PowerSwitch

On a newbuild I can either have linked panels on the roof at an angle I choose. Linked panels means I don't need roof tiles as the panels act as tiles. So cheaper. Or have panels on a manually adjustable frame so I can adjust them for maximum output depending on the time of year. Opinions?

If it has moving parts, it will go wrong. Sod's Law of Physics.

biffvernon wrote:If it has moving parts, it will go wrong. Sod's Law of Physics.

No, manually adjustable in the sense of adjust the inclination perhaps each month. Not a whizzo complicated automatic tracking system.

PVs are now optimised for a slightly higher frequency of light (bluer colour) so they can pick up power from clouds or from the clear sky in the absence of direct sunlight. Tracking devices were a lot more advantageous before this happened.

Were I you, I'd ask about the panels' light response, and then if it's the optimised type it's probably not worth the extra bother of having an adjustable angle.

Solar tiles are nice but not quite as efficient as panels because they tend to become warmer (no draft behind them) and electrical resistance goes up a bit with temperature. Ask the tile guys about this, they'd probably be daft not to be honest about it.

You still get much more power from direct sunlight. But in terms of adjusting the tilt, you could just do it twice a year, giving you a summer and a winter setting.

Candy's point about heat is more important though - hot panels deliver a lot less power, so that on its own is a good argument for not having integrated tiles.

I would avoid anything adjustable if you possibly can, even a simple manual adjustment has added something else to go wrong.
IMO adjustable module supports increase the risk of damage from high winds, since there are normally fewer fixing points.

The modules that look like roof tiles or slates and are fitted in place of other roof covering do suffer from high temperatures reducing output, this is much more of a problem for battery charging than for grid tied use.

If you fear TEOTWAWKI, then the modules that resemble roof tiles or slates are less liable to theft, looting, or requisitioning than are the more conventional and readily recognised modules.