Solar and battery storage in Cornwall, designing it in rather than adding it afterwards

01

Orientation, pitch and shading

South facing is the textbook answer but an east and west split across a ridge often suits a household better, because it spreads generation across morning and evening when people are actually at home. Shading is the bigger issue in practice: a single chimney, a mature tree or a neighbouring gable can disproportionately affect a string, and optimisers or a different layout resolve it if it is identified before the panels are ordered.

• Establish the roof structure can carry the additional load, particularly on older rafters
• Map shading across the day and across the year rather than at one moment
• Decide between in roof and on roof mounting early, since in roof changes the covering
• Plan the cable route and the inverter position before the roof is closed up

02

Planning and heritage

Domestic solar is often permitted development subject to conditions about projection and siting, but the position changes on listed buildings, in Conservation Areas and on principal elevations facing a highway within protected areas. Where the front elevation is sensitive, in roof mounting on a rear or side slope frequently produces an acceptable answer without a refusal.

03

Batteries need a home

A battery is a piece of equipment with real dimensions, ventilation requirements, temperature preferences and safety considerations, and it is often the last thing anyone allocates space for. Garages, plant cupboards and utility rooms all work if the space is designed in. Retrofitting one into a house with no spare wall is what produces the awkward installations you see in hallways.

04

Coordinating with building work

If the roof is being replaced, the structure opened up or an extension added, that is the moment to run conduit, confirm loads and reserve plant space. Doing it then costs very little. Doing it two years later means scaffold, chased walls and a compromise on position. Where a scheme is already in design, the energy strategy can be shown on the same drawings the builder prices from.