Rooftop solar power

A rooftop solar power system, or rooftop PV system, is a photovoltaic (PV) system that has its electricity-generating solar panels mounted on the rooftop of a residential or commercial building or structure.^[1] The various components of such a system include photovoltaic modules, mounting systems, cables, solar inverters battery storage systems, charge controllers, monitoring systems, racking and mounting systems, energy management systems, net metering systems, disconnect switches, grounding equipment, protective devices, combiner boxes, weatherproof enclosures and other electrical accessories.^[2]

Rooftop mounted systems are small compared to utility-scale solar ground-mounted photovoltaic power stations with capacities in the megawatt range, hence being a form of distributed generation. Most rooftop PV stations are Grid-connected photovoltaic power systems. Rooftop PV systems on residential buildings typically feature a capacity of about 5–20 kilowatts (kW), while those mounted on commercial buildings often reach 100 kilowatts to 1 megawatt (MW). Very large roofs can house industrial scale PV systems in the range of 1–10 MW.

As of 2022, around 25 million households rely on rooftop solar power worldwide.^[3] Australia has by far the most rooftop solar capacity per capita.^[4]

^ Armstrong, Robert (12 November 2014). "The Case for Solar Energy Parking Lots". Absolute Steel. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
^ "Photovoltaic power generation in the buildings. Building integrated photovoltaic–BIPV" (PDF). bef-de.org. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
^ "Approximately 100 million households rely on rooftop solar PV by 2030". International Energy Agency. 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
^ Chandak, Pooja (2022-03-21). "Global Rooftop Solar Installations To Almost Double By 2025, Says Report". SolarQuarter. Retrieved 2024-04-07.

[1] Armstrong, Robert (12 November 2014). "The Case for Solar Energy Parking Lots". Absolute Steel. Retrieved 15 November 2014.

[bef-2] "Photovoltaic power generation in the buildings. Building integrated photovoltaic–BIPV" (PDF). bef-de.org. Retrieved 2011-06-20.

[3] "Approximately 100 million households rely on rooftop solar PV by 2030". International Energy Agency. 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2024.

[4] Chandak, Pooja (2022-03-21). "Global Rooftop Solar Installations To Almost Double By 2025, Says Report". SolarQuarter. Retrieved 2024-04-07.

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Rooftop PV systems around the world: Berlin, Germany (top-right), Bensheim, Germany (middle) and Kuppam, India (bottom-right)