guidelines religiously.
NICEIC Domestic Installer
As an NICEIC Domestic Installer, Sustain have been approved for relevant electrical installation work in accordance with Part P of the Building Regulations. We install vital equipment for the solar PV installation and test it vigorously.
Following the solar survey, where information will have been collected, Sustain will use specialised design tools to make accurate predictions and calculations for your solar pv system. The design team will choose the applicable panels, inverter and other equipment to ensure clients receive the best return on their investment. We create professional reports with all the details for your solar PV system to help you visualise the end product.
The solar design team are able to import basic information from the solar survey to deliver a customized, optimal system configuration. The solar design software is especially useful for designing complex solar PV plants with several different sub-arrays and inverter types.
Our solar PV software has some of the following benefits:
- The ability to visualise relevant shading around the property.
- Provide professional customer reports with relevant information on performance statistics.
- 3D shading animation to show implications of shading for a day or a year.
- Optimisation characteristics to enhance solar PV module coverage with millimetre precision.
- Screenshots can be taken of the visualised environment for effective communications in reports.
As part of the solar PV design process an appropriate plan will be agreed with our clients and you will have a visual representation of what the solar PV system will look like. You will be able to assess how many panels will be in a row, where the inverter is located and the position of other equipment that will be installed in the property.
Our solar design software will enable us to create detailed plans that maximise roof area and we aim to offer solutions that are aesthetically pleasing regardless of your particular roof structure.
Sustain only work with the best suppliers and solar technologies to ensure the longevity and efficiency of your solar PV system.
It is often essential to design and build bespoke systems that are representative of the specific building requirements. Where applicable, and for certain installations planning applications may be required. Sustain will support you throughout these applications and any other regulations that maybe applicable.
The Sustain solar PV design team is not only highly skilled in delivering small-scale domestic solar PV design solutions but we also have an array of skills related to large-scale solar PV systems. While the design criteria for a large-scale solar PV system is very similar to a small-scale system, there are some definable differences.
More calculations are necessary to ascertain the number of inverters, panels and other equipment necessary to deliver an effective large-scale system.
Furthermore, Sustain are aware of the fundamental requirements for large-scale systems, including the close cooperation required with the distribution network operator (DNO), utility companies and other regulatory bodies. We have completed many solar farms and parks, as well as isolated grid and utility scale solutions.
Roof Types
Our solar PV expertise includes an understanding of various roof types as well as other more complicated solar PV installations. Here is some further guidance on the roof types and potential indications:
Pitched Roofs
The most common installation that we undertake are those mounting systems for pitched roofs. Generally these installations are somewhat straightforward in many circumstances, as the roof itself will elevate the panels to a suitable angle. These type of solar PV systems consist of hooks or brackets plus rails. To ensure the system remains cost-effective it maybe applicable to mount the panels in a portrait orientation, so less railing is required.
Flat Roofs
To install solar PV on a flat roof you will need a frame system to hold the panels at the optimum angle to capture as much light as possible. We may install these systems using timber upstands on the roof or a lightweight stand which is weighed down with a ballast. It may be possible to avoid penetrating the roof and some flat roof solar PV installations are bonded to the roof and secured via aerodynamic pressure.
Tile & Slate
Numerous domestic solar PV installations are on tile or slate roofs and they are typically the most popular installation. Roof anchors will be screwed into the rafters and for the most part they are hidden by the tiles. Aluminium bars will then be attached to the anchors using a special locking system to ensure there’s no movement. The solar panels are subsequently mounted on top and attached firmly in place by using clamps.
Ground Mounted
A ground-mounted system maybe applicable if you do not have sufficient roof area or the orientation of your roof is not south-facing. Many clients also request a ground mounted system so they can maximise the value of underused or poor-quality land. The best part of the ground mounted system is that the panels can be mounted to face exactly south and at an optimum angle, to deliver exceptional performance.
